Methods and apparatus for scheduling operation of a data source

A computerized device has dynamically modifiable hardware, such as an ASIC, that performs queue-scheduling operations. The hardware incorporates a generic sorting processor (GSP) that is dynamically configurable to implement various sorting algorithms to meet specific queue scheduling requirements for the computerized device. The computerized device extracts a first time stamp value and a second time stamp value associated with a first queue and a second queue, respectively. The computerized device receives instructions to configure a table of the GSP with scheduling entries. The computerized device compares the first time stamp value with the second time stamp value to form a comparison result. The computerized device then selects a decision instruction from the table, based upon the comparison result, and identifies a preferred queue of the first queue and the second queue, based upon the decision instruction.