Patent ID: 7046631

Claim:
A method for transmitting non-real time and real time traffic in a connection oriented communications network wherein the traffic is carried between end users over virtual channel connections, and wherein groups of virtual channel connections can be aggregated into virtual path connections, comprising: (a) provisioning a network core which includes a plurality of core nodes in communication over virtual path connections, wherein separate virtual path connections are provided for real time and non-real time traffic; (b) provisioning an edge network which includes a plurality of edge nodes in communication with end users over said virtual channel connections, said edge nodes serving as aggregation points and segregation points for said virtual path connections in the network core; (c) at the aggregation points, aggregating onto the virtual path connections and into an aggregate traffic stream the non-real time traffic received from said plurality of virtual channel connections, the non-real time traffic being transmitted on the virtual path connections as the aggregate traffic stream without regard to which of the plurality of virtual channel connections the non-real time traffic is associated and without regard to the class of transmission service of such plurality of virtual channel connections; (d) at the aggregation points, segregating the aggregate traffic stream so transmitted on the virtual path connections according to which of the plurality of virtual channel connections the non-real time traffic is associated; and wherein at least two of the said virtual channel connections aggregated into said virtual path connection in the network core do not have a same class of transmission service, wherein flow control is applied to said virtual path connections in said network core between the aggregate points to thereby regulate the rate of transmission of the non-real time traffic along the virtual path connections, the flow control terminating at said aggregation points and said segregation points, wherein the virtual path connections are provisioned with a guaranteed transmission bandwidth and dynamic bandwidth allocation such that when additional bandwidth becomes available said flow control permits said non-real time traffic to be transmitted on the virtual path connection at an increased rate, wherein traffic management, including the assignment of bandwidth in said virtual path connections, for said virtual channel connections is performed at said aggregation points, and wherein traffic management in said network core is performed only on said virtual path connections without differentiating among virtual channel connections carried on the same virtual path connection even if said virtual channel connections carried on the same virtual path connection have different classes of transmission service.