Patent attributes
Provided are systems and methods for packet policing for controlling the rate of a packet flows. In some implementations, an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit may comprise a memory, a counter, and a pipeline. The integrated circuit may be operable to, upon receiving packet information describing a packet, determine, using the pipeline, a drop status for the packet. Determining the drop status may include determining a previous number of credits available, a number of new credits available, a current number of credits available, and a number of credits needed to transmit the packet. The drop status may be determined by comparing the number of credits needed to transmit the packet against the current number of credits available. The integrated circuit may further update the information stored for a policing context in the memory based on the drop status and the number of credits needed to transmit the packet.