Patent ID: 6038609
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for performing communications between cooperating open systems (OS) in an open system interconnection (OSI) communication network where a communication between at least two open systems (A, B) is performed by use of at least two hierarchically layered layer communication means (N-1, N, N+1) interconnected through a service access interface (SAP) each including a number of layer specific services and using a number of layer specific parameters for a communication between said services in the respective layer communication means, comprising the steps of:providing the service access interface (SAP) as a bidirectional upward service access interface (USAP); andtransferring the layer specific parameters to a next higher order layer communication means (N+1) through a respective bidirectional service access interface (SAP, USAP) between two layer communication means,wherein when the running of an application is requested from the layer communication means (N+1) of highest order in the hierarchy, each layer communication means requests from the layer communication means with the next lower order a specific portion of application data needed for supporting the running of the application in this layer communication means through a service access interface (SAP) and the next lower order layer communication means (N) in response to said request provides said specific portion of application data to the next higher layer requested from the layer communication means having requested the service through said respective access interface (SAP), andwherein said application requested from the layer communications means (N+1) of higher order and running on the basis of said specific portions of application data provided from each layer communication means (n) of lower order adapts its performance to the transferred layer specific parameters received from at least one layer communication means (N) of lower order.