Patent ID: 8644343

Claim:
A method for establishing a path, having a certain quality of service (QOS) class, between a modem and an edge node over a communications network, said communications network comprising an Access Multiplexer and an Ethernet aggregation network, said Access Multiplexer coupling said modem to said Ethernet aggregation network, and said modem being coupled to said Access Multiplexer over at least one asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) connection, said method comprising the steps of: a. said modem forwarding an address resolution protocol (ARP) request, received from a host terminal, for an address of said edge node, over an ATM connection of said at least one ATM connection, said ATM connection having a certain QOS-class; b. said modem receiving an ARP reply containing said address of said edge node on said ATM connection of said at least one ATM connection having a certain QOS class; and c. said modem retrieving said address and storing said address together with an identification of said connection; d. said Access Multiplexer intercepting said ARP request forwarded by said modem; e. said Access Multiplexer assigning a chosen address for said edge node based on information on said edge node contained in said ARP request; and f. said Access Multiplexer including said chosen address in said ARP reply.