Patent ID: 8705363
Filing Date: 2014-04-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A packet scheduling apparatus, comprising: a first scheduling engine operable to (a) select a packet queue from a first set of packet queues and (b) move a packet from the selected packet queue to an intermediate packet queue included in a first set of intermediate packet queues, wherein the first scheduling engine is configured to perform the packet queue selection using information corresponding to a first set of scheduling nodes; a second scheduling engine operable to (a) select a packet queue from a second set of packet queues and (b) move a packet from the selected packet queue to an intermediate packet queue included in a second set of intermediate packet queues, wherein the second scheduling engine is configured to perform the packet queue selection using information corresponding to a second set of scheduling nodes; a third scheduling engine operable to (a) select a packet queue from a set of packet queues comprising the first set of intermediate packet queues and the second set of intermediate packet queues and (b) move a packet from the selected packet queue to a transmit queue; a packet transmitter configured to transmit on to a communications link packets from the transmit queue, wherein the first scheduling engine and the second scheduling engine are configured to select packet queues independently of each other such that state information need not be shared between the first and second scheduling engines.