Adaptively maintaining quality of service (QoS) in distributed PBX networks

1. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network comprising:

identifying a parameter associated with a data packet transported across the network;

measuring the parameter after the data packet is transported across the network; and

enabling bandwidth optimization of the network bandwidth when said measured parameter differs from a predetermined value, comprising:

determining whether at least one first channel is inactive; and

re-mapping at least one active second channel to at least one available inactive first channel.

2. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network comprising:

first and second PBX cabinets interconnected in a local area network configuration for sending and receiving data packets;

a register in connection with at least one of said cabinets for storing a value associated with one or more packets transported across the network;

a comparator for comparing said stored value with a predetermined value; and

an optimization mechanism for adjusting the bandwidth of the network when said stored value differs from a predetermined value, comprising:

determining whether at least one first channel is inactive; and

re-mapping at least one active second channel to at least one available inactive first channel.

3. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises a sequence number associated with the payload portion of said data packet.

4. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises measurement of the difference in arrival times of packets sent across the network and back between a first packet and a second packet.

5. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises measurement of the difference in arrival times of packets sent across the network and back between the average value of arrival times of a group of packets and a second packet.

6. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising storing the sequence number of data packets in a register.

7. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising storing sequence numbers associated with successive data packets in the register.

8. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 7 , further comprising monitoring the sequence of sequence numbers associated with successive data packets stored.

9. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 8 , further comprising:

incrementing a counter in the register by a count of one when the sequence numbers of successive data packets stored are in sequential order; and

incrementing the counter by a count greater than one when the sequence numbers of successive data packets stored are out of sequential order.

10. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 9 , further comprising initiating bandwidth optimization when said counter count is incremented by a count greater than one.

11. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 10 , wherein said bandwidth optimization comprises static optimization.

12. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said static optimization comprises limiting the number of channels available on the network.

13. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 10 , wherein said bandwidth optimization comprises adaptive optimization.

14. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 13 , wherein said adaptive optimization comprises determining which channels are physically represented by cards connected to a PBX network cabinet.

15. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network comprising:

a parameter identifying mechanism configured to identify a parameter associated with a data packet transported across the network;

a parameter measuring device configured to measure the parameter after the data packet is transported across the network; and

an optimization enabling device configured to optimize the bandwidth of the network when said measured parameter differs from a predetermined value, wherein the bandwidth optimization comprises:

determining whether at least one first channel is inactive; and

re-mapping at least one active second channel to at least one available inactive first channel.

16. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 15 , wherein said parameter comprises a sequence number associated with the payload portion of said data packet.

17. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 15 , wherein said parameter is derived from measurement of the difference in arrival times of packets sent across the network and back between a first packet and a second packet.

18. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 15 , wherein said parameter is derived from measurement of the difference in arrival times of packets sent across the network and back between the average value of arrival times of a group of packets and a second packet.

19. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in a network as set forth in claim 16 , wherein sequence numbers of the data packets are stored together in a register.

20. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in a network as set forth in claim 19 wherein sequence numbers associated with successive data packets are stored in the register.

21. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 20 wherein the sequence of sequence numbers associated with stored successive data packets is monitored.

22. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 21 wherein:

a counter in the register is configured to be incremented by a count of one when the sequence numbers of successive data packets stored are in sequential order; and

the counter is configured to be incremented by a count greater than one when the sequence numbers of successive data packets stored are out of sequential order.

23. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 22 , wherein the optimization enabling device is configured to initiate bandwidth optimization when the counter count is incremented by a count greater than one.

24. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 23 , wherein bandwidth optimization comprises static optimization.

25. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 24 , wherein static optimization comprises limiting the number of channels available on the network.

26. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 23 , wherein bandwidth optimization comprises adaptive optimization.

27. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 26 , further comprising:

adaptive optimization apparatus configured to determine which channels are physically represented by cards connected to a PBX network cabinet.

28. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said value comprises measurement of the difference in arrival times of packets sent across the network and back between a first packet and a second packet.

29. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 1 , wherein bandwidth optimization further comprises eliminating the at least one second channel from the network after re-mapping the at least one active second channel to the at least one available inactive first channel.

30. A method of dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one first and second channels is distributed among one or more data packets.

31. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 15 , wherein bandwidth optimization further comprises eliminating the at least one second channel from the network after re-mapping the at least one active second channel to the at least one available inactive first channel.

32. An apparatus for dynamically adapting a PBX network to maintain a Quality of Service level in the network as set forth in claim 15 , wherein each of the at least one first and second channels is distributed among one or more data packets.