Abstract: A power sourcing equipment is connected to a powered device via a cable. The power sourcing equipment is configured to provide power to different types of devices. The power sourcing equipment has a control system for determining the type of powered device that is connected to the cable and furnishes power in response to the determination. Also described is a powered device capable of establishing communication with PSEs of multiple types.

Abstract: An optical network unit includes a central office interface configured to connect to a central office local loop and customer premises and provide a central office source service. A switch and a switch device is connected to the switch and has at least one service port to provide a local source service. A relay switch is connected to the at least one service port and the central office interface. A processor is connected to the switch and relay switch and configured to receive a command message and in response switch into either the central office interface and provide the central office source service or switch into the service port and provide the local source service.

Abstract: A knockout can be removed from a parent part in a sheet metal structure by removing one or more twistable tabs located on a perimeter of the knockout. A tab is defined by a region of sheet metal within a perimeter consisting of a first and a second cut. The first and second cuts extend through the sheet metal along first and second paths. A first neck extends between the first end of the first cut and the first end of the second cut and between the tab and the parent part. A second neck extends between the second end of the first cut and the second end of the second cut and extends between the tab and the knockout. To remove the tab, the tab is rotated such that the two necks twist about an axis between them, until torsional fatigue fractures the necks.

Abstract: A method and a device for processing data has data transmitted from a first network component to at least one second network component via at least two lines. According to the novel method the data to be conveyed via the at least two lines is distributed within at least one frame.

Abstract: An optical system has an optical emitter that transmits an optical signal through an optical fiber. An optical detector detects light from the fiber and provides an analog signal indicative of such light. A crosstalk cancellation element is configured to receive an electrical signal from the optical emitter and to adjust such signal in order to form a cancellation signal that models the optical and/or electrical crosstalk affecting the analog signal. The cancellation signal is subtracted from the analog signal thereby removing optical and/or electrical crosstalk from the analog signal.

Abstract: An optical communication system comprises a network interface device (NID) having a media converter coupled to an optical fiber of a passive optical network (PON). The media converter converts optical signals from the PON into electrical signals for communication across at least one non-optical channel, such as a conductive or wireless connection, to customer premises equipment (CPE), such as a residential gateway or other customer premises (CP) device. Rather than implementing an optical media access control (optical MAC) layer in the NID, an optical MAC layer for handling PON protocols and management is implemented by the CPE, thereby effectively extending the customer end of the PON across at least one non-optical connection to the CPE. By implementing the optical MAC layer at the CPE, the complexity of the NID is reduced thereby lowering the cost of the NID.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to optical communication apparatuses having field-tunable power characteristics. In one exemplary embodiment, an optical communication apparatus has an optical transmitter. The optical transmitter is coupled to logic that receives a user input indicative of a desired transmit mode for the transmitter, and the logic then dynamically tunes the transmitter's output power according to the selected transmit mode. In addition, the optical communication apparatus may have an optical receiver for receiving optical signals. The sensitivity of the receiver is controlled by a bias voltage that is applied to the receiver by the logic. The logic is configured to receive a user input indicative of a desired receive mode and then to tune the receiver's sensitivity via the bias voltage according to the selected receive mode.

Abstract: A method and a device for data processing in a communication network. The method includes the following steps: (i) at least one filter applicable for a first type of connection is provided in front of at least one filter that is applicable for a second type of connection; and (ii) the order of the at least on filter applicable for the first type of connection and the at least one filter applicable for the second type of connection is inverted in case that the number of filters required for the second type of connection increases.

Abstract: A system for configuring and registering Internet Protocol (IP) phones has at least one IP phone coupled to a private branch exchange (PBX) through a switch. A boot server stores a plurality of configuration files used to configure IP phones, and the IP phone downloads a default configuration file having a default extension identifier from the boot server in order to allow the IP phone to initiate a registration session with the PBX. Once the registration session is initiated, the PBX is configured to automatically learn a media access control (MAC) address of the IP phone and to generate at least one unique configuration file identified by the learned MAC address. The IP phone is then configured according to the generated unique configuration file without an administrator having to associate the MAC address with the extension identifier.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to network systems and methods that efficiently drop packets carried by virtual circuits. In one exemplary embodiment, a packet network has at least a first node having a first port that is coupled directly to a second port of a second node. A virtual circuit is established such that a virtual connection exists between the two ports. The first node communicates with the second node to determine whether the second node is provisioned such that the second port is a member of the virtual circuit. If the second node is not provisioned such that the second port is a member of the virtual circuit, then the first node drops the data packets that (1) are carried by the virtual circuit and (2) are to be forwarded to the first port, as indicated by virtual circuit (VC) mapping data in the first node. Thus, the dropped packets are prevented from usurping capacity that otherwise could be used to transmit other packets between the two nodes.

Abstract: An exemplary network management system comprises a management server communicating with a plurality of network devices via a network. Each network device initiates a check-in request with the management server that indicates a task to be performed by the server. Upon receiving a check-in request from a network device, the management server is configured to determine a task to be performed that requires communication with the network device, and the management server is configured to determine a weight value indicative of a processing burden for the server in performed such task. The management server is further configured to determine whether to perform the task during the current check-in session based on the weight value.

Abstract: Method and device for data processing and communication system with such a device. The method and the device allow data processing via at least one channel. The method includes the following step of transmitting an idle pattern across the at least one channel when no information is conveyed. The idle pattern is created such that interference and/or crosstalk resulting from the idle pattern can be reduced at the receiving side.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for protecting bonding engines in network communications. In one exemplary embodiment, physical communication links, such as subscriber lines, of a bonding group are terminated by a plurality of access modules such that at least some of the communication links remain operational in the event of a failure of one of the access modules. Further, a backup bonding engine is used to protect the group's bonding engine. In the event of a failure or other operational problem associated with the group's bonding engine, the backup bonding engine is used to fragment incoming messages and to send the fragments to the operational subscriber lines. Thus, the bonding group can survive an operational failure of the group's bonding engine.

Abstract: A system has a current mirror that has an input node and an output node and an avalanche photodiode (APD) coupled to the output node of the current mirror. The system also has a nonlinear voltage-to-current conversion element coupled to the input node of the current mirror that transmits current through the current mirror and the APD. Further, the system has a feedback path coupled between the output node of the current mirror and the voltage-to-current conversion element that senses a voltage across the APD and provides, based on the sensed voltage, an input signal to the voltage-to-current conversion element for controlling the element's output current, and the feedback path is arranged to limit a voltage of the input signal such that the output current is limited thereby preventing damage to the APD.

Abstract: A portable technical support device includes a location-determining element configured to allow the portable technical support device to be location-aware, and a communicating element configured to allow the portable technical support device to access a network management system, the network management system having information relating to a communication device, wherein the portable technical support device obtains from the management system the information relating to the communication device by making the network management system aware of the location of the communication device using the portable technical support device as a location-determining element.

Abstract: A communications system and associated method distributes media in a communications network. A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communication session call is established between a caller and a communications server. A message is transmitted from the communications server to the media server that includes Session Description Protocol (SDP) parameters for media provided by the media server. Media is delivered to the caller in a packet format in accordance with the Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) to reuse the same socket as the source IP and port numbers and update RTP timestamps and sequence numbers. The media is transferred to the caller with minimal jitter buffer flushes and network resource usage.

Abstract: Multicast delivery of channels of information using an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is improved by implementing a smart immediate leave to avoid either excessive bandwidth utilization or undesired gaps in deliver of an IGMP channel to a host, such as a set top box. The smart immediate leave technique checks a channel-host list associated with a network interface of a proxy or a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) to ensure continued delivery of IGMP channel information to remaining hosts connected to the IGMP channel on the network serviced by the network interface.

Abstract: In accordance with a non-limiting example, a communications system includes a plurality of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) enabled switches interconnected together and each having a plurality of ports and configured into a plurality of VLAN's in a single topology map. The switches each comprise a processor and transceiver and configured to process and transport data packets and further comprising forwarding tables and operating in accordance with a Spanning Tree Protocol in a single topology map, for example, operating with the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol and not having multiple topologies. When a topology changes occurs to a specified VLAN, the switches are configured to flush the forwarding tables only for the specified VLAN associated with the port of the switch whose state change caused the topology change.

Abstract: Flexibility of handling of multicast information using an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is improved by overcoming failures to respond to group specific queries. Such failures occur when heterogenous host devices are used on a common network. When a failure to respond to a group specific query is experienced, a general query is used to obtain information that was not provided by the group specific query.

Abstract: A method and a device adjust a power allocation of users in a digital subscriber line environment. An intermediate power allocation is determined for at least one user initializing with the digital subscriber line environment based on a new power allocation determined for the digital subscriber line environment containing the at least one user. The intermediate power allocation provides a predefined minimum signal-to-noise ratio margin for the active users of the digital subscriber line environment. Furthermore, a communication system can contain such a device.