Patent ID: 7742470

Claim:
A method comprising: ascertaining whether resources of an apparatus include total available bandwidth sufficient to carry a peak expected bandwidth for a data type which is the subject of a received request for a connection, wherein the apparatus includes one or more communication ports at which one of more termination points are established and wherein the one or more termination points terminate a requested connection; in the event that the total available bandwidth is sufficient to carry the peak expected bandwidth for the data type which is the subject of the received request for a connection, but the arrangement of said one or more termination points is such that the total available bandwidth is too fragmented to be used by the requested connection, determining how to best reallocate the bandwidth among the one or more termination points to allow the requested connection to be established; and without breaking one or more connections to which said one or more termination points relate, rearranging said one or more termination points in accordance with a result of the determining of how to best reallocate the bandwidth among the one or more termination points to allow the requested connection to be established.