Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for maintaining efficient representations of prefix tables for utilization by network switches and other devices. In an embodiment, the performance of a network device is greatly enhanced using a working representation of a prefix table that includes multiple stages of prefix entries. Higher-stage prefixes are stored in slotted pools. Mapping logic, such as a hash function, determines the slots in which a given higher-stage prefix may be stored. When trying to find a longest-matching higher-stage prefix for an input key, only the slots that map to that input key need be read. Higher-stage prefixes may further point to arrays of lower-stage prefixes. Hence, once a longest-matching higher-stage prefix is found for an input key, the longest prefix match in the table may be found simply by comparing the input key to lower-stage prefixes in the array that the longest-matching higher-stage prefix points to.

Methods, systems, and computer readable medium are provided for receiving an event message in a plurality of event messages, the event message comprising a sequence number and associated data, identifying the event message as an out-of-order event message based on the sequence number, assigning a priority level to the out-of-order event message based on a plurality of priority rules, and placing the out-of-order event message in a primary queue of messages based on the priority level assigned to the event message.

A method and apparatus of a network element that processes a packet in the network element is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the network element receives a data packet that includes a destination address. The network element receives a packet, with a packet switch unit, wherein the packet was received by the network element on an ingress interface. The network element further determines if the packet is to be stored in an external queue. In addition, the network element identifies the external queue for the packet based on one or more characteristics of the packet. The network element additionally forwards the packet to a packet storage unit, wherein the packet storage unit includes storage for the external queue. Furthermore, the network element receives the packet from the packet storage unit and forwards the packet to an egress interface corresponding to the external queue.

As an example, a method includes storing, in non-transitory memory, prioritization rules that establish a priority preference for egress of data traffic for a first location. The first location includes a first location apparatus to control egress of data traffic for the first location apparatus and a second location apparatus at a second location, which is different from the first location, to receive data traffic and cooperate with the first apparatus to measure bandwidth with respect to the first location. The first location apparatus is coupled with the second location apparatus via at least one bidirectional network connection. The method also includes estimating capacity of the at least one network connection for the egress of data traffic with respect to the first location. The method also includes categorizing each packet in egress data traffic from the first location based on an evaluation of each packet with respect to the prioritization rules. The method also includes placing each packet in one of a plurality of egress queues associated with the at least one network connection at the first location apparatus according to the categorization of each respective packet and the estimated capacity. The method also includes sending the packets from the first location apparatus to the second location apparatus via a respective network connection according to a priority of the respective egress queue into which each packet is placed, such that the first location apparatus transmits at the estimated capacity for the egress of data traffic.

Methods and apparatus for enhancing connectivity for a device backhauled by a wireline communication network. In one embodiment, the device comprises a small-cell or other wireless base station that is backhauled by a DOCSIS system within a managed HFC network, and the method and apparatus enable enhanced connection of user devices serviced by the base station (such as 3GPP UE or CBRS FWA) to a core entity for e.g., authentication and packet session establishment. In one implementation, enhanced Cable Termination System (CMTS) and cable modem (CM) devices coordinate to allocate prioritized service flows to traffic sourced from the base station. These service flows can selectively bypass extant DOCSIS protocols which might otherwise increase connection latency (including connection failure) such as AQM (active queue management) and packet dropping algorithms. In some variants, upstream service flow data rates can also be enhanced through temporary utilization of higher-order modulation and/or coding schemes.

A wireless device includes a time-sensitive queue, an access category queue, a controller, and a transmitter. The access category queue is associated with an access category and a link. The controller is coupled to the access category queue, and is used to acquire a transmission opportunity according to a set of contention parameters of the access category. The transmitter is coupled to the controller and the time-sensitive queue, and is used to when a transmission opportunity is acquired, if the time-sensitive queue contains data, generate a data frame according to the data in the time-sensitive queue, and transmit the data to another wireless device via a link.

An apparatus for managing data queues is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one sensor for collecting data, a data interface for receiving data from the sensor(s) and for placing the collected data in a set of data queues, and a priority sieve for organizing the set of data queues according to data priority of a specific task. The priority sieve includes a scoreboard for identifying queue priority and a system timer for synchronization.

A communication method between a master and a device, the master transmits in a subcycle a received condition message (RCM) for an immediately prior subcycle, wherein the RCM is an ACK when a transmission from the device in the preceding subcycle was correctly received and the RCM is a NACK when a transmission from the device in the preceding subcycle was not correctly received, comprising: including in each transmitted condition message a current priority data acknowledgement flag (CPDAF), the CPDAF being transmitted set in each condition message for each subcycle of an offset cycle after the master correctly received in a current cycle a priority data message, the offset cycle being defined as the second and subsequent subcycles of a current cycle and the first subcycle of a next cycle, the CPDAF being transmitted as cleared otherwise.

The present application provides a channel type used to support user QoE expectations, which is, in particular, a QoS and QoE guaranteed channel (QQGC). Also provided is a related method and system for providing a QQGC. Effective bit rate (EBR), average bit rate, and maximum bit rate, are determined and used to support the channel. The EBR can be determined based on QoE reports. An application function, such as a network data analytics function provides the indication of effective bit rate. One or more portions of the application function can be provided in potentially different locations of a communications network and operatively coupled. Alternatively, application function portions can be co-located. The EBR is provided to and used by devices in the network to reserve user plane resources to support data flows at the EBR. The EBR can also be used for admission or rejection of requests for a QQGC channel.

This application describes a network device, a controller, a queue management method, and a traffic management chip. The method may be applied to a traffic management chip that uses an HQoS technology, and can include receiving a queue management instruction sent by a controller, where the queue management instruction includes an identifier of a first scheduler and an identifier of a first queue, and the first scheduler is one of multiple first-level schedulers. The method may also include controlling, according to the queue management instruction, scheduling of the first queue by the first scheduler, where a queue scheduled by the first scheduler belongs to a queue resource pool of the TM chip, and the queue resource pool includes at least one to-be-allocated queue. In this application, decoupling between queue allocation and the first-level schedulers is implemented, flexibility of queue allocation is improved, and utilization of queue resources is improved.