Patent ID: 7243351

Claim:
A method for scheduling requests being processed in a multi-level computing system, each level of the computing system having at least one queue, each queue having at least one processing function associated therewith, said method comprising the steps of: buffering the requests in said at least one queue of a first level of said computing system; exchanging a flow of information with other levels adjacent to the first level; determining a probability that a particular request will survive processing at a next-level queue with respect to a first level queue based on (i) said flow of information exchanged between queues, and (ii) a processing load on said next-level queue, wherein each queue in a particular level is operable to send flow control signals to a previous-level queue and send control signals to a next-level queue; obtaining a classification value of said requests based on said probability and a classification standard of said requests; comparing the obtained classification value to a threshold classification value; scheduling said requests for processing when said obtained classification value exceeds said threshold classification value; modifying said obtained classification value when said obtained classification value is less than said threshold classification value; and scheduling said requests for processing based on the modified obtained classification value.