Patent ID: 7570594

Claim:
A method for obtaining a ranked list of paths to a destination IP device across a data network based on path costs, the method comprising: (a) providing, in a source media gateway for providing an interface between disparate telecommunications networks, a multi-path router instance associated with a plurality of network interfaces in the source media gateway; (b) assigning a cost to each of a plurality of internal segments within the source media gateway, wherein the internal segments comprise segments between the multi-path router instance within the source media gateway and the network interfaces within the source media gateway associated with the multi-path router instance; and (c) using the multi-path router instance: (i) calculating an aggregate cost, including internal and external segment costs, for each of a plurality of traffic paths originating at the multi-path router instance in the source media gateway and extending through each of the network interfaces associated with the multi-path router instance to a destination IP device in the network, wherein external segments comprise segments that are not internal segments; (ii) generating a list of the traffic paths and ranking the paths in the list based on the calculated costs; (iii) sending traffic from the source media gateway over at least one of the paths in the list; and (iv) updating the path costs and rankings in response to segment cost changes.