Patent ID: 7729253

Claim:
A method of reducing available bandwidth updates in a link in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of: providing an optical network utilizing an optical signaling and a routing protocol for establishing subnetwork connections (SNCs) over the link, the link formed between a first optical node and a second optical node each in the optical network; setting a plurality of ranges of threshold values on the link, wherein the plurality of ranges of threshold values each comprise one of a predetermined range of SONET bandwidth values and a predetermined range of SDH bandwidth values, wherein the predetermined range of SONET bandwidth values and the predetermined range of SDH bandwidth values each correspond to standard subnetwork connection (SNC) sizes, wherein the plurality of ranges comprise at least a first range and a second range, and wherein the link comprises one of an aggregated and an unaggregated link; changing an actual available bandwidth comprising of one of SONET and SDH bandwidth in the link by adding or removing SNCs traversing the link between the first and second optical nodes; if the actual available bandwidth changes from a first value within one of the plurality of ranges of threshold values to a second value within the one of the plurality of ranges of threshold values, then preventing a transmission of an available bandwidth update on the link; if the actual available bandwidth changes from a first value within one of the plurality of ranges of threshold values to a second value external to the one of the plurality of ranges of threshold values, then transmitting the available bandwidth update on the link with one of the incremental standard SNC connection size that can be added to the link based on the actual available bandwidth on the link; and if the actual available bandwidth changes from a third value within one of the plurality of ranges of threshold values to a fourth value below the lowest threshold boundary value, then transmitting the available bandwidth update on the link as an actual value available.