Channel service manager with priority queuing

A system and method are provided for prioritizing network processor information flow in a channel service manager (CSM). The method receives a plurality of information streams on a plurality of input channels, and selectively links input channels to CSM channels. The information streams are stored, and the stored the information streams are mapped to a processor queue in a group of processor queues. Information streams are supplied from the group of processor queues to a network processor in an order responsive to a ranking of the processor queues inside the group. More explicitly, selectively linking input channels to CSM channels includes creating a fixed linkage between each input port and an arbiter in a group of arbiters, and scheduling information streams in response to the ranking of the arbiter inside the group. Finally, a CSM channel is selected for each information stream scheduled by an arbiter.