Method and arrangement for prioritized data transmission of packets

Method for prioritized transmission of packets from a plurality of storage queues (SQ1, . . . ,SQm), each interfacing one corresponding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm) to one common transmission medium (UDATA), said method including a step of determining a respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) for each respective storage queue (SQ1, . . . ,SQm), on the basis of which access to said common transmission medium (UDATA) is determined in accordance to a predetermined access criterion,

• characterized in that
• said respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) is dependent upon a resepctive weight (W1, . . . ,wm), being a positive real number and associated with said corresponding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm), the dependency of said respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) upon said respective weight (w1, . . . ,wm) relates to a respective amount (K1, . . . ,Km) of successive values of said respective queue priorities, said respective amount of successive values of said respective amount of distinct values, selected within an interval Pmin, Pmax) and sorted out in a predetermined sequence, with Pmin being a first real number lower than a second real number Pmax, said predetermined access criterion thereby being related to said predetermined sequence,
• said respective amount (K1, . . . ,Km) is determined as the integer most approximating the product of said respective weight (w1, . . . ,wm) and a normalization factor (NF), and
• said normalization factor is determined as a value not lower than the maximum between the inverse value (1/Rw) of a predetermined resolution (Rw) of said weights and the inverse value (1/wmin) of a predetermined minimum limit value (wmin) of said weights, whereby 1 added to the product of the width of said interval (Pmax−Pmin) and the inverse value (1/Rp) of a predetermined resolution (Rp) of said priorities is not lower than the product of a predetermined maximum limit value (wmax) for said respective weights and said normalization factor (NF).

Arrangement (DTA) for prioritized data transmission of packets from a first plurality of storage queues (SQ1, . . . ,SQm) included in said arrangement, each interfacing one correspnding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm) to one common transmission medium (UDATA) coupled to said plurality of storage queues, said arrangement (DTA) including a second plurality of queue priority determining means (QPDM1, . . . ,QPDMm), each respective queue priority determining means (QPDM1, . . . ,QPDMm) of said second plurality being associated with a respective storage queue (SQ1, . . . ,SQm) of said first plurality and adapted to determine a respective queue priroity (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm), said arrangement (DTA) further including an access control device (ACD) adapted to a receive from said each respective queue priority determining means (QPDM1, . . . ,QPDMm) said respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) and to determine therefrom, in accordance to a predetermined access criterion, which storage queue of said first plurality gets access to said common transmission medium (UDATA),

• characterized in that said each representative queue priority determining means (QPDM1, . . . ,QPDMm) is further adapted to determine said respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) from a respective weight (w1, . . . ,win), being a positive real number and associated with said corresponding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm),
• wherein said each respective queue priority determining means (QPDM1, . . . ,QPDMm) is further adapted to determine a respective amount (K1, . . . ,Km) of successive values of said respective queue priorities (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm), the respective amount (K1, . . . ,Km) being selected within an interval (Pmin, Pmax), and sorted out in a predetermined sequence, said respective amount (K1, . . . ,Km) thereby being dependent upon said respective weight (w1, . . . ,wm) associated with said corresponding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm), and Pmin being a first real number smaller than Pmax being a second real number, whereby said predetermined access criterion is related to said predetermined sequence.

A method for prioritized transmission of data packets from a plurality of storage queues (SQ1, . . . ,SQm) to a common transmission medium (UDATA), each storage queue serving as an interface from one corresponding input bit -stream (BS1, . . . ,BSm) to the common transmission medium (UDATA),

• wherein said method includes a step of determining a respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) for each respective storage queue (SQ1, . . . ,SQm), the respective queue priority depending upon storage time in the respective storage queue and also depending upon at least one packet characterizing parameter, and
• wherein said method also includes a step of arbitrating access to the common transmission medium (UDATA) so that a storage queue is allowed access to transmit at least one data packet to the common transmission medium, the access arbitration being performed by an access control device in response to the respective queue priorities (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) and according to a predetermined access criterion which, in case where there is a single highest queue priority, selects the highest queue priority as a winning priority,
• the method being characterized in that:
• the respective queue priority (QPR1, . . . ,QPRm) also depends upon a respective weight (w1, . . . ,wm) which is a real number associated with the corresponding input bitstream (BS1, . . . ,BSm), and
• wherein the respective weights (w1, . . . ,win) corresponding to different input bitstreams are different in situations where the different input bitstreams have substantially similar storage times and packet characterizing parameters, the respective weights being assigned based upon characteristics of users instead of characteristics of packets.