Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for communicating data between network subsystems over optical fibers using a backchannel probe signal. In one embodiment, the present invention includes an optical network having an optical fiber coupled between first and second optical couplers residing in two different subsystems. A first processing unit is coupled to a first tap of the first optical coupler for providing an optical payload signal, and a second processing unit is coupled to a first tap of the second optical coupler for receiving the optical payload signal. A probe signal transmitter is coupled to a second tap of the second optical coupler for providing a probe signal, and a probe signal receiver coupled to a second tap of the first optical coupler for receiving the probe signal. The probe signal may be used to detect erroneous fiber connections or lossy inter-subsystem fibers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for effective troubleshooting of a network. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a system for troubleshooting a network having a plurality of network elements. A management station may be coupled to one of the network elements for signaling a distributed network operating system to transmit alarm information from each network element to the management station for display to a user. The system also includes a plurality of network element subsystems in each network element, wherein at least one of the plurality of network element subsystems generates a subsystem alarm in response to a subsystem fault condition. The distributed network operating system includes a plurality of subsystem applications on each network element, wherein at least one of the subsystem applications on each network element generates an application alarm in response to receiving the subsystem alarm.

Abstract: A network configuration and method provide communication setup between neighbor nodes in a communication network, without broadcasting this setup information over the network. A signaling bandwidth separated from the data communication channel bandwidth facilitates address resolution over a common transmission medium. The user is not required to know any physical address properties of the neighbor nodes. This reduces the complexity of the information that a network administrator is required to manage. This processing feeds into a complete address resolution table, which is employed for controlling network communication over the main data communication channel bandwidth. Typically, substantially continuous transmission and/or reception over the signaling bandwidth is useful not only to determine the neighbor node's active address upon startup, but also while the network is running, to detect if a signaling element has been exchanged or has changed activity.

Abstract: A method for in-service RAM testing in computer systems and networks having a virtual memory. The method involves identifying a number n of physical memory units pi, i=1 . . . n, in the RAM and a number n−1 of virtual memory units vj, j=1 . . . n−1, in the virtual memory, performing a one-to-one mapping to map the physical memory units pi to virtual memory units vj such that a physical memory unit px is left unmapped, and then testing data in the unmapped physical memory unit px by destructive or non-destructive tests. After the test data from another physical memory unit py is copied to physical memory unit px and a one-to-one re-mapping of physical memory units pi to virtual memory units vj is performed such that physical memory unit py is left unmapped. The data in physical memory unit py is then tested and the steps of copying, one-to-one re-mapping and testing can be repeated until all physical memory units pi are tested.

Abstract: System for minimizing the cost of an optical network. A method is provided for designing an optical network to have minimized costs. The optical network has a plurality of nodes connected by interconnecting optical fibers. The method comprises inputting channel parameters associated with the optical network, inputting cost parameters associated with the optical network, calculating band parameters associated with the optical network, restricting at least one parameter associated with the optical network to having only integer values, and using an integer linear program to solve a minimization objective function that allows the cost of the optical network to be minimized, wherein the minimization objective function includes selected channel, cost and band parameters.

Abstract: System to determine an optimal detection point associated with an incoming data stream. The data stream has an associated eye pattern that contains a data value for each of a plurality of threshold points defined by a plurality of amplitude rows and a plurality of phase columns. The system includes a method that includes the steps of determining an amplitude opening value for each of the phase columns, determining a phase opening value for each of the amplitude rows, determining a selected phase opening from the phase opening values and a selected amplitude opening from the amplitude opening values, and determining the optimal detection point from the selected phase opening and the selected amplitude opening.