Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for framing synchronization control for a framer/mapper/multiplexor (FMM) device with 1+1 and equipment protection. FMM device are disclosed that synchronize one or more internal signals by changing a phase of the one or more internal signals without changing a frequency of the one or more internal signals based on a desired phase at a destination of each of the one or more internal signals. A programmable synchronization signal may optionally be employed for the synchronization.

Abstract: A communication device comprises a signal combiner, first storage elements, second storage elements and a controller. The signal combiner is configured to combine overhead information with additional information in forming a frame of a signal. The first storage elements are adapted to receive respective portions of a given block of the overhead information to be applied to the signal combiner, and the second storage elements are coupled between respective ones of the first storage elements and respective inputs of the signal combiner. The controller is operative to monitor a count of portions of the frame as the frame is formed by the signal combiner and to control loading of the portions of the given block of the overhead information into the second storage elements from the first storage elements responsive to the monitored count.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for in-band communication of alarm status information or other information between physical layer devices comprising a working device and a protection device in a network-based communication system. In one aspect, a protection receive signal is monitored in the protection device for the presence of alarm status information. The protection device encodes alarm status information extracted from the protection receive signal, and inserts the encoded alarm status information into one or more designated portions of a protection loop-back signal supplied from the protection device to the working device. The protection loop-back signal is monitored in the working device and the encoded alarm status information therein is decoded and utilized by the working device to initiate a protection switching operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring of received information in a communication device comprises a first buffer having a plurality of storage elements adapted to store respective portions of the received information, a second buffer coupled to the first buffer and having a plurality of storage elements corresponding to respective ones of the storage elements of the first buffer, and controller circuitry coupled to the buffers and operative to detect a message sequence comprising a plurality of the portions of the received information. The second buffer stores a previously-detected message sequence loaded from the first buffer into the second buffer under control of the controller circuitry. The controller circuitry in detecting a current message sequence is configurable in at least first and second different monitoring modes each associated with a different message format. The monitoring mode of the controller circuitry may be adaptively configured based at least in part on a detected message sequence.

Abstract: In some examples, a protocol accelerator extracts a queue identifier from an incoming packet, for identifying a first buffer queue in which the packet is to be stored for transport layer processing. A packet having an error or condition is identified, such that the accelerator cannot perform the processing on that packet. A processor is interrupted. The identified packet is stored in a second buffer queue. The processor performs transport layer processing in response to the interrupt, while the accelerator continues transport layer processing of packets in the first buffer queue. In some examples, a TCP congestion window size is adjusted. A programmable congestion window increment value is provided. The window size is set to an initial value at the beginning of a TCP data transmission. The window size is increased by the increment value when an acknowledgement is received.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring of received information in a communication device comprises a first buffer having a plurality of storage elements adapted to store respective portions of the received information, a second buffer coupled to the first buffer and having a plurality of storage elements corresponding to respective ones of the storage elements of the first buffer, and controller circuitry coupled to the buffers and operative to detect a message sequence comprising a plurality of the portions of the received information. The second buffer stores a previously-detected message sequence loaded from the first buffer into the second buffer under control of the controller circuitry. The controller circuitry in detecting a current message sequence is configurable in at least first and second different monitoring modes each associated with a different message format. The monitoring mode of the controller circuitry may be adaptively configured based at least in part on a detected message sequence.

Abstract: A communication device comprises a signal combiner, first storage elements, second storage elements and a controller. The signal combiner is configured to combine overhead information with additional information in forming a frame of a signal. The first storage elements are adapted to receive respective portions of a given block of the overhead information to be applied to the signal combiner, and the second storage elements are coupled between respective ones of the first storage elements and respective inputs of the signal combiner. The controller is operative to monitor a count of portions of the frame as the frame is formed by the signal combiner and to control loading of the portions of the given block of the overhead information into the second storage elements from the first storage elements responsive to the monitored count.

Abstract: A buffer circuit for use in a node in a network-based data transport system is configurable for providing channel status information of all channels associated with a given signal in the network-based data transport system. The buffer circuit includes a memory and a controller coupled to the memory. The controller is operative: (i) to receive channel status information from a plurality of different channel status sources; (ii) to select one of the channel status sources for supplying the channel status information at a given point in time; and (iii) to store the channel status information corresponding to the selected channel status source in the memory.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for framing synchronization control for a framer/mapper/multiplexor (FMM) device with 1+1 and equipment protection. FMM device are disclosed that synchronize one or more internal signals by changing a phase of the one or more internal signals without changing a frequency of the one or more internal signals based on a desired phase at a destination of each of the one or more internal signals. A programmable synchronization signal may optionally be employed for the synchronization.

Abstract: In a communication system comprising a mapper or other type of physical layer device coupled to a link layer device, the physical layer device comprises payload extraction circuitry and payload insertion circuitry. The payload extraction circuitry is configured to extract a payload from an ingress synchronous transport signal received over an ingress link, and the payload insertion circuitry is configured to insert a payload received from the link layer device into an egress synchronous transport signal for transmission over an egress link. The payload extracted from the ingress synchronous transport signal is transmitted by the physical layer device to the link layer device over an output serial data line of a serial interface, and the payload inserted into the egress synchronous transport signal is received by the physical layer device from the link layer device over an input serial data line of the serial interface.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for extracting connection information from a traffic header in a communications network. The apparatus includes a first storage element containing a first look-up table for determining a first data packet header offset and data size for extracting a communications protocol type from the header and a second storage element containing a second look-up table for determining from the communications protocol type a second data packet header offset and second data size for extracting a connection address from the header. The storage elements may be in the form of content-addressable memories. Exception handling and hardware initialization can be controlled by a system processor.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for in-band communication of alarm status information or other information between physical layer devices comprising a working device and a protection device in a network-based communication system. In one aspect, a protection receive signal is monitored in the protection device for the presence of alarm status information. The protection device encodes alarm status information extracted from the protection receive signal, and inserts the encoded alarm status information into one or more designated portions of a protection loop-back signal supplied from the protection device to the working device. The protection loop-back signal is monitored in the working device and the encoded alarm status information therein is decoded and utilized by the working device to initiate a protection switching operation.

Abstract: In a communication system comprising a mapper or other type of physical layer device coupled to a link layer device, the physical layer device comprises payload extraction circuitry and payload insertion circuitry. The payload extraction circuitry is configured to extract a payload from an ingress synchronous transport signal received over an ingress link, and the payload insertion circuitry is configured to insert a payload received from the link layer device into an egress synchronous transport signal for transmission over an egress link. The payload extracted from the ingress synchronous transport signal is transmitted by the physical layer device to the link layer device over an output serial data line of a serial interface, and the payload inserted into the egress synchronous transport signal is received by the physical layer device from the link layer device over an input serial data line of the serial interface.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for receiving data packets from a plurality of physical networks are disclosed. For example, in given embodiment, an example apparatus can include a plurality of data pipelines each adapted to receive data packets from a respective physical network and a single analysis device adapted to receive packet header data and characteristic information from each of the plurality of data pipelines to perform packet identification for each received data packet.