Abstract: Each switch along a call setup path in a network decides whether the call request should be upgraded from a non-flow-controlled service type to a flow-controlled service type. Each switch bases the decision on whether a boolean variable for the calling subscriber that appears in a management information base (MIB) is set to a value indicating that the subscriber is entitled to the upgrade. In addition, the upgrade is performed only if an interface on the route to the called party on which the call setup request is to be forwarded supports flow-controlled connections. When the call is to be upgraded, the switch replaces the service type indicator in the setup message with a value indicating a flow-controlled service type, and forwards the setup message toward the called subscriber.

Abstract: A system for allocating resources at network elements along a path through a communications network. Resources are allocated at a network element along the path in response to a connection request message. The delay budget is the minimum of a calculated cell transfer delay and a calculated cell delay variation. The calculated cell transfer delay is determined by finding a difference between a target end to end cell delay and an accumulated cell delay, and then dividing that difference by a number of network elements remaining in the path between the network element and the end of the path. To determine the calculated cell delay variation, the network element first finds a difference between the Max CDV QoS parameter and the sum of the accumulated cell delay variation and the switching delay for the network element. The calculated cell delay variation is then equal to that difference divided by the number of network elements remaining in the path between the network element and the end of the path.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are disclosed for unencumbering valuable switching resources in a network switch involved in a multipoint-to-multipoint switching scenario. The network switch includes an input processing port that is connected to a plurality of input links, and an output processing port that is connected to a plurality of output links. A data cell received on an input link is processed by the input processing port by appending a link number, a port number, and a connection identification code associated with the input processing port to the data cell. The data cell is then transferred to the output processing port where it is processed by comparing the appended link number, port number, and connection identification code with those associated with the output processing port. The data cell is then stored in a data buffering queue in the output processing port according to a matching scheme.