Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing provisioned and dynamic QoS in a communications network. In one embodiment, provisioned QoS is provided in a network using RP by deciding to establish an SVC for a sender and receiver. An NHRP resolution reply containing QoS information is received in response to an NHRP resolution request. An appropriate SVC is then established using the QoS information. In another embodiment, dynamic QoS is provided in a network using RSVP. A first RSVP multicast connection tree a first QoS is established in response to an RSVP request. When a second RSVP request is ived, a new tree is created if the QoS in the second RSVP request is not within a threshold e from the QoS of the first tree. If the QoS in the second RSVP request is within the threshold range, a new branch is added to the first tree and no new RSVP connection tree is required.

Abstract: Congestion control is implemented at the resources that actually suffer from congestion and, moreover the congestion control is performed within the network as well as at its access points. In a particular embodiment, congestion control is continuously performed at each resource. Use of each resource is controlled according to a head-of-the-line weighted round-robin service discipline thereby assuring fairness and full use of bandwidth for all active channels. Also, in order to control conditions of congestion, the queue of data elements waiting for service at each resource is regulated by a global congestion indicator for the entire queue. The data elements of each channel that are waiting for service are further regulated in response to specific local congestion indicators that are individualized for each channel. The global and local congestion indicators are used to guarantee predetermined levels of service for each channel.

Abstract: This invention is a method of and apparatus for implementing a service scheduling discipline to enable data devices efficient access to data resources. According to the invention, information identifying one or more data packets of each data batch is sorted into one or more of a plurality (N) of epoch queues, such that for each data batch, no information identifying more than a predetermined number (P) of data packets from a particular channel is inputted into each epoch queue. Each epoch queue is then cyclically served exhaustively by outputting the identified data packets to the facility. Data that cannot be placed in the epoch queues is temporarily placed in an overflow queue. The overflow queue data is subsequently sorted into the epoch queues and transmitted.