Patent ID: 7103051

Claim:
A scheduling method for implementing Quality-of-Service (QoS) scheduling of a plurality of flows with aging time stamps comprising the steps of: sequentially accessing a subset of time stamp data from a time stamp aging memory array; each time stamp data subset containing time stamp data for a subplurality of flows; performing guaranteed aging processing steps for each flow utilizing said time stamp data subsets to identify and mark invalid calendar next time values, identifying a new frame arrival for an empty flow and accessing time stamp data from a flow queue control block (FQCB) for said flow and said flow time stamp data in said time stamp aging memory array; responsive to said identified new frame arrival for said empty flow, checking a selection indicator of said time stamp aging memory array data to identify said target calendar for attaching said flow; each flow being attached to at least one of a plurality of calendars including a low latency service (LLS)/normal latency service (NLS), a peak bandwidth service (PBS) and a weighted fair queue (WFQ) ring; said LLS, NLS, and PBS calendars being time based; said weighted fair queue (WFQ) ring being weight based; responsive to said selection indicator value, checking a target calendar next time valid bit of said time stamp aging memory array data for said flow; responsive to said target calendar next time valid bit being on, comparing a target calendar next time from said flow queue control block (FQCB) for said flow with a current time; responsive to said target calendar next time being less than said current time, turning off said target calendar next time valid bit to mark said target calendar next time as invalid.