Patent ID: 7890663
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of arbitrating among a plurality of nodes participating in a ring network, the method comprising: when a first node of the plurality of nodes has not received an arbitration token during a predetermined period of time, then, the first node originating and transmitting a new arbitration token onto the ring network, wherein arbitration tokens are used to identify a token master of the plurality of nodes that is responsible for generating a packet transmission token onto the ring network and wherein the packet transmission token authorizes a transmitting node of the plurality of nodes that has most recently received the packet transmission token to transmit locally generated packets onto the ring network; when the first node receives the arbitration token during the predetermined period of time, then when a node identifier associated with the arbitration token is at a lower priority than a node identifier associated with the first node, the first node modifying the arbitration token by replacing the node identifier associated with the arbitration token with the node identifier associated with the first node and retransmitting the modified arbitration token onto the ring network; and wherein the predetermined period of time is calculated by N*(D+L)*C, where N is a number of the plurality of nodes, D is a maximum packet delay, L is a ring latency input/output measure and C is a clock period.