1. An egress traffic management system for a data communication system, comprising:
a packet processor operable to receive a data packet from a switch fabric and to affix an egress queue header to the data packet;
a main egress queue module having a set of internal queues for data packets and being operable to receive the data packet from the packet processor and to forward the data packet to one of the internal queues identifier based on the contents of the egress queue header; and
an interface module operable to:
receive the data packet from the main egress queue module,
forward the data packet to a main inputoutput module when the egress queue header does not contain at least a first secondary queue identifier, and
forward the data packet to one of a plurality of distributed queue modules in accordance with the first secondary queue identifier when the egress queue header contains at least the first secondary queue identifier,
wherein the one of the distributed queue modules further:
forwards the data packet to a second main inputoutput module when the egress queue header contains a first secondary queue identifier and does not contain a second secondary queue identifier; and
forwards the data packet to a one of a second plurality of distributed queue modules in accordance with the second secondary queue identifier when the egress queue header contains at least the first and second secondary queue identifiers, wherein the second plurality of distributed queue modules are subtended from the one of the plurality of distributed queue modules.
2. The egress traffic management system of claim 1,
wherein the set of internal queues includes a common queue and a plurality of assignable queues, and
wherein the main queue identifier indicates whether to direct the data packet to one of the plurality of assignable queues or to the common queue.
3. The egress traffic management system of claim 2, wherein the packet processor is further operable to determine the main queue identifier to be included in the egress queue header according to information contained in the data packet or information about a traffic flow to which the data packet belongs.
4. The egress traffic management system of claim 3, wherein the packet processor is further operable to determine the secondary queue identifier to be included in the egress queue header according to information contained in the data packet or information about a traffic flow to which the data packet belongs.
5. The egress traffic management system of claim 4, wherein the secondary queue identifier determines to which one of the distributed queue modules the data packet is to be forwarded.
6. The egress traffic management system of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of distributed queue modules operable to receive data packets forwarded by the interface module.
7. The egress traffic management system of claim 6, wherein the packet processor is further operable to determine the first secondary queue ID to be included in the egress queue header to select the indication of one of the distributed queue modules from a set of indications, the set being in accordance with distributed queue modules that are present in the egress traffic management system.
8. The egress traffic management system of claim 7, wherein the interface module is operable to translate flow control information into advanced backpressure information and communicate the latter to the main egress queue module.
9. The egress traffic management system of claim 8, wherein at least one distributed queue module of the plurality of distributed queue modules is operable to remove the first secondary queue identifier of a data packet before forwarding the data packet to a corresponding inputoutput module for transmission from the data communications system.
10. The egress traffic management system of claim 9, wherein at least one queue of the plurality of assignable queues is a customer-specific queue.
11. The egress traffic management system of claim 10, wherein the information about a traffic flow indicates that the traffic flow is specific to a customer.
12. The egress traffic management system of claim 11, wherein the main egress queue module removes the main queue identifier from the egress queue header before forwarding the data packet.
13. A method of egress traffic management of data packets in a communications system, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a data packet from a switch fabric;
affixing an egress queue header to the data packet, the egress queue header comprising a main queue ID;
forwarding the data packet to one of a plurality of internal queues of a main egress queue when the egress queue header does not contain at least a first secondary queue ID; and
forwarding the data packet to one of a plurality of distributed queue modules when the egress queue header contains at least a first secondary queue ID,
forwarding, by the one of the plurality of distributed queue modules, the data packet to a second main inputoutput module when the egress queue header contains a first secondary queue identifier and does not contain a second secondary queue identifier; and
forwarding, by the one of the plurality of distributed queue modules, the data packet to a one of a second plurality of distributed queue modules in accordance with the second secondary queue identifier when the egress queue header contains at least the first and second secondary queue identifiers, wherein the second plurality of distributed queue modules are subtended from the one of the plurality of distributed queue modules.
14. The method of egress traffic management of claim 13, wherein the step of affixing comprises determining the main queue identifier to be included in the egress queue header according to information contained in the data packet or information about a traffic flow to which the data packet belongs.
15. The method of egress traffic management of claim 14, wherein the step of affixing further comprises determining at least the first secondary queue identifier to be included in the egress queue header according to information contained in the data packet or information about a traffic flow to which the data packet belongs.
16. The method of egress traffic management of claim 15, wherein the information about a traffic flow indicates that the traffic flow is specific to a customer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A safety apparatus comprising:
a sheave having a surface extending circumferentially therearound;
a first housing interconnected to said sheave, said first housing having a hole formed, at an end thereof opposite said sheave; and
a second housing interconnected to said sheave and pivotally connected to said first housing, said second; housing having a hole formed at an end opposite said sheave.
2. The safety apparatus of claim 1, said sheave having an axis of rotation, the safety apparatus further comprising:
an axle extending through said axis of rotation of said sheave.
3. The safety apparatus of claim 1, said first hole having an end surface opposite said sheave, said hole formed through, said end surface, the safety apparatus further comprising:
a first bushing affixed within said hole at said end surface of said first housing.
4. The safety apparatus of claim 3, said first hushing being a spilt bushing.
5. The safety apparatus of claim 3, said second housing having an end surface opposite said sheave, said hole of said second hole formed through said end surface of said second housing, the safety apparatus further comprising:
a second bushing affixed within said, hole at an end surface of said second housing.
6. The safety apparatus of claim 1, said second housing being pivotable between a first position in generally parallel relation to said first housing and a second position extending 180\xb0 relative to said first housing.
7. The safety apparatus of claim 3, said hole having a slot extending to an edge of said end surface, said first housing being slidably insertable into said slot.
8. The safety apparatus of claim 1, said first housing having a front wall and a back wall and a pair of side walls extending between said front wall and said back waif each of said front wall and said back wall having a flange extending toward said sheave, the flanges being pivotable relation to said sheave.
9. The safety apparatus of claim I, further comprising:
a line extending over said surface of said sheave, said line having a first portion extending through an interior of and said first housing and outwardly through said hole of said first housing, said line being a second portion extending through an interior of said second housing and outwardly through said hole of said second housing.
10. The safety apparatus of claim 9, the holes of said first and second housings having a diameter slightly greater than a diameter of the line.
11. The safety apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a first panel; and
a second panel in spaced parallel relation to said first panel, said sheave being rotatable positioned between said first and second panels.
12. The safety apparatus of claim 11, said first housing being pivotally mounted at an exterior of said first and second panels, said second housing being pivotally mounted at an exterior of said first and second panels.
13. The safety apparatus of claim 12, said first housing having a first flange pivotally mounted relative to said first panel and a second flange pivotally mounted relative to said second panel, said second housing having a first flange interposed between said first flange of said first housing and said first panel, said second housing a second flange interposed between said second flange of said first housing and said second panel.
14. The safety apparatus of claim 1, said first housing and said second housing being pivotable independent of a rotation of said sheave.
15. A safety apparatus comprising:
a sheave having a surface extending circumferentially therearound;
a first housing interconnected to said sheave, said first housing having a hole formed at an end thereof opposite said sheave;
a second housing interconnected to said sheave and pivotally connected to said first housing, said second, housing having a hole formed at an end opposite said sheave;
a line extending over said surface of said sheave, said line having a first portion extending through an interior of said first housing and outwardly through said hole of said first housing, said, line having a second portion extending through an interior of said second housing and outwardly through said hole of said second housing.
16. The safety apparatus of claim 15, said first housing having an end surface opposite said sheave, said hole formed through said end surface, the safety apparatus further comprising:
a first bushing affixed within said hole at said end surface of said first housing.
17. The safety apparatus of claim 16, said first bushing being a split bushing.
18. The safety apparatus of claim 15, said second housing being pivotable between a first position in generally parallel relation to said first housing and a second position extending 180\xb0 relative to said first housing.
19. The safety apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:
a first panel; and
a second panel in spaced parallel relation to said first panel, said sheave being rotatable positioned between said first and second panels.
20. The safety apparatus of claim 16, said hole being a slot extending to an edge of said end surface, said first bushing being slidably insertable into said slot.