International Business Machines Corporation

Charles E Williford

Arthur James Stagg

Jeffrey James Lynch

Ralph J Potok, Ii

Claude Richard Pond

George Allen Deaton, Jr

James Harold Ragsdale

Yves J Huchet

Vicki Gentry Horton

Robert M Teague

A method and arrangement for providing a layered communications environment for the routing of information blocks between layers to layer entities forming a logical group based on information block type and the function provided by the individual entities of the group. When an access point (AP) between layers, is first activated, it is given a group classification. As other APs between the layers are activated, they too are given group classifications. All APs between the layers having the same group classification are considered to form a single logical grouping of APs. Each of these APs can be attached to different entities in the adjacent upper layer. This logical grouping allows for information block routing from a lower layer to the adjacent upper layer based on both logical group and block type. The entities in the upper layer that are within one logical group may include separate entities for control and management functions and separate entities for data transport purposes.

Logical grouping of layer entities in a layered communication

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Durham, NC, United States of America

Charles E Williford