Patent ID: 8165021

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for: receiving by a network device a request from a client in association with a connection, the request indicating an amount of one or more resources that is requested to support the connection; determining by the network device whether the amount of the resources is available; allocating by the network device a level of the resources to the connection according to whether the amount of the resources available in accordance with one or more policies, wherein at least one of the policies is based, at least in part, upon a type of the connection; wherein the network device maintains a wait list identifying wait-listed connections, wherein best effort service is provided to the wait-listed connections until requested amounts of resources are available, wherein a reduced level of the resources is allocated to the wait-listed connections, wherein best effort service includes supporting the wait-listed connections without providing a Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee to the wait-listed connections; wherein the request is a connection request requesting that the connection be established, and wherein the connection is placed on the wait list when it is determined that the amount of resources is not available, thereby enabling the connection to be supported until the amount of resources is available, wherein a reduced level of the resources is allocated to the connection, enabling the connection to be supported without a Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee while the connection is on the wait list; sending by the network device a resource allocation message to the client indicating a proposed resource allocation, the proposed resource allocation indicating a proposed amount of one or more of the resources; and receiving by the network device a resource allocation acknowledgement message from the client, the resource allocation acknowledgement message indicating whether the client accepts the proposed resource allocation, and wherein the resource allocation acknowledgement message is a counteroffer including an alternate resource allocation different from the proposed resource allocation.