Patent ID: 7881194

Claim:
A computer implemented method for pacing traffic from a source to a network, wherein the computer performs the following functions comprising: shaping the traffic at the source to avoid bunching, wherein the shaping the traffic at the source comprises providing, a first plurality of shapers, with one shaper of the first plurality of shapers assigned to each of a plurality of analog-to-digital converters, wherein the traffic passing through the source is scheduled by the first plurality of shapers; and classifying traffic into higher priority groups, wherein the priority for each group of the higher priority is based on an average data-transfer rate measured over an interval, wherein the bandwidth and latency characteristics can be substantially guaranteed, wherein the classifying traffic comprises providing a second plurality of shapers, with one shaper of the second plurality of shapers assigned to each of a plurality of distinct priority groups, with the one shaper of the second plurality of shapers assigned to each of a plurality of distinct source-port/destination port combinations.