Patent ID: 8040893

Claim:
A method, comprising: determining a plurality of nodes scheduled to form a connection path between a begin node and an end node; contemporaneously transmitting respective connection request messages to the nodes scheduled to form the connection path; processing the connection request messages at the respective nodes for initiating formation of respective portions of the connection path; and transmitting respective connection request acknowledgment messages from the respective nodes toward the end node in series, wherein: for each of the nodes, the connection request acknowledgement message transmitted from the node is indicative of whether the node was successfully provisioned to support the respective portion of the communication path; for each of the nodes, the connection request acknowledgement message transmitted from the node is transmitted such that the intended destination of the connection request acknowledgement message is an adjacent node on the connection path that is downstream of the node from which the connection request acknowledgment message is transmitted, wherein the downstream adjacent node is determined from information included within the connection request message received at the node; for each of the nodes other than the node adjacent to the begin node, the connection request acknowledgment message transmitted from the node is transmitted in response to completion of processing of the respective connection request message at the node and receiving the connection request acknowledgement message transmitted from an adjacent node on the connection path that is upstream of the node.