Abstract: An enhanced media gateway allows the signaling and media paths of a multimedia call to be merged so that signaling of a session and establishment of the media path may be coordinated. The enhanced media gateway may include a session border controller, gateway, router, and digital signal processors that operate in a coordinated fashion, so that information about the media path may be included in the signaling of the session, so that the media path may be directly established in connection with the session signaling, and so that bandwidth may be reserved in the router when the media path is established. This allows routing to be set up using media path signaling to obviate the use of a reservation protocol.

Abstract: A method for routing input/output (IO) data in a telecommunication system including a network node having a plurality of first integrated circuit (IC) cards, a plurality of second IC cards and a switching fabric, each second IC card connected to a corresponding first IC card in a respective slot of the network node is described. The method involves receiving the IO data at an external port of any of the plurality of first or second IC cards. When packets of the IO data are received at an external port of a given second IC card, the given second IC card performs a packet classification of the packets to at least in part determine a destination for the packets. A further step of the method includes delivering the packets to a first or second IC card destination according to the packet classification performed by the given second IC card via a logical network layer existing on the first and second IC cards and the switching fabric.

Abstract: A method for routing input/output (10) data in a telecommunication system including a network node having a plurality of first integrated circuit (IC) cards, a plurality of second IC cards and a switching fabric, each second IC card connected to a corresponding first IC card in a respective slot of the network node xs described. The method involves receiving the IO data at an external port of any of the plurality of first or second IC cards. When packets of the IO data are received at an external port of a given second IC card, the given second IC card performs a packet classification of the packets to at least in part determine a destination for the packets. A further step of the method includes delivering the packets to a first or second IC card destination according to the packet classification performed by the given second IC card via a logical network layer existing on the first and second IC cards and the switching fabric.

Abstract: A method for routing input/output (10) data in a telecommunication system including a network node having a plurality of first integrated circuit (IC) cards, a plurality of second 1C cards and a switching fabric, each second IC card connected to a corresponding first IC card in a respective slot of the network node xs described. The method involves receiving the IO data at an external port of any of the plurality of first or second 1C cards. When packets of the IO data are received at an external port of a given second IC card, the given second IC card performs a packet classification of the packets to at least in part determine a destination for the packets. A further step of the method includes delivering the packets to a first or second IC card destination according to the packet classification performed by the given second IC card via a logical network layer existing on the first and second IC cards and the switching fabric.

Abstract: A sparing system and method of accommodating failure of equipment in critical systems comprises, in one embodiment, 1:n sparing where an equipment spare is provided for every n pieces of equipment in the system. The spare equipment includes journal memory wherein an image of the operating system, applications and state of each piece of equipment being spared for can be maintained. The image information is updated at appropriate intervals when the equipment is operating without a failure and, in the event of a piece of equipment failing, the spare equipment loads the state of failed equipment from the corresponding image and commences executing the software in the corresponding image, thus resuming performance of the activities of the failed equipment. In a second embodiment, m:n sparing is provided wherein m pieces of spare equipment are provided for n pieces of equipment to accommodate m failures of the equipment.