Abstract: Flexibility is achieved in provisioning communication rings with an integrated DCS that allows any port that is connected to a line interface unit within the integrated DCS to be coupled within the integrated DCS—pursuant to software controlled provisioning—to any other port that is connected to a line interface unit within the integrated DCS. This is accomplished by merging the cross connect fabrics of the ADM portions of the integrated DCS with the cross connect fabric of the DCS portion of the integrated DCS, by incorporating at least some of the switching controls of the ADMs in the ADM portion of the integrated DCS in the controller of the DCS, and by insuring that the SONET K-bytes can be passed by the controller of the flexible integrated DCS from any line interface unit to any other line interface unit.

Abstract: Difficulties with prior disrupted communications restoration systems are overcome by employing for each node of a communications network a restoration processor in which predetermined functions of the restoration process are managed by respective ones of a plurality of manager modules. The manager modules are arranged to be directly interconnected only with a so-called restoration manager that coordinates the operations of the modules and provides for their interconnection needs. In a preferred embodiment, four manager modules, a) a user interface manager module, b) a digital cross-connect system (DCS) manager module, c) a distributed communications manager module and d) a core algorithm manager module, are interconnected and coordinated by the restoration manager. Additional robustness to the restoration process is provided by way of enhancements to the functionality of the core algorithm manager module.