Patent ID: 6963585

Claim:
A method for establishing a virtual path within a frame relay network wherein frames are transmitted over a plurality of virtual circuits from a first switching node to a second switching node, said methods comprising: transmitting by said first switching node to said second switching node, a first control message transmitting information specifying a virtual path to be established, and specifying two or more virtual circuits to be combined to form said virtual path, said information comprising: a source virtual circuit identifier, which corresponds to an input adapter of said first switching node; a source port identifier, which corresponds to an input port of said first switching node; a destination virtual circuit identifier, which corresponds to an output adapter of said second switching node; and a destination port identifier, which corresponds to an output port of said second switching node; receiving a frame, at said second switching node, wherein said frame has an identifier corresponding to said virtual path; forwarding said frame, utilizing said second switching node, to a destination determined based on said two or more said virtual circuits specified in said first control message; transmitting to said second switching node, a fourth control message, sent by said first switching network, for removing one of said two or more virtual circuits from said virtual path, wherein said transmitting to said second switching node further includes: starting a plurality of activities timers, wherein each of said two or more virtual circuits combined to form said virtual path corresponds to one of said activities timers; resetting, for each frame received for said two or more virtual circuits combined to form said virtual path, the corresponding activity-timer; detecting, by the expiration of one of said activity-timers, an extended period of non-activity by one of said virtual circuits which correspond to said expired activity-timer; and transmitting to said second switching node said fourth control message, sent by said first switching network for removing from said virtual path, said virtual circuit corresponding to said expired activity-timer.