System and method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for transmission
First Claim
1. A method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for transmission over a communication medium, comprising the steps of:
- receiving one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority;
based on the priority, storing each of the packets in priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues, wherein all packets stored in any one of the priority queues have the same priority;
monitoring the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signaling an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one of the priority queues; and
in response to the interrupt being signaled, dropping lower priority packets in a plurality of the priority queues to free up space for higher priority packets to be stored in a second one of the priority queues.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for dropping lower priority packets for transmission over a communication medium is provided. A cable modem termination system receives one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority. Then, based on the priority, a media access controller stores each of the packets in one or more priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues. The media access controller monitors the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signals an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one or more of the priority queues. The media access controller then drops lower priority packets in the fixed shared memory space based on the order received to guarantee that there is enough memory to store higher priority packets in the fixed shared memory space.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for transmission over a communication medium, comprising the steps of:
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receiving one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority; based on the priority, storing each of the packets in priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues, wherein all packets stored in any one of the priority queues have the same priority; monitoring the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signaling an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one of the priority queues; and in response to the interrupt being signaled, dropping lower priority packets in a plurality of the priority queues to free up space for higher priority packets to be stored in a second one of the priority queues. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 18)
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7. A system for dropping lower priority packets that are slated for transmission over a communication medium, comprising:
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a cable modem termination system for receiving one or more packets to be transferred to one or more data providers, each packet having a priority; based on the priority, a media access controller for storing each of the packets in priority queues in a fixed shared memory space in such a way as to maintain the order in which the packets were received in each of the priority queues, wherein all packets stored in any one of the priority queues have the same priority; wherein the media access controller monitors the number of packets in each of the priority queues and signals an interrupt when a packet threshold is exceeded in one of the priority queues; wherein the media access controller drops lower priority packets in the fixed shared memory space based on the order received; and wherein lower priority packets stored in a plurality of the priority queues are dropped, in response to the interrupt being signaled, from the fixed shared memory space to free up space for higher priority packets to be stored in the priority queues. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification