Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for multicasting data includes receiving, at a line card multicast data and an indication of a plurality of destinations for the multicast data. The method also includes transferring the multicast data over a common bus to a plurality of digital subscriber line chipsets associated with the plurality of destinations. Such transfer occurs by selecting two or more of the plurality of digital subscriber line chipsets to receive multicast data, enabling the two or more selected digital subscriber line chipsets to receive the multicast data, and transferring the multicast data over the common bus to the selected digital subscriber line chipsets after selection and enabling of the two or more of the plurality of digital subscriber line chipsets.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for managing communication in a network line card is provided. The system includes at least two UTOPIA bus controllers. Each UTOPIA bus controller is operable to control a particular one of a plurality of UTOPIA buses. The system also includes at least two sets of UTOPIA physical devices associated with respective ones of the UTOPIA bus controllers. Each set of UTOPIA physical devices is coupled to a respective one of the UTOPIA buses. The system also includes a multiplexer coupled to the UTOPIA bus controllers. The system also includes a same pin coupling each of the UTOPIA buses to the respective UTOPIA bus controllers through the multiplexer.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling flow of data cells within a digital subscriber line access multiplexer is provided. The method includes providing a flow control package for a cell delineation module of the digital subscriber line access multiplexer. The method also includes receiving, at the flow control package, at least one signal indicating that one or more buffers within the digital subscriber line access multiplexer have reached a predetermined data storage capacity. The method also includes directing, from the flow control package, at least one device that is operable to transmit the data to the one or more buffers to halt transmission of the data to the one or more buffers in response to receiving the signal.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for managing cells in a digital subscriber line access multiplexer is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of buffers, where each one of the plurality of buffers is operable to communicate with a particular one of line cards. The method also includes providing a timing signal controller. The timing signal controller is operable to transmit one or more signals to each one of the line cards. Each signals is a command to send a data cell. The method also includes transmitting a set of the signals to the line cards. Each signal of the set is directed to a unique one of the line cards. The signals in the set are staggered from each other by a respective time interval. The method also includes receiving, at each buffer, the data cell from the respective line card that is associated with the buffer, in response to transmitting the set of signals.

Abstract: A method for communicating data is provided that includes communicating a first set of data from a first channel to a first serial-to-parallel converter and communicating a second set of data from a second channel to a second serial-to-parallel converter, the data sets are then converted to a parallel format. The converters are monitored to determine when one or more words of the respective data sets have accumulated in each of the converters. One or more of the words that have accumulated in each of the converters are then written to a selected one of first and second memory banks. A single scheduler monitors the memory banks to determine when the words that were written to each of the memory banks have formed one or more cells such that they may be read out of a selected one of the memory banks to be communicated to an output communications link.

Abstract: A system for communicating information includes a master UTOPIA device having a receive transfer controller operable to control reception of data by the master UTOPIA device and a transmit transfer controller operable to control transmission of data from the ATM switch. The system also includes a slave UTOPIA device having at least one memory area. The slave UTOPIA device includes a receive poll controller operable to determine whether the memory area is available to transmit data for receipt by the master UTOPIA device and further operable to communicate the result of the determination to the receive transfer controller. The slave UTOPIA device also includes a transmit poll controller operable to determine whether the memory area is available for receiving data to be transmitted by the master UTOPIA device and further operable to communicate the result of the determination to the transmit transfer controller.

Abstract: An interleaved read/write operation in a data switch determines a read memory of at least two memories that has been accessed during a most recent read operation. A memory controller determines a write memory different from the read memory and accesses a cell buffer list associated with the write memory to determine a buffer to store the cell. The switch writes the cell to the buffer to interleave read/write operations between the read memory and the write memory.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for testing linked list integrity. The method includes storing a plurality of link pointers in memory in association with respective integrity parameters. The link pointers point to a next location in the memory storing a subsequent link pointer in the linked list. The method also includes reading the stored integrity parameter for at least one of the link pointers. The method also includes determining whether the value of the read integrity parameter matches the value of the stored integrity parameter.

Abstract: A system for an interface between a physical layer and a communication network. The system comprises a UTOPIA 3 physical layer receiver (23) operable to receive information from a physical layer device (10), a UTOPIA 2 to UTOPIA 3 controller (24) operable to receive data from UTOPIA 3 physical layer receiver (23) and convert it to a UTOPIA 2 format; and a UTOPIA 2 master receiver(25) coupled to UTOPIA 2 to UTOPIA 3 controller (24) and operable to receive information from the UTOPIA 2 to UTOPIA 3 controller (24) and send it to the higher communication network.

Abstract: A method for testing a network element includes receiving from a network element into a buffer (40) a first clock signal (25) of the network element. The method includes receiving into the buffer (40) from a first port (31) of the network element a first plurality of data values to be verified in response to the first clock signal (25). The method also includes transferring a second plurality of data values to be verified to a second port (32) of the network element in response to a second clock signal (29), and comparing the second plurality of data values with the first plurality of data values. A system for testing a network element includes a testing element operable to couple a first port (31) to a second port (32) of a network element. The testing element is operable to receive a first plurality of data values from the first port of the network element and to transfer a second plurality of data values to the second port of the network element.

Abstract: A method for communicating information in a communication network having a first high speed device, a second high speed device, and a low speed device includes transferring data between the first high speed device and the second high speed device at a first rate and transferring data between the first high speed device and the low speed device at a second rate different from the first rate. Transferring data between the first high speed device and the low speed device at a second rate different from the first rate includes receiving at the first rate, at a buffer system, data from the first high speed device and transmitting at the second rate, to the low speed device, data from the buffer system. Transferring data between the first high speed device and the low speed device at a second rate different from the first rate also includes receiving at the second rate, at the buffer system, data from the low speed device and transmitting at the first rate, to the high speed device, data from the buffer system.