Patent ID: 8614951

Claim:
A method comprising: applying, by a network device, a first policy to data to be transferred through the network device; transferring, by the network device, bandwidth from a shared bandwidth bucket to a first guaranteed bandwidth bucket, associated with the first policy, when bandwidth in the first guaranteed bandwidth bucket is not sufficient to allow the data to be transferred through the network device, bandwidth being allocated to the shared bandwidth bucket based on an underutilization of bandwidth in the first guaranteed bandwidth bucket and an underutilization of bandwidth in a second guaranteed bandwidth bucket that is associated with a second policy, the second policy being different from the first policy; determining, by the network device, whether the second policy is to be applied to the data after transferring the bandwidth to the first guaranteed bandwidth bucket; transferring, by the network device, the data through the network device without applying the second policy when the second policy is not to be applied; and when the second policy is to be applied to the data: applying, by the network device, the second policy to the data, transferring, by the network device, bandwidth from the shared bandwidth bucket to the second guaranteed bandwidth bucket when bandwidth, in the second guaranteed bandwidth bucket, is not sufficient to allow the data to be transferred through the network device, and transferring, by the network device, the data through the network device after applying the second policy.