Patent ID: 7564876

Claim:
A method of resynchronizing streams of packets in a packet-switched communications network including a multiplicity of nodes and a stream of packets (“CES stream”) related to a circuit emulation service which takes an associated path from an ingress node which implements circuit emulation services to an egress node which implements circuit emulation services through a set of said network nodes, said method comprising: selecting a subset of the set of nodes as intermediate synchronization nodes, wherein each intermediate synchronization node of said subset is selected as a function of a value representative of cumulative jitter suffered by said CES stream as far as said intermediate synchronization node, wherein said each intermediate synchronization node resynchronizes said CES stream and sends the resynchronized CES stream to a next node along said associated path, wherein said each intermediate synchronization node of said subset is selected when setting up the associated path, wherein the method further comprises the step of: determining said value representative of cumulative jitter for one node of the set through which said associated path passes as a function of a sum of a first predetermined maximum jitter that is introduced by said one node and a second predetermined maximum jitter that is introduced by the nodes of said set between said one node and a preceding intermediate synchronization node that precedes said one node, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of: determining that said sum becomes greater than a selected threshold and selecting a node that precedes said one node as an intermediate synchronization node for said associated path in response to said determination.