A METHOD OF MINIMISING DEAD TIME OF A PATH SET-UP AND TEAR-DOWN PROCESS IN A CENTRALLY CONTROLLED NETWORK

摘要

A method of minimising dead time of a path set-up and tear-down process in a centrally controlled network comprises receiving at a central controller (1) a path setup message (10) from a node (3). The controller sends a tear-down signal (15) to a node which is sending information on an existing path and sends a set-up signal (15, 17, 18, 19, 20) to each node (11, 12, 13, 4) in a new path (14). The transmission time for each set-up and tear-down signal is determined, an order of sending derived and each signal is sent in order, such that each signal arrives at its destination at an optimal time with respect to each other signal, thereby minimising dead time.