Patent ID: 7583623
Filing Date: 2009-09-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of processing management messages in packets of information for conveyance across a communication link, the method comprising: defining at a first communication station, a special connection identifier for a connection between the first communication station and a second communication station over the communication link, said first communication station being adapted to facilitate communication between said second communication station and a plurality of service connections coupled to the first communication station, the special connection identifier indicating a plurality of management messages being carried in a payload of a packet; transmitting, from the first communication station to the second communication station, a first group of packets containing a first group of management messages, wherein at least one of the first group of packets is associated with the special connection identifier, the first group of management messages being more numerous than the first group of packets, and said management messages comprising bandwidth requests from the service connections; receiving, by the first communication station from the second communication station, a second group of packets containing a second group of management messages, at least one of said second group of packets being associated with the special connection identifier, the second group of management messages being more numerous than the second group of packets, said second group of management messages comprising bandwidth allocations provided in response to the bandwidth requests; and forwarding, by the first communication station, said bandwidth allocations to said service connections for transmission of information from the service connections to the second communication station via the first communication station and the communication link.