Patent ID: 7426553

Claim:
A method for provisioning a data link connection identifier in a first network upon a request from a browser wherein the first network comprises at least one permanent virtual connection, and wherein the virtual connection is associated with one or more existing identifiers, the method comprising: connecting a network management system to the first network, the network management system storing the one or more existing identifiers prior to the request from the browser; connecting a network management module to the network management system via a second network to obtain the one or more existing identifiers, the network management module: residing within a web server; compiling the one or more existing identifiers upon receiving the request from the browser, the request including a geographic selection chosen from a group consisting of a state, a group of states and a portion of a state; and querying the network management system with the network management module over the second network for the one or more existing identifiers; provisioning a source identifier and a destination identifier to create a new permanent virtual connection between two logical ports; remotely displaying the one or more existing identifiers in a web page over an external third network using the network management module in response to the browser request, the request containing at least one of a logical and physical port name, wherein further the web page comprises existing identifier information associated with each of the existing identifiers of a source switch and a destination switch consisting of an identification of the Source Switch, a Source Logical Port Name, a Source DLCI, a Source Service Type, an identification of the Destination Switch, a Destination Logical Port Name, a Destination DLCI, a Destination Service Type and a Committed Information Rate; viewing the one or more existing identifiers by a service technician, and choosing, by the service technician both the source identifier and the destination identifier to create the new permanent virtual connection where the source identifier and the destination identifier differ from each of the displayed existing identifiers.