System and method for prioritizing multicast packets in a network service class utilizing a priority-based quality of service

A method for overriding packet acceptance criteria established at each individual connection of a network node, to provide a collective packet acceptance criteria for each packet of a multicast transmission targeted for the individual connections, comprising:

• collecting the packet acceptance criteria from each of the individual connections in the network node that are targeted for the multicast transmission;
• calculating a multicast packet priority for each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on an aggregate analysis of the packet acceptance criteria of each of the individual connections;
• collectively accepting or discarding each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on the calculated multicast packet priority;
• and
• determining whether the packet is a packet associated with a multicast transmission, and bypassing the collecting of the packet acceptance criteria, bypassing the calculating of a multicast packet priority, and bypassing the collective accepting or discarding of each of the packets when the packet is not associated with the multicast transmission, wherein bypassing further comprises:
• using the packet acceptance criteria established at each individual connection of the network node as a basis to individually accept or reject the packets not associated with the multicast transmission.

A method for overriding packet acceptance criteria established at each individual connection of a network node, to provide a collective packet acceptance criteria for each packet of a multicast transmission targeted for the individual connections, comprising:

• collecting the packet acceptance criteria from each of the individual connections in the network node that are targeted for the multicast transmission, wherein collecting the packet acceptance criteria from each of the individual connections comprises:
• receiving an allowable packet priority corresponding to each of the individual connections, wherein the allowable packet priority represents a minimum packet priority necessary for acceptance;
• calculating a multicast packet priority for each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on an aggregate analysis of the packet acceptance criteria of each of the individual connections;
• modifying the packet acceptance criteria at each of the individual connections in the network node based on the calculated multicast packet priority, wherein modifying the packet acceptance criteria comprises:
• increasing the allowable packet priorities of each of the individual connections to increase a likelihood of packet acceptance at each of the individual connections;
• and
• individually accepting or discarding each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on the modified packet acceptance criteria.

A method for overriding packet acceptance criteria established at each individual connection of a network node, to provide a collective packet acceptance criteria for each packet of a multicast transmission targeted for the individual connections, comprising:

• collecting the packet acceptance criteria from each of the individual connections in the network node that are targeted for the multicast transmission, wherein collecting the packet acceptance criteria from each of the individual connections comprises:
• receiving an allowable packet priority corresponding to each of the individual connections, wherein the allowable packet priority represents a minimum packet priority necessary for acceptance;
• calculating a multicast packet priority for each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on an aggregate analysis of the packet acceptance criteria of each of the individual connections;
• modifying the packet acceptance criteria at each of the individual connections in the network node based on the calculated multicast packet priority, wherein modifying the packet acceptance criteria comprises:
• decreasing the allowable packet priorities of each of the individual connections to decrease a likelihood of packet acceptance at each of the individual connections;
• and
• individually accepting or discarding each of the packets associated with the multicast transmission based on the modified packet acceptance criteria.