Patent ID: 8134992

Claim:
A method for arbitrating between performing operations associated with a first network device and performing operations associated with a second network device coupled to the first network device, the method comprising: determining a start time of a scheduled operation associated with a second network device based, at least in part, on an activity report message received at a first network device from the second network device; determining whether a scheduled operation associated with the first network device can be performed prior to the start time of the scheduled operation associated with the second network device based, at least in part, on a transaction time associated with the scheduled operation associated with the first network device; performing the scheduled operation associated with the first network device if the scheduled operation associated with the first network device can be performed prior to the start time of the scheduled operation associated with the second network device; determining a quality of service (QoS) allocation percentage value associated with the first network device based on performing one or more scheduled operations during a predetermined time period; providing a QoS allocation report message from the first network device to the second network device indicating the QoS allocation percentage value associated with the first network device; and receiving, at the first network device, a QoS allocation report message from the second network device indicating a QoS allocation percentage value associated with the second network device based on performing one or more scheduled operations during the predetermined time period.