Method and apparatus for transporting IP datagrams over synchronous optical networks at guaranteed quality of service

Apparatus for transporting Internet Protocol (IP) datagrams received from an IP network through a SONET network with a quality of service characterized by a deterministic end-to-end transfer delay in the SONET network, comprising:

• a plurality of SONET nodes interconnected by at least one optical fiber ring, each of the SONET nodes including a Transport Protocol Interface (TPI) for receiving the IP datagrams from the IP network, a driver entity for passing the IP datagrams to a High Level Data Link Controller (HDLC) which provides a minimum level of framing for IP datagrams, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for generating timing signals for the HDLC and for performing an Add/Drop function to insert datagrams into and extract datagrams from SONET frames;
• and
• a one of the SONET nodes being further adapted to serve as a bandwidth manager to track usage of containers for transporting the datagrams within the SONET network.