Patent ID: 8135869

Claim:
A method comprising: with circuitry of a task scheduler: generating a schedule for a sequence of tasks, the schedule for cycling through a plurality of nodes including a first node, a second node and one or more other nodes, the first node and the second node each coupled to the task scheduler via a first communication path including a port expander, the one or more other nodes coupled to the task scheduler independent of the port expander, the port expander for the task scheduler to communicate through a single port with nodes having a first connection address, the scheduling including: comparing connection address information for the first node with connection address information for the second node; based on the comparing, determining that the first node and the second node share the first connection address; and in response to the determining, grouping the first node with the second node in the sequence of tasks; wherein an execution of the sequence of tasks according to the schedule is to include: opening a first connection for communication via the first communication path, wherein based on the grouping the first node with the second node, the first connection to remain open for both a scheduled task for the first node and a scheduled task for the second node; opening a second connection for communication independent of the port expander, the second connection for a task of the one or more other nodes; and after one of the opening the first connection and the opening the second connection, closing the open one of the first connection and the second connection in preparation for cycling to the other of the opening the first connection and the opening the second connection.