Abstract: A system and method for providing embedded UPSR protection for SONET networks is described. The STS channels for working and protection rings of a SONET network are input to a SONET overhead processor. The overhead processor comprises a monitor circuit for each standby and working ring. The monitor circuits monitor their respective input STS channels and detect any defined error conditions and/or defined operator commands or anomaly conditions. An unused overhead portion of the input STS channel is dedicated for encoding a binary value representing an error or command condition. In the event of an error or command condition, the highest value is encoded in the dedicated portion of the STS channel. The output from each monitor circuit is input into a comparator circuit of a cross-connect circuit coupled to the overhead processor. The comparator circuit selects the STS channel with the lowest encoded defect or command condition value and outputs this STS channel as data traffic to downstream network devices.

Abstract: A frame relay (FR) protection method generates an OAM frame to other nodes upon detecting a defect on a SONET ring. The protection frame comprises a type of failure and a location of failure. A node that detected the defect transmits the protection frame to other nodes about the location of the failure and the type failure. Protection tables are provided for switching a working fiber link to a protection fiber link. A protection switching provides a method re-establish FR traffic in spite of a detected failure on a SONET ring.

Abstract: A system and method automatically maps network addresses of a first protocol for a plurality of network elements in a first network to network addresses of a second protocol. A table is defined and maintained in each network element of the plurality of network elements. An identifier within the first protocol for each network element of the plurality of network elements and an address corresponding to the second protocol-for each network element of the plurality of network elements is assigned and stored in the table. The first protocol identifier is associated with the address corresponding to the second protocol within the table for each network element of the plurality of network elements.

Abstract: A system for partitioning SONET frames into logical channels in a SONET ring is described. A SONET frame comprising a number of STS frames is subdivided into a plurality of logical channels. Each logical channel includes one or more STS frames. A protection layer is assigned to each logical channel. The protection layer may correspond to protection provided by the SONET ring or protection provided by network elements and specific to the type of data traffic transmitted within each channel. If SONET level protection for a particular logical channel is disabled, the bandwidth for the STS frames comprising that channel may be allocated among two or more nodes in the SONET ring.

Abstract: A system for defining configuration profiles for logical entities representing features of elements in a communications network is described. Network elements or features of network elements in a communications system are represented as logical entities. Characteristics associated with the logical entities are defined. Each characteristic may have several possible values. One or more profiles are defined for each logical entity. Each profile specifies a particular value for each characteristic of the logical entity. All of the network elements can be assigned the same profile or different profiles. Two different instances of the same entity can be provisioned with two different profiles. In one embodiment, profiles are defined for failure conditions that can cause the generation of alarm signals. A set of generic profiles that defines the manner in which failures are to be reported is assigned to each specified type of failure.

Abstract: A frame relay (FR) protection method generates an OAM frame to other nodes upon detecting a defect on a SONET ring. The protection frame comprises a type of failure and a location of failure. A node that detected the defect transmits the protection frame to other nodes about the location of the failure and the type failure. Protection tables are provided for switching a working fiber link to a protection fiber link. A protection switching provides a method re-establish FR traffic in spite of a detected failure on a SONET ring.

Abstract: A frame relay (FR) protection method generates an OAM frame to other nodes upon detecting a defect on a SONET ring. The protection frame comprises a type of failure and a location of failure. A node that detected the defect transmits the protection frame to other nodes about the location of the failure and the type failure. Protection tables are provided for switching a working fiber link to a protection fiber link. A protection switching provides a method re-establish FR traffic in spite of a detected failure on a SONET ring.

Abstract: A system and method for providing embedded UPSR protection for SONET networks is described. The STS channels for working and protection rings of a SONET network are input to a SONET overhead processor. The overhead processor comprises a monitor circuit for each standby and working ring. The monitor circuits monitor their respective input STS channels and detect any defined error conditions and/or defined operator commands or anomaly conditions. An unused overhead portion of the input STS channel is dedicated for encoding a binary value representing an error or command condition. In the event of an error or command condition, the highest value is encoded in the dedicated portion of the STS channel. The output from each monitor circuit is input into a comparator circuit of a cross-connect circuit coupled to the overhead processor. The comparator circuit selects the STS channel with the lowest encoded defect or command condition value and outputs this STS channel as data traffic to downstream network devices.

Abstract: A system and method of automatically mapping network addresses of a first protocol for a plurality of network elements in a first network to network addresses of a second protocol is described. According to embodiments of the present invention a table is defined and maintained in each network element of the plurality of network elements. An identifier within the first protocol for each network element of the plurality of network elements is assigned and stored in the table. An address corresponding to the second protocol for each network element of the plurality of network elements is also assigned and stored in the table. The first protocol identifier is associated with the address corresponding to the second protocol within the table for each network element of the plurality of network elements. An update timer is further associated with each protocol identifier for each network element in the first network. The first network protocol identifier is propagated from each network element at periodic intervals.

Abstract: Reservation controllers and reservation systems for reservation of access to multimedia multipoint telecommunications servers (MCUs) are provided. The reservation controller establishes a reservation domain having a reservation request channel on which reservation applications may be taken. An ongoing reservation conference is associated with the reservation domain. The reservation domain is preferably established within the ITU-T T.120 standard series requirements, with multipoint connection under T.122/T.125, and interface to profiles such as ISDN, TCP/IP, X.25, ATM, Ethernet, etc., under T.123. A user makes reservations for MCU resources by knowing the address of the reservation domain, attaching himself to the reservation domain, joining the reservation conference via establishing one or more transport connections, and sending the reservation request onto the reservation request channel.