Patent ID: 7664838

Claim:
A system including a computer readable memory having program logic for providing a network service interface stored thereon, wherein said network service interface is available to a plurality of application programs, said program logic comprising: policy logic for obtaining a predetermined resource allocation policy applicable to at least one resource in said communications network; request input logic for obtaining at least one request from one of said plurality of application programs, wherein said request includes an application specific network service request for communication capabilities of said communications network that are only available to said one of said plurality of application programs, wherein said at least one resource comprises a network element within a path used to convey data packets of said one of said plurality of application programs through said communications network, and wherein said communication capabilities include performance of said at least one resource with regard to conveyance of said data packets of said one of said plurality of application programs through said at least one resource; request processing logic for processing said at least one request responsive to at least one parameter provided in said request and said predetermined policy, including translating said request into at least one selected protocol level command, said translating includes automatically selecting said selected protocol level command from a plurality of protocol level commands corresponding to management plane and control plane operations of said communications network; command execution logic for performing said at least one selected protocol level command; status determining logic for determining a status representative of said at least one resource in said communication network, wherein said status reflects at least one network outage associated with said at least one resource; status reporting logic for providing said status to said one of said plurality of application programs; and wherein said request designates said path as a circuit switched path to carry said data packets of said one of said plurality of application programs over said communications network and wherein said request processing logic is further operable to select said at least one protocol command to set said circuit switched path to carry said data packets of said one of said plurality of application programs over said communications network.