Patent ID: 7352699
Filing Date: 2008-04-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of providing access to a switch fabric, comprising: receiving an indication that a link included in a plurality of links to the switch fabric is next in order to be serviced by a queue scheduling process common to the plurality of links; determining a current value of each of one or more link-specific scheduling state variables specific to the link; and using the queue scheduling process common to the plurality of links and the link-specific scheduling state variables to determine a queue to be serviced by the link; wherein the queue scheduling process common to the plurality of links is configured to use for each of the plurality of a links a corresponding set of one or more link-specific scheduling state variables specific to that link, with the result that queues are selected for each respective link in the plurality of links, by the queue scheduling process common to them all, in a manner at least partly independent of each other link in the plurality.