Method and apparatus for routing cell messages using delay

Claim 1

In a cell switching network having a multiplicity of nodes, a method of rerouting connections, each connection connecting a master node and a slave node, the master node and the slave node each being a one of the multiplicity of nodes, each connection having an associated loading and being a type of a multiplicity of types of connections accommodated by the cell switching network, the method comprising the steps of: a) identifying connections needing to be rerouted; b) ordering the connections needing to be rerouted according to their associated loading; c) selecting a selected connection from the connections needing to be rerouted and that have been ordered, the selected connection connecting a selected master node and a selected slave node; and d) rerouting the selected connection by: 1) selecting candidate routes from among working routes connecting the selected master node and the selected slave node, each candidate route having the smallest route delay in terms of a total node delay between the selected master node and the selected slave node as compared to route delays of other working routes between the selected master node and selected slave node, each candidate route having a bandwidth; 2) validating true each candidate route if the route delay of the candidate route is within a user configurable prescribed limit for the type of the selected connection and if the bandwidth of the candidate route is sufficient to accommodate the selected connection; 3) rerouting the selected connection via a one of the candidate routes that have been validated true; and 4) updating a validated route description table in the selected master node to reflect packing of the candidate route by which the selected connection has been rerouted, the validated route table including the route delay, bandwidth, and packing of each candidate route.