Patent ID: 8040901
Filing Date: 2011-10-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: determining a number of packet forwarding network devices that provide ingress to or egress from to a packet-based, ring network; determining one or more quality of service (QoS) classes that each indicates a forwarding priority; within a first one of the network devices, allocating a queue for each order-dependent pair of the network devices in combination with each different one of the QoS classes so as to allocate at least M*N*(N−1) queues in the first one of the network device, wherein M denotes the number of the determined one or more QoS classes and N denotes the number of packet forwarding network devices that form the ring topology and provide ingress to or egress from the network ring, wherein each of the pairs represents a different order-dependent combination of the network devices that includes one of the network devices that provides an ingress for packets to the ring network and one of the network devices that provides an egress from the ring network for the packets; receiving, with the first one of the network devices, a packet forwarded by a neighboring one of the other plurality of network devices along the ring network; selecting one of the order-dependent pairs of the network devices based on the one of the network devices that provided the ingress for the packet to the ring network and the one of the network devices that will provide the egress for the packet from the ring network; selecting one of the plurality of queues within the first one of the network devices based on the selected order-dependent pair of network devices; storing the packet to the selected queue within the first one of the network devices; and forwarding the packet via the ring network.