Patent ID: 9444712
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method comprising: monitoring, by a stateful network device, bandwidth usage of an existing communication tunnel between a first network device and a second network device, wherein the existing communication tunnel operates within a first network layer; determining, by the stateful network device, that additional bandwidth is required for communication between the first network device and the second network device; determining, by the stateful network device, that providing the additional bandwidth would exceed available bandwidth of the existing communication tunnel; and establishing the additional bandwidth between the first network device and the second network device via an additional communication tunnel, wherein the additional communication tunnel operates in parallel with the existing communication tunnel and operates at a second network layer, wherein establishing the additional communication tunnel comprises sending a first message from the stateful network device to a third network device in the first network layer that is located at an ingress point of the second network layer indicating a path of the additional communication tunnel, and sending a second message from the stateful network device to a fourth network device in the first network layer that is located at an egress point on the second network layer indicating the path of the additional communication tunnel.