METHOD OF PREPARING A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION NETWORK FOR THE FORWARDING OF A DATA STREAM ACROSS SAID NETWORK

摘要

Firstly, the distributed communication network (10) is provided. This network uses a plurality of functional units (24, 26, 28, 30) interconnected by communication links (42, 44, 46, 48, 50), said functional units (24, 26, 28, 30) being distributed in at least two layers (34, 36, 38, 40), including a main layer (36) and at least one lower layer (38, 40). At least two of said layers (34, 36, 38, 40) each comprise at least one domain (54, 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 58C, 60A, 60B) with a domain manager (64, 66A, 66B, 68A, 68B, 68C, 70A, 70B), said domains (54, 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 58C, 60A, 60B) comprising a main domain (56A) belonging to the main layer (36), and at least one support domain (58A) belonging to a lower layer (38) and comprising at least one functional unit (28) hooked up via a vertical link (42) to a main functional unit (26) of the main domain (56A). The domain manager (64, 66A, 66B, 68A, 68B, 68C, 70A, 70B) of each domain (54, 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 58C, 60A, 60B) determines a capacity-related mapping of the domain (54, 56A, 56B, 58A, 58B, 58C, 60A, 60B). The domain manager (66A) of the main domain (56A) thereafter discovers the or each support domain (58A), before the domain manager (68A) of the or of each support domain (58A) shares the capacity-related mapping of said support domain (58A) with the domain manager of the main domain (56A). Next the domain manager (66A) of the main domain (56A) updates the capacity-related mapping of said main domain (56A) as a function of the or each support domain capacity-related mapping (58A) shared with the domain manager (66A) of the main domain (56A).