Method and apparatus for providing a quality of service path through networks

A method of management of data communication through a core network between a sender unit and a receiver unit that includes the steps of:

• defining at least one communicative route through the core network between the sender and receiver units that includes a plurality of network links that each have a predetermined communication resource;
• coupling the sender and receiver units to the core network with a sending and receiving gateway element, respectively;
• allocating to the sending gateway element a first portion of the predetermined communication resource of at least certain of the network links forming a communicative route between the sending and receiving gateway elements, and maintaining at the sending gateway element information indicative of the allocated predetermined communication resource;
• receiving at the sending gateway element a request from the sender unit for a data transfer across the route, the request including a specification of requested communication resource;
• the sending gateway checking the information to grant the request if the communicating capacity of the communicative route is available.

A method of admission control of data to a core network having a number of relay nodes interconnected by data links, each of the data communicating links having a predetermined data communication capacity, the method including the steps of:

• communicatively coupling sending and receiving gateway elements to the core network;
• connecting first and second data transfer elements to the sending and receiving gateway elements, respecting, for data communication by a route through the core network containing certain of the data links;
• assigning first and second portions of the data communication capacity of at least the certain of the data links to the sending and receiving gateway elements, respectively;
• providing the sending gateway element with information indicative of the first portion;
• the sending gateway element responding to a request for data communication of a requested capacity from the first data transfer element by checking the information, and granting the request if the communication capacity of the certain data links is at least equal to or greater than the requested capacity.

A system for providing a QoS communication route from a first communicting entity to a second communicating entity through a core network that includes a plurality of network links, each network link having a predetermined communication resource, the system including;

• a sending gateway element and a receiving gateway element respectively coupling the first and second communicating entities to the core network;
• the sending gateway element a first portion of the predetermined communication resource of at least certain of the network links forming a communicative route between the sending and receiving gateway elements, and maintaining at the sending gateway element information indicative of the allocated predetermined communication resource;
• receiving at the sending gateway element a request from the sender unit for a data transfer across the route, the request including a specification of requested communication resource;
• the sending gateway checking the information to grant the request if the communicating capacity of the communicative route is available.