Patent ID: 7012923

Claim:
Method for allocating a bandwidth (BW) between a plurality of network terminals (NT x ) coupled, via a common link, to a main network station (LT) in a communication network including a medium access controller (MC) with a guarantee counter (G x ) for each dependent terminal, a determined guarantee increment (IncG x ) and a determined guarantee maximum (MaxG x ) being defined for each guarantee counter and a guarantee stack (GS) for storing permits to be forwarded to the network terminals, each permit containing a network terminal identifier and corresponding to a predetermined share of bandwidth, said method including for defining permits: a first step by: updating the current value of each guarantee counter (G x ) by adding the corresponding guarantee increment (IncG x ); stacking a permit in the guarantee stack (GS) and diminishing the current value of a guarantee counter (G x ) with the guarantee maximum (MaxG x ), if this current value exceeds the guarantee maximum (MaxG x ); said method being characterised in that the medium access controller (MC) includes also a fair counter (F x ) for each dependant terminal with a determined fair increment (IncF x ) and a fair maximum (MaxF x ) defined for each fair counter, and a fair stack (FS) for storing permits to be forwarded to the network terminals, and in that said method also includes the following two steps for defining and forwarding permits: a second step by: updating the current value of each fair counter (F x ) by adding the corresponding increment (IncF x ); stacking a permit in the fair stack (FS) and diminishing the current value of a fair counter (F x ) with the fair maximum (MaxF x ), if this current value exceeds the fair maximum (MaxG x ) a third step to forward a permit by: forwarding an idle permit, if the guarantee stack (GS) and the fair stack (FS) are both empty; extracting a permit from the fair stack (FS) and forwarding it, if the guarantee stack (GS) is empty and the fair stack (FS) is not empty; extracting a permit from the guarantee stack (GS) and forwarding it, if the guarantee stack (GS) is not empty.