Patent ID: 7197033

Claim:
A method of configuring a communications path in a communications network from a start node to an end node through a plurality of intermediate nodes, said method comprising: establishing a partial path for said communications path using at least one communications link associated with a first routing scheme from said start node to a terminating node in said plurality intermediate nodes; and at said terminating node, if another communication link associated with the first routing scheme to a next-hop node towards the end node does not exist in said plurality of intermediate nodes, then establishing said terminating node as an interim egress node for said communications path; notifying said start node of mapping parameters for said partial communications path to the terminating node; initiating establish of a secondary communication path associated with another routing scheme differing from said first routing scheme from said terminating node to said end node through at least one node downstream from said terminating node in said plurality of intermediate nodes; and notifying said start node of parameters for said secondary communications path to the end node after establishment of the secondary communications path, where the partial communications path and the secondary communications path combine to form the communications path from the start node to the end node.