Computer network packet transmission timing

A computer program product, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to transmit packets from computer network hosts, the computer-executable program instructions comprising computer-executable instructions to:
• establish, by a computer network host, an expected transmit time at which a network interface controller (NIC) of the computer network host is expected to transmit a next packet of type P;
• enqueue, by the computer network host with the NIC and prior to the expected transmit time, a packet P1 of type P to be transmitted by the NIC at the expected transmit time;
• upon enqueuing P1, first increment, by the computer network host, the expected transmit time by an expected transmit duration of P1;
• transmit at a line rate of the NIC and timestamp, by the NIC, enqueued P1 with an actual transmit time of P1;
• adjust, by the computer network host, the expected transmit time by a difference between the actual transmit time of P1 and the expected transmit time of P1;
• request, by the computer network host and prior to completion by the NIC of transmitting P1, to transmit a packet P2 of type P at a time t(P2) later than the first incremented and adjusted expected transmit time;
• enqueue, by the computer network host in sequence, one or more packets P0 of type P, such that the first incremented and adjusted expected transmit time plus duration of the enqueued packets P0 at the line rate of the NIC equals t(P2);
• enqueue, by the computer network host, packet P2 for transmission directly following a final packet P0 of the enqueued one or more packets P0;
• transmit at the line rate of the NIC, by the NIC, each of the enqueued one or more packets P0;
• and
• transmit, by the NIC, enqueued P2 at t(P2).

A system to transmit packets from computer network hosts, comprising:

• a storage device;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to:
• establish, by a computer network host, an expected transmit time at which a network interface controller (NIC) of the computer network host is expected to transmit a next packet of type P;
• enqueue, by the computer network host with the NIC and prior to the expected transmit time, a packet P1 of type P to be transmitted by the NIC at the expected transmit time;
• upon enqueuing P1, first increment, by the computer network host, the expected transmit time by an expected transmit duration of P1;
• transmit at a line rate of the NIC and timestamp, by the NIC, enqueued P1 with an actual transmit time of P1;
• adjust, by the computer network host, the expected transmit time by a difference between the actual transmit time of P1 and the expected transmit time of P1;
• request, by the computer network host and prior to completion by the NIC of transmitting P1, to transmit a packet P2 of type P at a time t(P2) later than the first incremented and adjusted expected transmit time;
• enqueue, by the computer network host in sequence, one or more packets P0 of type P, such that the first incremented and adjusted expected transmit time plus an expected transmit duration of the enqueued packets P0 at the line rate of the NIC equals t(P2);
• enqueue, by the computer network host, packet P2 for transmission directly following a final packet P0 of the enqueued one or more packets P0;
• transmit at the line rate of the NIC, by the NIC, each of the enqueued one or more packets P0;
• and
• transmit, by the NIC, enqueued P2 at t(P2).