Priority forwarding in a communication system

• US 6,987,777 B1
• Filed: 12/02/1999
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Robert, Berger, Mike, Miller, William A., DiBurro, Larry, Cain, Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US09/453,340
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/397, 370/399, 370465-467, 370/474, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.3, 370/395.42, 370/395.5, 370/395.51, 370/395.52, 370/395.6, 370/395.61, 370/395.62, 370/395.64, 370/395.65, 370412-418, 370/400, 370468-469, 370/349, 370/395.63
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a technique for priority forwarding, an upper layer protocol that requires priority forwarding includes a priority function that is invoked by a lower layer protocol in order to obtain the priority for a message. The upper layer protocol provides the priority function to the lower layer protocol when the upper layer protocol is installed in the protocol stack. The lower layer protocol invokes the priority function before passing a message to the upper layer protocol in order to determine a priority for the message. The lower layer protocol places the message in the appropriate queue based upon the priority indicator obtained from the upper layer protocol'"'"'s priority function.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding a message between a first protocol and a second protocol, the method comprising:

associating with the first protocol a priority function for assigning a priority level to the message;

invoking the priority function by the second protocol in order to determine the priority level for the message; and

forwarding the message along with an indication of the priority level for the message from the second protocol to the first protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein invoking the priority function by the second protocol comprises:

providing the second protocol with access to the priority function, by providing a reference to the priority function.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the second protocol with access to the priority function comprises:

providing the second protocol with a pointer to the priority function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the message by the second protocol to the first protocol comprising:

maintaining a plurality of queues, each queue corresponding to one of the plurality of priority levels; and

placing the message on the queue corresponding to the priority level.

2. The method of clam 1, wherein the priority function determines the priority level for the message based upon protocol-specific elements of the first protocol.

6. A device comprising:

a priority function for assigning a priority level to a message associated with a first protocol; and

a second protocol operably coupled to invoke the priority function in order to determine the priority level for the message, wherein the second protocol is operably coupled to forward the message to the first protocol along with an indication of the priority level for the message.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the priority function determines the priority level for the message based upon protocol-specific elements of the first protocol.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the first protocol is operably coupled to provide the second protocol with access to the priority function, by providing a reference to the priority function.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first protocol is operably coupled to provide the second protocol with access to the priority function by providing the second protocol with a pointer to the priority function.

10. The device of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of queues interposed between the first protocol and the second protocol for interfacing the second protocol to the first protocol, wherein each queue corresponds to one of the plurality of priority levels, and wherein the second protocol is operably coupled to place the message on the queue corresponding to the priority level.

11. A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for providing priority forwarding of messages, the computer program comprising:

a priority function for assigning a priority level to a message associated with a first protocol; and

a second protocol programmed to invoke the priority function in order to determine the priority level for the message, wherein the second protocol is programmed to forward the message to the first protocol along with an indication of the priority level for the message.

12. The program product of claim 11, wherein the priority function is programmed to determine the priority level for the message based upon protocol-specific elements of the fist protocol.

13. The program product of claim 11, wherein the first protocol is programmed to provide the second protocol with access to the priority function.

14. The program product of claim 13, wherein the first protocol is programmed to provide the second protocol with access to the priority function by providing the second protocol with a pointer to the priority function.

15. The program product of claim 11, wherein the second protocol is programmed to forward the message to the first protocol by determining a queue from among a plurality of queues based upon the priority level for the message and placing the message on the queue corresponding to the priority level.