Abstract: The invention relates to data communications, more particularly to a protocol encapsulation technique which captures the time between frames at a transmitting site for comparison with an idle counter at a receiving site. At the originating site, the time between successive frames in the native protocol is encoded in an interframe time field associated with each respective frame, before the time encoded frame is mapped into the protocol associated with the transport medium. At the destination site, the framing associated with the transport medium is removed to reveal the interframe time field. The value contained in this field is compared with the value of an idle counter running at the native protocol rate. When the idle count is greater than or equal to the encoded inter-frame time, the data contained in the frame is then delivered to the client.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for flexible time-division multiplexing, and demultiplexing, of serial line data, from 1-n client lines, based on the SONET standard (e.g. OC-48 or OC-192) whereby a predetermined and reconfigurable number of STS-1s are allocated to each client. A multiplexer includes 1 to n mappers for mapping the data of 1 to n clients, according to a predetermined bandwidth allocation, to an N×STS-1 SONET payload, each mapper using y STS-1s where y is 0 to N, the y STS-1s being selected on a sequential or non-sequential concatenation basis from the N STS-1s. Each mapper maps the data of one client and each allocated STS-1 is allocated to one client and the total number of STS-1s allocated to the clients is less than or equal to N. An aggregator aggregates the mapped data into a composite STS payload comprising N STS-1s. A bandwidth allocation receiver receives the bandwidth allocation.

Abstract: The invention relates to data communications, more particularly to a protocol encapsulation technique which captures the time between frames at a transmitting site for comparison with an idle counter at a receiving site. At the originating site, the time between successive frames in the native protocol is encoded in an interframe time field associated with each respective frame, before the time encoded frame is mapped into the protocol associated with the transport medium. At the destination site, the framing associated with the transport medium is removed to reveal the interframe time field. The value contained in this field is compared with the value of an idle counter running at the native protocol rate. When the idle count is greater than or equal to the encoded inter-frame time, the data contained in the frame is then delivered to the client.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling the flow of fiber channel (FC) data frames from a fiber channel link to a metropolitan area link of lesser bandwidth (a synchronous optical network (SONET)). The release of each data unit by a data source for transport onto the first channel is governed by a credit-based protocol whereby one data unit is released upon the provision of one credit unit. A first marker identifies a high limit H of the buffer at which a first condition occurs, H being less than N and the first condition applying when the number of data units in the buffer is greater than H. A second marker identifies a low limit L of the buffer at which a second condition occurs, L being less than H and the second condition applying when the number of data units in the buffer is less than L. A credit unit owed counter O counts the number of credit units which become owed to the data source when the second condition applies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for flexible time-division multiplexing, and demultiplexing, of serial line data, from 1-n client lines, based on the SONET standard (e.g. OC-48 or OC-192) whereby a predetermined and reconfigurable number of STS-1s are allocated to each client. A multiplexer includes 1 to n mappers for mapping the data of 1 to n clients, according to a predetermined bandwidth allocation, to an N×STS-1 SON ET payload, each mapper using y STS-1s where y is 0 to N, the y STS-1s being selected on a sequential or non-sequential concatenation basis from the N STS-1s. Each mapper maps the data of one client and each allocated STS-1 is allocated to one client and the total number of STS-1s allocated to the clients is less than or equal to N. An aggregator aggregates the mapped data into a composite STS payload comprising N STS-1s. A bandwidth allocation receiver receives the bandwidth allocation.