Precise error reporting

1. A method for the precise reporting of errors in a flow of successive messages, the method comprising:

detecting a transmission error in a message in the flow;

setting a deferred error flag in a state for the flow;

saving a sequence number in the state for the flow, for the message having the transmission error; and

processing the transmission error upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to an immediately preceding message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the transmission error upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to an immediately preceding message comprises reporting the transmission error.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein processing the transmission error upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to an immediately preceding message comprises reporting the immediately preceding message as a remote error.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acknowledgement is positive.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the acknowledgement is negative.

6. A state machine for tracking the status of a flow of successive messages from a requestor, comprising:

a deferred error flag; and

a deferred error sequence number;

wherein when the requester detects a transmission error in a message:

the deferred error flag is set; and

the deferred error sequence number is saved; and

wherein the deferred error flag is cleared when the requester receives a positive acknowledgement for a preceding message.

7. The state machine of claim 6 , wherein if a retransmission acknowledgement is received, the deferred error flag remains set during retransmission.

8. The state machine of claim 6 , wherein if a negative acknowledgement is received, the transmission error is ignored.

9. A method for the precise reporting of errors in a flow, the flow including a first message and a second message, each message including at least one packet, the method comprising:

transmitting the first message;

detecting a transmission error in the second message;

deferring the reporting of the transmission error in the second message; and

processing the transmission error in the second message upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to the first message;

wherein the deferring includes writing a record of the transmission error in the second message to a state saved for the flow.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein writing a record of the transmission error in the second message to a state saved for the flow comprises:

saving a sequence number of the packet in the state; and

setting a deferred error flag in the state.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein processing the transmission error in the second message upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to the first message comprises reporting the transmission error.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein processing the transmission error in the second message upon receiving an acknowledgement pertinent to the first message comprises reporting the first message as a remote error.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the acknowledgement is positive.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the acknowledgement is negative.

15. A method for reporting errors in a flow of successive messages comprising:

detecting a transmission error in a message in the flow;

deferring reporting of the transmission error; and

reporting the transmission error upon receiving a positive acknowledgement that completes a message in the flow that immediately precedes the message having the transmission error.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein deferring reporting of the transmission error comprises:

saving a sequence number for the message causing the transmission error in a state; and

setting a deferred error flag in the state.