Patent ID: 8407710

Claim:
A system for scanning a plurality of active ports for works, comprising: the plurality of ports configured for receiving a high priority work and a low priority work; a first processor and a second processor each in communication with each of the plurality of ports and configured to scan the plurality of ports for the high priority work and the low priority work; and tracking mechanisms in communication with each port of the plurality of ports, the first processor, and the second processor, the tracking mechanisms configured to track an availability of the first processor and the second processor to perform the high priority work or the low priority work on each port of the plurality of ports, wherein: the availability of the first processor and the second processor to perform the high priority work or the low priority work on a corresponding port of the plurality of ports is indicated by a TRUE designation representing availability or a FALSE designation representing unavailability by the tracking mechanisms, at an initial time instance, the tracking mechanisms set the availability of both the first processor and the second processor to the TRUE designation for accepting low priority work from each port of the plurality of ports and to the FALSE designation for accepting high priority work from each port of the plurality of ports, the first processor and the second processor are each configured to issue a port lock for each port of the plurality of ports that the first processor or the second processor scans, when the first processor identifies and accepts high priority work from the one port of the plurality of ports, the tracking mechanisms change the availability of the first processor to accept high priority work from the one port of the plurality of ports to the TRUE designation, if accepted, or maintain the availability of the first processor to accept high priority work from the one port of the plurality of ports at the FALSE designation, if declined, and if the first processor declines acceptance of high priority work from the one port of the plurality of ports, the second processor accepts the high priority work from the one port, and the tracking mechanisms change the availability of the second processor from the one port of the plurality of ports accepting the high priority work to the TRUE designation.