Patent ID: 6097726
Filing Date: 2000-08-01
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
In a switch having a trunk connected thereto via which other switches are reachable, a method of establishing a new connection to a target one of the other switches to receive data cells therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:determining whether a connection to any of the other switches over which data cells are to be received already exists on the trunk;if such a connection is determined to exist, sending a connection-establishment message over the trunk, the message being addressed to the target switch and signalling a virtual path identifier previously allocated for use with the existing connection; andif no such connection is determined to exist, performing the steps of:allocating an unallocated virtual path identifier to be used with the new connection; andsending a connection-establishment message over the trunk, the message being addressed to the target switch and including an index value in a signalling field, the index value signalling the virtual path identifier to be used with the new connection by identifying the position of the virtual path identifier being signalled in a predetermined ordered set of virtual path identifiers.