Abstract: A method for monitoring the operating temperature of an item on a card shelf having a plurality of discrete electronic cards includes receiving a measured temperature for an item on a card shelf that is indicative of an operating temperature of the item. The method also includes determining whether the item is operating above a specified limit using the measured temperature and information stored in a memory that relates the measured temperature to the operating temperature of the item. Furthermore, the method includes determining whether there has been a restriction of air flow through the card shelf in response to determining whether the item is operating above a specified limit.

Abstract: A serial bus communication system for communication across the backplane of a node includes a control unit having a serial bus controller operable to convert between parallel signals and serialized signals. A plurality of service units each include a serial bus terminator. A serial bus includes a discrete serial channel for each service unit. The serial channel connects the serial bus terminator to the serial bus controller. The serial bus controller is operable to direct a message for a service unit on the serial bus to only the serial channel of the service unit.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a map of transmission slots for a port of a network element includes a plurality of hierarchical sets of port transmission slots. The hierarchical sets include a plurality of parent sets. Each parent set has its port transmission slots divided between a plurality of child sets. The child sets include interleaved port transmission slots.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling the gain of the amplification of an optical signal is provided that includes both electrical feedforward and feedback. In a feedforward portion of an optical amplifier, the method includes receiving an optical signal and measuring an input power. Based on the measured input power and a desired gain, a feedforward pump power is determined. The pump power is adjusted based on the determined pump power. In a feedback portion of an optical amplifier, an output power is measured and gain is determined based on the output power and the measured input power. The measured gain is compared to a desired gain and the pump power is adjusted based on that comparison.

Abstract: A network element management system in which network elements can be grouped, and viewed and manipulated by groups. This provides both greater ease of use and faster response.

Abstract: An element management system in which: a list of fully-qualified versions of network elements is maintained, and the interface to each network element is managed in accordance with the highest fully-qualified version which is no later than the network element's actual version date, EVEN IF there is also a fully-qualified later version. By specifying a “managed level” which is fully qualified and is guaranteed not to be later than the actual revision of the network element, the possibility of hidden incompatibility is reduced. (Network elements are expected to be backwards compatible, but the addition of features may introduce some hidden forward incompatibility.

Abstract: A new capability for managing complex cross-connects: instead of flipping through multiple windows to find the desired link, the operator can simply specify the endpoints. The system will then find the connect which links these endpoints, and bring it to the top (or make it visible).

Abstract: A network element management system which can exploit the customized interface features of a variety of versions of a variety of complex system products from a variety of manufacturers. This is done by maintaining a meta-model, which is not itself a model until instantiated, of the possible known product configurations to be interfaced to. Once the meta-model is instantiated, it provides configuration parameters which the interface program uses to build a correct configuration for the management and/or monitoring interface. This is particularly advantageous in the preferred embodiment of a telecommunications network element management system, but also has potential applicability to other large “supersystem” applications.

Abstract: A network element management system which automatically configures itself, when an operator enters a component identifier, for optimal full-featured management of the identified component. This is preferably done by an autodiscovery process, and not by any mere lookup.

Abstract: In a usage parameter control device for an asynchronous transfer mode communications system, a determination is made as to whether either of the respective storage elements maintaining values for (1) the time of arrival of a cell (TTA and (2) the time value at which the “bucket” will have drained to an empty condition (TTAT) has wrapped relative to the other. The wrap determination is made prior to the comparison between the TTA and TTAT values which is made in order to determine whether the user is complying with his or her contracted parameters. If one of the storage elements has wrapped relative to the other, the comparison between the TTA and TTAT values is modified accordingly.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for switching redundancy control which provides fast switching from a malfunctioning component to a redundant component with minimum data flow interruption for both transmitted and received data. The redundancy control system having an APS (Automatic Switching Protection) Hub, at least a working and a redundant tributary card, a bridge to provide identical traffic to the working and redundant tributary cards, a working and a redundant STM switching fabric, selectors within the working and redundant STM switching fabrics for selecting the traffic from the working tributary card to further process, a working and a redundant ATM switching fabric, a working and a redundant ATM processor and ATM selectors for selecting traffic needing cell switching from the working STM switching fabric to process further.

Abstract: An advanced SONET add/drop multiplexer capable of supporting packet over SONET and multiprotocol label switching. The add/drop multiplexer is capable of adding and/or dropping both STM and packet traffic, such as Internet Protocol traffic. This SONET add/drop multiplexer allows Internet Protocol streams which are added or dropped at different nodes to be carried over the same SONET path in a network, thereby greatly saving bandwidth.

Abstract: A communications device and method for effectively managing bandwidth within a telecommunications network carrying both time division multiplexed signals as well as data signals. The communications device having dialable TDM/cell and/or packet-based bandwidth management capability so that a network operator can select to manage bandwidth for any particular signal on in STS, VT, or cell or packet basis.