Abstract: Unlike the conventional art which polices data at the entry points of a network, a transceiver node can police or monitor downstream bandwidths for quality of service at exit portions of an optical network. That is, the transceiver node can police downstream communication traffic near the outer edges of an optical network that are physically close to the subscribers of the optical network. In this way, a network provider can control the volume or content (or both) of downstream communications that are received by subscribers of the optical network. In addition to controlling the volume of communications that can be received by a subscriber, the transceiver node employs a plurality of priority assignment values for communication traffic. Some priority assignment values are part of a weighted random early discard algorithm that enables an output buffer to determine whether to drop data packets that are destined for a particular subscriber.

Abstract: A backwards compatible method and system for receiving upstream frames and reflecting the frames downstream to support communications between subscriber optical interfaces (SOIs) coupled to a same laser transceiver node (LTN) are explained. Backwards compatible means that the method or system is compatible with legacy subscriber optical interfaces that do not need any new or modified hardware. The backwards compatible method assigns each legacy SOI a set of Port-IDs to support communications with SOIs on the same optical network. In addition to a backwards compatible method and system, a non-backwards compatible system or method that are not compatible with legacy subscriber optical interfaces 140 is described. According to this method and system, each LTN and SOI would need additional new hardware or software (or both) to support new fields of an optical network protocol that indicate multicast downstream frames originating from another SOI.

Abstract: A protocol for an optical network can control the time at which subscriber optical interfaces of an optical network are permitted to transmit data to a transceiver node. The protocol can prevent collisions of upstream transmissions between the subscriber optical interfaces of a particular subscriber group. With the protocol, a transceiver node close to the subscriber can allocate additional or reduced upstream bandwidth based upon the demand of one or more subscribers. That is, a transceiver node close to a subscriber can monitor (or police) and adjust a subscriber's upstream bandwidth on a subscription basis or on an as-needed basis. The protocol can account for aggregates of packets rather than individual packets. By performing calculation on aggregates of packets, the algorithm can execute less frequently which, in turn, permits its implementation in lower performance and lower cost devices, such as software executing in a general purpose microprocessor.

Abstract: Unlike the conventional art which polices data at the entry points of a network, a transceiver node can police or monitor downstream bandwidths for quality of service at exit portions of an optical network. That is, the transceiver node can police downstream communication traffic near the outer edges of an optical network that are physically close to the subscribers of the optical network. In this way, a network provider can control the volume or content (or both) of downstream communications that are received by subscribers of the optical network. In addition to controlling the volume of communications that can be received by a subscriber, the transceiver node employs a plurality of priority assignment values for communication traffic. Some priority assignment values are part of a weighted random early discard algorithm that enables an output buffer to determine whether to drop data packets that are destined for a particular subscriber.

Abstract: A protocol for an optical network can control the time at which subscriber optical interfaces of an optical network are permitted to transmit data to a transceiver node. The protocol can prevent collisions of upstream transmissions between the subscriber optical interfaces of a particular subscriber group. With the protocol, a transceiver node close to the subscriber can allocate additional or reduced upstream bandwidth based upon the demand of one or more subscribers. That is, a transceiver node close to a subscriber can monitor (or police) and adjust a subscriber's upstream bandwidth on a subscription basis or on an as-needed basis. The protocol can account for aggregates of packets rather than individual packets. By performing calculation on aggregates of packets, the algorithm can execute less frequently which, in turn, permits its implementation in lower performance and lower cost devices, such as software executing in a general purpose microprocessor.