Atm network enabling quick and reliable reconstruction by distributing a series of steps to communication nodes to follow a time-varying traffic load

Abstract

When a virtual channel handler terminating a virtual path tries to expand its capacity by signalling and the trial has failed, the virtual channel handler delivers an expansion request to a reconstruction server. Supplied with the expansion request, the server delivers a reduction request to each of virtual channel handlers terminating other virtual paths passing the same physical links as the virtual path. Supplied with the reduction request, each of the virtual channel handlers calculates a required VP capacity value, reduces by signalling current capacity to the required VP capacity thus calculated, and delivers to the server a reduction response including a reduction value. The server is responsive to the reduction response and delivers an expansion response to the virtual channel handler with a minimum reduction value as an expandable value. The virtual channel handler is responsive to the expansion response and calculates new VP capacity which is a sum of the current capacity and the expandable value to expand the VP capacity by signalling.