Priority mechanism for distributed sending of media data

One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, direct at least one device to perform actions comprising:

• receiving a plurality of send requests, each respective send request of the plurality of send requests having a respective priority;
• ascertaining a threshold priority based on the respective priorities of the respective send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth,
• wherein the action of ascertaining a threshold priority comprises actions of:
• accumulating bandwidth consumption of the plurality of send requests from a send request that is most important to those that are less important in accordance with the respective priorities thereof, and determining a last send request at which the accumulated bandwidth consumption is less than or equal to the send bandwidth, and setting the threshold priority to a priority corresponding to the last send request at which the accumulated bandwidth consumption is less than or equal to the send bandwidth, and
• wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data;
• and
• broadcasting the threshold priority.

An arrangement for prioritized distributed sending of media data, the arrangement comprising:

• scheduler means for requesting sending of media data via send requests having send priorities;
• the scheduler means including determination means for determining if the send requests have been selected for sending using the send priorities and a threshold priority, wherein if the priority of a send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not selected for sending, and checking means for checking whether another threshold priority is lower than the send priorities of send requests that are not selected for sending;
• and
• sender means for sending media data portions in response to the send requests in accordance with the send priorities;
• the sender means including ascertainment means for ascertaining the threshold priority based on the send priorities of the send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth of the sender means,
• wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data.

A system that is configured to perform actions comprising:

• transmitting a send request associated with a send priority from a scheduler to a sender;
• ascertaining a threshold priority at the sender based on a ranking of send requests and responsive to a send bandwidth of the sender, the ranking of send requests including the send request from the scheduler,
• wherein the threshold priority is calculated from a variety of factors including whether media data requested in the send request comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data;
• transmitting the threshold priority to the scheduler;
• determining at the scheduler if the send request is being honored by the sender using the threshold priority and the send priority associated with the send request;
• wherein if the priority of the send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is determined to be honored and selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not determined to be honored and not selected for sending;
• and if the send request is not determined to be honored by the sender, then:
• checking, at the scheduler, if another sender having media data as stipulated in the send request has transmitted another threshold priority that is less important than the send priority associated with the send request, and if so:
• transmitting a subsequent send request associated with the send priority from the scheduler to the other sender.

One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a system to create schedulers that formulate send requests having send priorities in order to provide media data streams to clients;

• to establish senders that are respectively associated with respective media data portions and ascertain respective threshold priorities calculated in part based on whether media data requested in the send requests comprises deadline media data versus relatively sooner early media data or relatively later early media data, each time slot based on respective prioritized rankings of the respective send requests received at each sender from the schedulers and responsive to respective send bandwidths of each respective sender;
• and to enable the schedulers to determine if send requests are being honored by respective senders using the respective ascertained threshold priorities thereof, wherein if the priority of a send request is more important than the threshold priority, the send request is determined to be honored and selected for sending, and if the priority of the send request is not more important than the threshold priority, the send request is not determined to be honored and not selected for sending,
• wherein the schedulers transmit subsequent send requests to the senders in response to the ascertained threshold priorities, and wherein the subsequent send requests are at least one of (i) transmitted to different senders as compared to original send requests and/or (ii) assigned a more important send priority as compared to the original send requests.