Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program product

1. An information processing method comprising:

prefetching a scheduling entry corresponding to a future time period in advance from scheduling information including a first starting time and one or more scheduling entries, each entry at least containing a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues;

determining a second starting time of transmission for each of one or more frames waiting for transmission in each transmission queue, based on the scheduling entry and the first starting time;

performing a notification to prefetch a next entry from the scheduling information;

prefetching the next entry when the notification is received; and

at a future time that is a first future time or a second future time,

sending the notification based on an available time for transmission for each and every transmission queue at the first future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, or

sending the notification based on the available time of each transmission queue at the second future time, and a time difference between a current time and the second future time.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

starting transmission of a frame, based on the second starting time of transmission.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

evaluating each frame waiting for transmission in each transmission queue and determining one or more schedulable frames, if any exist, and

scheduling the second starting time of transmission for a first schedulable frame of the one or more schedulable frames.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

updating the future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, and an available time for transmission for each transmission queue at the future time, on the basis of the scheduling entry.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

updating the future time and the available time of each transmission queue, using a required amount of time to transmit a scheduled frame.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

updating the available time of each transmission queue, based on a time difference between a current time and the future time.

7. The information processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the future time period is specified with the second starting time and an end time of a period for which the transmission state is valid, or the second starting time and a specific amount of time for which the transmission state is valid.

8. The information processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the scheduling information includes information provided in IEEE 802.1Qbv standard.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including programmed instructions, the instructions causing a computer to execute:

prefetching a scheduling entry corresponding to a future time period in advance from scheduling information including a first starting time and one or more scheduling entries, each entry at least containing a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues;

determining a second starting time of transmission for each of one or more frames waiting for transmission in each transmission queue, based on the scheduling entry and the first starting time;

performing a notification to prefetch a next entry from the scheduling information;

prefetching the next entry when the notification is received; and

at a future time that is a first future time or a second future time,

sending the notification based on an available time for transmission for each and every transmission queue at the first future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, or

sending the notification based on the available time of each transmission queue at the second future time, and a time difference between a current time and the second future time.

10. The information processing method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

determining whether or not each frame waiting for transmission is schedulable, which means each frame is transmittable within the available time of each corresponding transmission queue at the future time.

11. The information processing method according to claim 3 , further comprising:

selecting a schedulable frame from the one or more schedulable frames, and scheduling the second starting time of transmission for the selected frame.

12. An information processing method comprising:

prefetching a scheduling entry corresponding to a future time period in advance from scheduling information including a first starting time and one or more scheduling entries, each entry at least containing a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues;

determining a second starting time of transmission for each of one or more frames waiting for transmission in each transmission queue, based on the scheduling entry and the first starting time;

performing a notification to prefetch a next entry from the scheduling information;

prefetching the next entry when the notification is received; and

sending the notification based on an available time for transmission for each and every transmission queue at a future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, and

sending the notification based on the available time of each transmission queue at the future time, and a time difference between a current time and the future time.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

starting transmission of a frame, based on the second starting time of transmission.

14. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

evaluating each frame waiting for transmission in each transmission queue and determining one or more schedulable frames, if any exist, and

scheduling the second starting time of transmission for a first schedulable frame of the one or more schedulable frames.

15. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

updating the future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, and an available time for transmission for each transmission queue at the future time, on the basis of the scheduling entry.

16. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

updating the future time and the available time of each transmission queue, using a required amount of time to transmit a scheduled frame.

17. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

updating the available time of each transmission queue, based on a time difference between a current time and the future time.

18. The information processing method according to claim 12 , wherein the future time period is specified with the second starting time and an end time of a period for which the transmission state is valid, or the second starting time and a specific amount of time for which the transmission state is valid.

19. The information processing method according to claim 12 , wherein the scheduling information includes information provided in IEEE 802.1Qbv standard.

20. The information processing method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

determining whether or not each frame waiting for transmission is schedulable, which means each frame is transmittable within the available time of each corresponding transmission queue at the future time.

21. The information processing method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

selecting a schedulable frame from the one or more schedulable frames, and scheduling the second starting time of transmission for the selected frame.

22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including programmed instructions, the instructions causing a computer to execute:

prefetching a scheduling entry corresponding to a future time period in advance from scheduling information including a first starting time and one or more scheduling entries, each entry at least containing a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues;

determining a second starting time of transmission for each of one or more frames waiting for transmission in each transmission queue, based on the scheduling entry and the first starting time;

performing a notification to prefetch a next entry from the scheduling information;

prefetching the next entry when the notification is received; and

sending the notification based on an available time for transmission for each and every transmission queue at a future time, which is a prospective time to schedule future transmission, and

sending the notification based on the available time of each transmission queue at the future time, and a time difference between a current time and the future time.