Patent ID: 7215674

Claim:
A method of supporting a user application, wherein said method is performed in an edge router, said method comprising: storing in a routing table a VPI/VCI associated with each destination IP address; initiating set up of a switched virtual circuit (SVC); receiving a plurality of datagrams which are to be forwarded on said SVC, said plurality of datagrams being received from said user application before set up of said SVC is complete, wherein each of said plurality of datagrams comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram and wherein said plurality of datagrams include a first IP datagram, said first IP datagram containing a first destination IP address; maintaining an IP to NSAP mapping table, wherein said IP to NSAP mapping table specifies a corresponding edge router to which each of said plurality of datagrams is to be forwarded, wherein said SVC is set up to said edge router specified by said IP to NSAP mapping table; performing said initiating if a VPI/VCI is not present in said routing table associated with said first destination IP address; storing said plurality of datagrams in a memory during a time said SVC is being setup; forwarding said plurality of datagrams stored in said memory on said SVC once set up of said SVC is complete, wherein said forwarding sends said first IP datagram in the form of a plurality of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells; and maintaining a policy table containing data representing whether or not to store datagrams related to said user application, wherein said storing is performed only if said policy table indicates that said plurality of datagrams are to be stored.