Patent ID: 8547846

Claim:
A method, comprising: classifying a packet into a latency class based on a traffic type associated with said packet, wherein a network device has an associated latency class; assigning a priority value to said packet, wherein packets in a flow are assigned priorities according to a specified probability distribution within a specified band; determining, at said network device for a highest latency class, whether a sum of queued packet sizes of previously received packets having an equal or smaller latency class than said packet and a larger or equal priority than said packet is larger than a threshold value for the latency class associated with said network device, and when the sum of queued packet sizes of previously received packets having an equal or smaller latency class than said packet and a larger or equal priority than said packet is larger than said threshold value, then dropping said packet, otherwise determining whether the latency class of said packet is less than the latency class associated with said network device, and when the latency class of said packet is not less than the latency class associated with said network device, then storing said packet in a queue for the latency class of said packet, and when the latency class of said packet is less than the latency class associated with said network device, then repeating said determining for a next lower latency class until said packet is dropped or stored in a queue.