Marvell International Limited

Prabhashanker Shastry

Sandesh Goel

A networking device includes a transmitting device and a host circuit. The transmitting device is configured to store packets in a transmit queue. The transmitting device is further configured to transmit the packets from the transmit queue in accordance with a local area network protocol. The transmitting device is further configured to selectively generate a signal indicating an available capacity of the transmit queue. The host circuit is configured to receive input packets for transmission by the transmitting device. The host circuit is further configured to, in response to an aggregation mode being enabled, (i) generate an aggregate packet using ones of the received input packets, and (ii) in response to the signal, provide the aggregate packet to the transmitting device for transmission. The host circuit is further configured to, in response to the aggregation mode being disabled, individually provide the received input packets to the transmitting device for transmission.

Packet aggregation

A method comprises receiving packets; transferring the packets to an output circuit when aggregation of the packets is not enabled; transferring the packets to a queue when aggregation is enabled; enabling aggregation when a rate of receiving the packets into the queue is greater than a predetermined rate or a number of the packets in the output circuit&#x3e;a first number; and generating aggregate packets each comprising packets in the queue, transferring each aggregate packet to the output circuit when a number of packets in the aggregate packet&#x3e;a second number, and transferring the aggregate packet to the output circuit when a number of packets in the aggregate packet&#x2266;the second number, when a predetermined interval elapses, wherein the interval begins when the queue is empty when receiving a packet or a number of aggregate packets in a device receiving the aggregate packets&#x3c;a third number.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Prabhashanker Shastry