Patent ID: 8619813

Claim:
A system, comprising: a chassis having a plurality of slots; a first module inserted into one of the slots of the chassis, the first module having memory for storing sets of virtual circuit (VC) attribute data respectively associated with a plurality of virtual circuits of a packet network; and a second module inserted into one of the slots of the chassis and coupled to at least one subscriber line, the second module having memory for storing a request list including a plurality of virtual circuit (VC) identifiers, each of the VC identifiers identifying a respective one of the virtual circuits, the second module having logic configured to transmit a plurality of VC requests to the first module via a backplane of the chassis based on the request list, each of the VC requests identifying a respective one of the virtual circuits, wherein the logic is configured to receive shadows of the sets of the VC attribute data from the first module in response to the VC requests, wherein for each of the received shadows the logic is configured to update the request list, wherein the logic is configured to ensure based on the request list that a shadow for each of the virtual circuits identified by the request list is requested and received by the second module, wherein for each of the received shadows the logic is configured to automatically provision based on the respective shadow the second module to process data packets carried by the virtual circuit associated with the set of VC attribute data on which the respective shadow is based, and wherein the logic is configured to receive a first data packet in accordance with a first protocol and to encapsulate data from the first data packet into a second data packet in accordance with a second protocol based on one of the shadows received by the second module.