Techniques for transmitting and receiving data traffic via Advanced Switching compatible switch structures

A method comprising providing a plurality of Advanced Switching compliant packets for a compatible Advanced Switching circuit structure for transmission to at least one end point, each of the Advanced Switching compliant packets having a header and a user data area and at least one of the plurality of with Advanced switching compliant packets, control information, protection information, areas of a SONET frame, data packets and -frames or access synchronous residual time stamp has.