Abstract: The invention relates to scheduling packets from numerous traffic classes that share a common high speed channel. A method and an apparatus for regulating several thousand traffic classes sharing a very high speed common channel of a capacity of the order of 80 Gb/s are described. The packets are generally of variable size, and each channel is assigned a transfer rate less than or equal to the capacity of shared channel, with the sum of transfer rates of all classes not exceeding the capacity of the shared channel. The rare allocation for each class is determined either by operator specification or, preferably, by automated means based on traffic monitoring. In the latter case, the transfer rate allocated to a class may be dynamically updated.

Abstract: A low-cost data communication system using modems is disclosed. In the proposed system and method, a binary incoming data stream is split into several parallel sub streams by an encoding modem. These parallel sub streams are mapped into a set of unique orthogonal short-codes and then modulated by a bank of modulators. Thereafter, the modulated data are combined and transmitted through a wired communication channel such as a cable or optical fiber channel. Since there are no multipath components in cables or fiber optical communication channel, the composite outgoing data stream from the encoding modem remains orthogonal during the transmission and maximizes CDMA capacity. A decoding modem can receive encoding information from the encoding modem and appropriately decode the transmitted information.

Abstract: A Totem ring network (100) includes Totem rings (102, 104) which are geographically separated by relatively long distances. Time latencies between the geographically separated Totem rings (102, 104) are minimized by providing each Totem ring with a dedicated router (122, 132) located geographically proximate to a respective Totem ring. Each router (122, 132) is joined together through point-to-point links (106, 108), and each server (124, 126, 128, 132, 134, 136) on a local area network (120, 130) of a respective ring (102, 104) is joined to the respective Totem ring (102, 104) and router (122, 132).

Abstract: A bandwidth allocation system, device, and method for assigning a drop precedence value to each of a plurality of packets associated with a traffic stream having a target rate and a measured rate greater than the target rate assigns a drop precedence value to each of a plurality of packets associated with the traffic stream such that, of all packets assigned either a first drop precedence value or a second drop precedence value higher than the first drop precedence value, substantially (1−q) of the packets are assigned the first drop precedence value and substantially (q) of the packets are assigned the second drop precedence value, where q is equal to the ratio of a minimum target rate from among a plurality of traffic streams to the target rate of the traffic stream. Such a packet marking scheme may be used in a differentiate services communication system for proportionally distributing excess bandwidth between multiple traffic streams.

Abstract: A digital subscriber loop modem arrangement is arranged to respond to a fault condition so as to provide at least a voice lifeline service over DSL service on a digital subscriber line in which data and voice traffic are transported on a plurality of carriers. On detection of a power loss at the subscriber end of the line, the number of carriers is reduced so as to maintaining transmission only of those carriers transporting the voice traffic. This reduces the power demand which can now be met from the remote end of the line. A method of operating a digital subscriber loop modem arrangement under a fault condition so as to provide at least a voice over DSL service on a digital subscriber line in which data and voice traffic are transported on a plurality of carriers, the method comprising the steps of: replacing the data with random data, disabling those data carriers on which the random data is transported, and maintaining transmission of those carriers transporting the voice traffic.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for filtering a data packet. The data packet is classified a filter type according to a classification criteria. A size value of the data packet is added to a data count for the filter type. The filter type is compared to a committed information rate (CIR). The data packet is filtered if the data count exceeds the CIR or a burst rate. A status the data packet may optionally be altered if the data count exceeds the CIR. A priority of the data packet may optionally be reclassified if the data count exceeds the CIR.

Abstract: An optical amplifier for amplifying the channel signals of a WDM signal comprises an amplifier arrangement for amplifying a band of the channels. The amplifier arrangement comprises an amplifier (6) and a filter (8). The filter comprises a controllable optical filter having an attenuation characteristic which comprises a region of positive gradient and a region of negative gradient with respect to input frequency. The magnitude and alignment along the frequency axis of the attenuation characteristic is variable, such that the filter can be tuned to provide gain flattening for the amplified band of channels. The filter can be tuned to the requirements of a particular sub-band, whilst identical filters can be used for each sub-band. This invention enables identical filters to be used, and gives good pump power efficiency, as the attenuation of each filter can be controlled to the desired level, thereby avoiding the need for large increases in pump power.

Abstract: Power amplifier arrangements, methods, and software arranged to receive a power input which is voltage-modulated responsive to at least one control signal representative of the data signal. The data input to the power amplifier is pre-distorted and the resulting power amplification is substantially linear. The arrangement may be used in wireless base station transmitters, but is not limited to such applications. Improved data transmission services are also provided which make use of such power amplifiers.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for tracking dynamic characteristics of an optical amplifier, optical signal probes are used to determine the gain and the corner frequency of the optical amplifier. A first optical probe having a predetermined modulation frequency above an expected corner frequency of the amplifier is used to estimate the gain of the optical amplifier. A second optical probe signal having a second predetermined modulation frequency at or below the expected corner frequency of the amplifier is used to estimate the corner frequency. These parameters can be used to optimize gain control of an optical amplifier.

Abstract: A method of and system for provisioning analog voice channels and digital voice channels in a in dual-technology wireless system that includes both singlemode and dualmode mobile wireless units determines the number of analog voice channels necessary to produce a desired singlemode grade of service, taking into account overflow of dualmode calls to analog channels, the number of digital voice channels necessary to produce a desired dualmode grade of service, taking into account the overflow of the dualmode calls to the analog channels. The method may be used to provision channels or to form provisioning tables to enable the determination the number of analog voice channels and digital voice channels necessary to produce said desired singlemode and dualmode grades of service for various levels of singlemode and dualmode traffic demand.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic module which has a honeycomb material held within a solid metal frame as the top and bottom of the module. This structure provides increased capacity for convective cooling and increased electromagnetic radiation shielding over previous options.

Abstract: A method for handling input/output messages for plural call processing applications which reside on a processor subsystem of a mobile switching center. An input/output message having a message transport address owned by one of the call processing applications is received at a memory subsystem thereof. The call processing application owning the received address is the application which will later handle the received message. The received address is transferred to an interrupt handler which also resides on the processor subsystem. There, a call to the call processing application which owns the address received for the incoming input/output message is issued. In response thereto, the call processing application wraps the received message with an object to be used by the received message when it is to be handled by the call processing application and stores the wrapped message at a selected location within the memory subsystem. The call processing application then schedules itself for execution.

Abstract: A packet switch has a switching unit (SU) for switching packets between network links and a computing unit (CU) connected to the SU through a network link for implementing software control functions over the SU. The SU is formed of different functional components interconnected by generic buses. The components communicate with one another using program data units (PDUs) that are formatted and transmitted according to a shared device protocol. The communication between the components occurs by placing PDUs in bus frames that are passed from component to component. Information is exchanged between the components by adding information to or dropping information from the fields of the PDUs, or by concatenating new fields to the PDUs, as the frames pass from component to component. By using a generic bus to implement PDU-based interconnections within the SU, all the components are forced to support a common interface.

Abstract: An apparatus and method, utilized by a receiving node in a multicast for authenticating a message received from a transmitting node, uses tags to determine if the transmitting node is in the multicast. More particularly, a first tag received with the message is located and utilized to determine if the transmitting node is in the multicast. The first tag includes data associated with at least one of the receiving node and the transmitting node. A second tag then is generated if the transmitting node is determined to be in themulticast. Once generated, the second tag is transmitted with the message to a third node in the multicast. Among other things, the second tag includes data indicating that the receiving node is in the multicast.

Abstract: An improved architecture in a circuit switched communications network is provided in which a plurality of network service provider devices, eg intelligent peripherals are arranged to provide network service data to a plurality of time division multiplex circuits and trunks by converting these circuits and trunks to streams of packets, and providing network service data packetized in a set of network service data packet streams to the circuit packet streams without incurring delays to the circuit packet streams. The circuit packet streams may be duplicated and forwarded to the network service provider devices without incurring delay to the ongoing through put packetized circuits, and similarly packet streams containing network service data may be superimposed into the circuit packet streams, without the requirement for the circuit packet streams to be switched to the network service provider devices.

Abstract: Transport networks are facing new challenges and opportunities because of the explosive growth of data traffic. Besides having to meet the ever increasing bandwidth demand, transport networks need to provide new functionalities for the support of data applications. Novel enhanced transport systems with inherent packet multiplexing to meet these challenges are described. It uses Internet protocols and technologies to implement these packet transport systems, and thereby re-use much of the existing Internet infrastructure already widely deployed.

Abstract: Dispersion compensation devices are described which comprise waveguides including sampled Bragg gratings which exhibit comb-like reflectance characteristics. The profile of effective refractive index along the length of the grating is controlled to adjust the position of the teeth and/or to control the dispersion exhibited by the device (i.e. to control the chirp of the grating). The devices can thus be used to provide dispersion compensation to any one of a number of wavelength channels in a WDM system. In preferred arrangements, the effective refractive index distribution is set by a applying a temperature distribution along the length of the grating, or by setting an applied electric field.

Abstract: A bridge and roll method for doing an in-service switch (less than 50 ms) from one set of inputs and outputs on a primary photonic switch to another set of inputs and outputs on the same or a secondary photonic switch. The bridge and roll method facilitates maintenance, repairs and upgrades on the primary photonic switch. The bridge and roll method may be reversed in order to restore the original inputs and outputs on the primary photonic switch after maintenance, repairs or upgrades have been performed. The invention also provides a method for consolidating multiple wavelengths or multiple bands into single fibers.

Abstract: An optical array amplifier has a first light beam shaper, a first waveguide to guide an input optical signal consisting of a plurality of wavelengths to the first beam shaper, a diffracter illuminated by light from the first beam shaper to diffract the optical signal into individual wavelengths or groups of wavelengths, a second waveguide connected to a source of optical pump energy, a second beam shaper combining optical pump energy from the second waveguide with the diffracted signal wavelengths or groups of wavelengths without the pump energy impinging on the diffracter, so that a proportion of the optical pump energy is mixed with each of the wavelengths or groups of wavelengths, and to focus the mixed optical signals onto a third waveguide connected to an optical amplifier utilizing the pump energy to cause amplification of the individual wavelengths or groups of wavelengths mixed with the corresponding proportion of pump energy. The amplifier may be implemented as a planar waveguide device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system with a redirect functionality that removes the potential of a bottleneck inherent with a central redirect server. In a communications system according to the present invention, the central redirect server is eliminated in favor of a distributed redirect server. This distributed redirect server is distributed to, and hosted on, telephony access nodes (TANs) in the system. This configuration resolves both the problem of a potential bottleneck and provisioning of redundant redirect server capability.