Abstract: An apparatus is provided comprising a buffer in direct memory access communication with a network interface to receive data packets comprising data payload portions containing data in a stream of time-synchronous media, a buffer to temporarily store a plurality of time-synchronous media records extracted from the data payload portions, wherein respective ones of the plurality of time-synchronous media records is associated with a respective media channel, a data router circuit to read one of the plurality of time-synchronous media records from the buffer route that time-synchronous media record to a media interface, and a buffer monitor circuit to monitor a ratio of stored records and read records and to trigger a processor interrupt in the event of a buffer underflow or buffer overflow.

Abstract: A communication system, network, interface, and port architecture are provided for transporting data across a ring network. A network node operating as a first timing master generates a set of frames, each frame having a preamble, a data field and a time count field, which represents a portion of the time information associated with the set of frames. This time information may include counted time units, like seconds, or a number of generated and transmitted over the network. As the individual frames of a set of frames are generated and sent on the network, they pass other network nodes and are forwarded through the ring bus to the first timing master which receives at least a portion of the set it is still generating. This enables a received time count field to be compared with a transmitted time count field of the same set. If the fields are identical, there is no other timing master on the bus.

Abstract: A communication system, network, interface, and port architecture are provided for transporting data across a ring network. A network node operating as a first timing master generates a set of frames, each frame having a preamble, a data field and a time count field, which represents a portion of the time information associated with the set of frames. This time information may include counted time units, like seconds, or a number of generated and transmitted over the network. As the individual frames of a set of frames are generated and sent on the network, they pass other network nodes and are forwarded through the ring bus to the first timing master which receives at least a portion of the set it is still generating. This enables a received time count field to be compared with a transmitted time count field of the same set. If the fields are identical, there is no other timing master on the bus.