The 7210 SAS devices, when operating in network mode and access-uplink mode, support either one or both of the two modes of buffer pool allocation for port egress queues - per port MBS pool and per node MBS pool. The buffer pools take care of the buffer requirements at the port level for various queue shaping/scheduling mechanisms. In addition, in per port MBS pool mode, an option is provided to decommission the port and allocate its buffers toward other ports. The following sections provides more information about these two modes.