Network path selection for routing data

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface circuit of a computing server communicatively connected to a data network, which includes at least one routing node for routing data in response to the computing server, via a plurality of network paths in the data network;
• and
• a circuit arrangement connected to the network interface circuit and configured and arranged to dynamically assess and facilitate quality of service in a data network by
• providing data communication service for a plurality of user endpoints via the computing server and the data network,
• in response to the providing data communication service, generating data metrics corresponding to statistics associated with communications between the plurality of user endpoints,
• evaluating the data metrics for at least one parameter of interest concerning quality of the data communications between the plurality of user endpoints,
• in response to the evaluating the data metrics, providing further data communication services by selecting different subsets of the network paths for routing data between the plurality of user endpoints and the computing server causing said at least one routing node to route data using the selected different subsets of the network paths, and therein changing network paths to route calls through the data network, and
• updating the data network in response to the further data communication services, and repeating the steps of evaluating and providing further data communication services in order to further assess and facilitate quality of service in the data network.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface circuit communicatively connected to a network via a plurality of network paths and configured and arranged to communicate data via the network paths;
• and
• a circuit arrangement connected to the network interface circuit and configured and arranged to dynamically assess and facilitate quality of service in a data network by
• providing data communication service for a plurality of user endpoints,
• in response to the providing data communication service, generating data metrics corresponding to statistics associated with communications between the plurality of user endpoints,
• evaluating the data metrics for at least one parameter of interest concerning quality of the data communications between the plurality of user endpoints,
• in response to the evaluating the data metrics, providing further data communication services by changing network paths to route calls through the data network, and
• updating the data network in response to the further data communication services, and repeating the steps of evaluating and providing further data communication services in order to further assess and facilitate quality of service in the data network, wherein the circuit arrangement is to select a subset of the network paths for routing data from the plurality of endpoints to the apparatus based on quality of service provided to the endpoints by the network paths, and is to route ingress traffic to the apparatus using the selected network path.