Transmit Rate Pacing of Large Network Traffic Bursts to Reduce Jitter, Buffer Overrun, Wasted Bandwidth, and Retransmissions

1. A method for transmitting data packets at an optimized rate, the method comprising: populating, by the network traffic management computing device, a plurality of buckets with one or more selected data packet descriptors associated with one or more corresponding ones of a subset of a plurality of data packets to be transmitted as paced and another subset of the data packets to be transmitted as bulk; releasing, by the network traffic management computing device, one of the buckets to a hardware component comprising a pacing send ring and a bulk send ring, the releasing comprising writing one or more of the subset of the data packets to the pacing send ring and one or more of the another subset of the data packets to the bulk send ring; and transmitting, by the network traffic management computing device, the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring for a predetermined transmit time, wherein the subset of the data packets are strictly prioritized over the another subset of the data packets and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are only transmitted within the predetermined transmit time when the pacing send ring is emptied during the predetermined transmit time.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising repeating, by the network traffic management computing device, the releasing and transmitting for each other of the buckets.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring are transmitted by a direct memory access (DMA) transmit engine.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the subset of the data packets to be transmitted is identified as paced and the another subset of the data packets is identified as bulk based on a data packet size, an associated type of traffic, or a quality of service (QoS) parameter.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising: determining, by the network traffic management computing device, when another one of the buckets should be skipped based on a type of application from which the ones of the data packets associated with the selected data packet descriptors populated therein originated; and skipping, by the network traffic management computing device, the another one of the buckets such that the releasing and transmitting are not repeated for the another one of the buckets, when the determining indicates that the another one of the buckets should be skipped.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising waiting, by the network traffic management computing device, to release another one of the buckets when the one or more of the subset of the data packets are transmitted from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are transmitted from the bulk send ring prior to the expiration of the predetermined transmit time.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for transmitting data packets at an optimized rate, comprising executable code which when executed by at least one processor and/or network interface causes the processor and/or network interface to perform steps comprising: populating a plurality of buckets with one or more selected data packet descriptors associated with one or more corresponding ones of a subset of a plurality of data packets to be transmitted as paced and another subset of the data packets to be transmitted as bulk; releasing one of the buckets to a hardware component comprising a pacing send ring and a bulk send ring, the releasing comprising writing one or more of the subset of the data packets to the pacing send ring and one or more of the another subset of the data packets to the bulk send ring; and transmitting the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring for a predetermined transmit time, wherein the subset of the data packets are strictly prioritized over the another subset of the data packets and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are only transmitted within the predetermined transmit time when the pacing send ring is emptied during the predetermined transmit time.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the executable code when executed by the processor and/or the network interface further causes the processor and/or the network interface to perform at least one additional step comprising repeating the releasing and transmitting for each other of the buckets.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring are transmitted by a direct memory access (DMA) transmit engine.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the subset of the data packets to be transmitted is identified as paced and the another subset of the data packets is identified as bulk based on a data packet size, an associated type of traffic, or a quality of service (QoS) parameter.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the executable code when executed by the processor and/or the network interface further causes the processor and/or the network interface to perform at least one additional step comprising: determining when another one of the buckets should be skipped based on a type of application from which the ones of the data packets associated with the selected data packet descriptors populated therein originated; and skipping the another one of the buckets such that the releasing and transmitting are not repeated for the another one of the buckets, when the determining indicates that the another one of the buckets should be skipped.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the executable code when executed by the processor and/or the network interface further causes the processor and/or the network interface to perform at least one additional step comprising waiting to release another one of the buckets when the one or more of the subset of the data packets are transmitted from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are transmitted from the bulk send ring prior to the expiration of the predetermined transmit time.

13. A network traffic management computing device comprising at least one processor and/or network interface and a memory coupled to the processor and/or network interface which is configured to be capable of executing programmed instructions comprising and stored in the memory to: populate a plurality of buckets with one or more selected data packet descriptors associated with one or more corresponding ones of a subset of a plurality of data packets to be transmitted as paced and another subset of the data packets to be transmitted as bulk; release one of the buckets to a hardware component comprising a pacing send ring and a bulk send ring, the releasing comprising writing one or more of the subset of the data packets to the pacing send ring and one or more of the another subset of the data packets to the bulk send ring; and transmit the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring for a predetermined transmit time, wherein the subset of the data packets are strictly prioritized over the another subset of the data packets and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are only transmitted within the predetermined transmit time when the pacing send ring is emptied during the predetermined transmit time.

14. The network traffic management computing device as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the processor and/or network interface coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to repeat the releasing and transmitting for each other of the buckets.

15. The network traffic management computing device as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the one or more of the subset of the data packets from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets from the bulk send ring are transmitted by a direct memory access (DMA) transmit engine.

16. The network traffic management computing device as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the subset of the data packets to be transmitted is identified as paced and the another subset of the data packets is identified as bulk based on a data packet size, an associated type of traffic, or a quality of service (QoS) parameter.

17. The network traffic management computing device as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the processor and/or network interface coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to: determine when another one of the buckets should be skipped based on a type of application from which the ones of the data packets associated with the selected data packet descriptors populated therein originated; and skip the another one of the buckets such that the releasing and transmitting are not repeated for the another one of the buckets, when the determining indicates that the another one of the buckets should be skipped.

18. The network traffic management computing device as set forth in claim 13 , wherein the processor and/or network interface coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction comprising and stored in the memory to wait to release another one of the buckets when the one or more of the subset of the data packets are transmitted from the pacing send ring and the one or more of the another subset of the data packets are transmitted from the bulk send ring prior to the expiration of the predetermined transmit time.