Patent ID: 9680767
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method of operating a communications network, the network comprising a plurality of nodes, a plurality of communications links interconnecting the nodes and a plurality of tunnels, each of the plurality of tunnels comprising one or more of the plurality of communications links, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving a request to admit a session to the communications network at a requested class of service, the session being routed between a first network node and a second network node; b) if it is not possible to admit the request at the requested class of service, determining, for each of the plurality of tunnels connecting the first network node to the second network node, if a tunnel can support the requested session at a further class of service with a quality of service equal to or greater than that of the requested class of service; c) dividing the request into two or more portions; and d) accepting the two or more request portions over one or more tunnels, at one or more different classes of service, such that the two or more request portions have a quality of service equal to or greater than that of the requested class of service.