Invoking different wireless link rate selection operations for different traffic classes

One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a set of one or more processor units causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise:

• determining that a wireless channel will carry a first class of traffic and a second class of traffic, wherein data units of the first class of traffic have a lesser degree of presentation time sensitivity than data units of the second class of traffic;
• and
• instantiating different wireless link rate determination operations, for the first class of traffic and the second class of traffic, that determine wireless link rates for wireless transmission of the data units of the first and second classes of traffic, wherein the different wireless link rate determination operations correspond to the different degrees of presentation time sensitivity,
• wherein the wireless link rate determination operations for the first class of traffic aggressively probe for a maximum wireless link rate and the wireless link rate determination operations for the second class of traffic conservatively probes for a smooth wireless link rate that accommodates a greater degree of presentation time sensitivity of data units of the second class of traffic relative to the presentation time sensitivity of the data units of the first class of traffic,
• wherein the wireless link rate determination operations for the second class of traffic operate within an upper threshold and a lower threshold.

An apparatus comprising:

• a wireless network interface operable to receive and to transmit data units;
• a first queue for data units of a first traffic class;
• a second queue for data units of a second traffic class;
• and
• a link rate selection unit operable to determine different wireless link rates for data units of the first traffic class and data units of the second traffic class based, at least in part, on different degrees of presentation time sensitivity of the data units of the first traffic class and of the data units of the second traffic class, wherein the data units of the second class of traffic have a greater degree of presentation time sensitivity than the data units of the first class of traffic,
• wherein the link rate selection unit being operable to determine the different wireless link rates for the data units of the first traffic class and the data units of the second traffic class based, at least in part, on the different degrees of presentation time sensitivity comprises the link rate selection unit being operable to aggressively probe for a maximum wireless link rate for the data units of the first traffic class and to conservatively probe for a smooth wireless link rate that accommodates the greater degree of presentation time sensitivity of data units of the second traffic class,
• wherein the link rate determination operations for the second class of traffic operate within an upper threshold and a lower threshold.