Patent ID: 8531954

Claim:
A method for handling reservation requests, the method comprising: receiving network performance information, utilization information, and capacity information associated with a data stream or connections, the network performance information and utilization information is enabled to be received through one or more performance information packet (PIP) data packets and a state machine tracking the utilization information and the capacity information, wherein the PIP data packets and the state machine cumulatively update the network performance information, utilization information, and capacity information for each node between and including endpoints of the data stream including customer equipment, wherein the network performance information, utilization information, and capacity information include a plurality of indicators for each node, and wherein each of the plurality of indicators are compared against thresholds to determine a status of each node; determining available bandwidth in response to the network performance information, utilization information, and capacity information that are cumulatively updated for the data stream or connections utilizing the PIP data packets and the state machine; responding to a plurality of reservation requests in response to the status of each node and the determined available bandwidth determined utilizing the PIP data packets and state machine; adjusting a frequency the one or more PIP data packets sent through a portion of the communications network in response to determining the portion is experiencing a problem; and rerouting the one or more PIP data packets to avoid a failed portion of the communications network.