System and method for soft bandwidth
First Claim
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1. A soft bandwidth service infrastructure coupled with an existing network infrastructure for carrying soft bandwidth traffic across the network, comprising:
- means for defining one or more soft bandwidth segments between predetermined points on the existing network infrastructure;
means for integrating the soft bandwidth segments to establish one or more virtual backbone tunnels coupled with the existing network infrastructure; and
means for transmitting data traffic across the network such that soft bandwidth traffic is carried across the one or more virtual backbone tunnels and routine network data traffic is carried across the existing network infrastructure.
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Abstract
The invention affords a system and method for establishing one or more virtual backbone tunnels coupled with an existing network infrastructure and dedicated to a particular user for facilitating the transmission of soft bandwidth services across the network.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A soft bandwidth service infrastructure coupled with an existing network infrastructure for carrying soft bandwidth traffic across the network, comprising:
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means for defining one or more soft bandwidth segments between predetermined points on the existing network infrastructure;
means for integrating the soft bandwidth segments to establish one or more virtual backbone tunnels coupled with the existing network infrastructure; and
means for transmitting data traffic across the network such that soft bandwidth traffic is carried across the one or more virtual backbone tunnels and routine network data traffic is carried across the existing network infrastructure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for establishing virtual backbone tunnels coupled with an existing network infrastructure to carry soft bandwidth traffic, comprising:
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a traffic matrix collector for maintaining network bandwidth traffic information;
a route optimizer for determining soft bandwidth availability within the network and for determining an explicit soft bandwidth traffic path across the network in accordance with the network bandwidth traffic information;
a network information database for maintaining updated soft bandwidth network configuration information relating to the determined soft bandwidth path;
means for informing particular components of the network infrastructure of the soft bandwidth network configuration information; and
means for establishing one or more virtual backbone tunnels across predetermined points in the network in accordance with the soft bandwidth network configuration information. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for transmitting data packets across a virtual backbone tunnel coupled with an existing network infrastructure, comprising the steps of:
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determining a soft bandwidth traffic path across the existing network infrastructure;
establishing a virtual backbone tunnel between predetermined points in the existing network infrastructure defining the soft bandwidth traffic path across the existing network infrastructure;
assigning an identifier label to data packets entering the virtual backbone; and
transmitting the data packets across the virtual backbone in accordance with the identifier label. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for establishing a virtual backbone tunnel coupled with an existing network infrastructure, comprising the steps of:
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receiving a request for a soft bandwidth service, the request indicating particular soft bandwidth attribute information;
determining soft bandwidth availability within the network;
determining an explicit soft bandwidth traffic path within the network;
informing particular components of the network infrastructure of the soft bandwidth traffic path information;
signaling the network to establish a virtual backbone tunnel between predetermined points in the existing network infrastructure indicated by the soft bandwidth traffic path information; and
transmitting soft bandwidth data traffic relating to the requested soft bandwidth service across the virtual backbone tunnel. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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Specification