Abstract: A method of merging a list of newly found network elements and a list of previously known network elements includes arranging the newly found network elements in a hierarchical structure, and determining one or more device matches between each network device in the list of newly found network elements and one or more network devices in the list of previously known network elements. The method further includes, for each of the one or more device matches, determining one or more network element matches between the newly found network element and the corresponding previously stored network device. The method also includes updating the previously found network device corresponding to each of the one or more device matches with the corresponding newly found network device.

Abstract: A capacity aware system that facilitates activation of a new service in a dynamic network is provided. The system calculates the available capacity of the network, at a given time, and determines if sufficient capacity is available for new service activation as per the SLA (Service Level Agreement) requirements. If SLA conditions are satisfied, the system can active a new service and update the network capacity, else, if the conditions are not satisfied the system can provide means to extend network capacity or reject the service. Thus, the system activates a new service only if the specified bandwidth is available and ensures that the SLA being promised to a customer is met.

Abstract: A method for updating a filtering database in a multi-ring network, includes: when the topology of a lower ring in a multi-ring network, in which a plurality of ring networks are connected by two ring connection nodes, is altered and the ring connection node detects the alteration in the topology of the lower ring, erasing, by the ring connection node, its filtering database; generating, by the ring connection node, a control message including a ring ID, a blockage flag, and an erasure flag; transmitting the control message in both directions of the ring; and determining, by a node which receives the control message, to erase a filtering database by referring to and correcting the blockage and erasure flag information included in the control message.

Abstract: Each span of a communication network, such as a BLSR ring, is assigned a unique span ID. When a node of the network detects a failure in a network span, the node exchanges commands, according to an automatic protection switching (APS) protocol, that request other nodes of the network to switch network traffic from a working span to a protect span. The commands specify the working span by its span ID, without necessarily specifying a source node ID or a destination node ID for the commands. The span ID occupies fewer bits in the commands than bits representing a combination of the source node ID and the destination node ID. Alternatively, the commands specify a destination node ID without a span ID or a source node ID, or the commands specify a source node ID without a span ID or a destination node ID.

Abstract: A design structure is provided for a slotted ring network, in which a node may transmit a non-renewable slot reservation with any unreserved slot. The reservation restricts other nodes from transmitting a new packet in the slot. When the slot returns around the ring to the reserving node, the slot will be available. Preferably, reservation is made responsive to a starvation condition in the reserving node, which may be detected in any of various ways. In an optional enhancement, a reservation identifies the reserving node, and another node on the ring is free to transmit a new packet in the reserved slot if the new packet will reach its destination at or before the reserving node, and thus will not interfere with the reservation.

Abstract: A packet ring network system including a plurality of packet ring networks to which nodes are brought into ring form connection so that a packet inside a ring obtained by encapsulating a client packet, which a terminal outside the packet ring network transmits, is transmitted and received in a packet ring network. A plurality of subpacket ring networks are connected to the first packet ring network through an interlink used for client packet transport therebetween. The interlink is provided to each of the subpacket ring networks connected to the first packet ring network. The first packet ring network and each of the subpacket ring networks include an interlink node connected to an interlink.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining the integrity of a domain defined in a network. The method includes processes and systems to facilitate the discovery a conceptual ring topology of the domain in the network, and the determination of the integrity of the domain based on the conceptual ring topology that was discovered.

Abstract: A method for communication includes configuring a plurality of ring nodes to communicate over a communication network that includes two or more overlapping communication rings, each ring including two unidirectional ringlets in mutually-opposite directions. A data packet including one or more header fields is accepted at an ingress ring node. An egress ring node to which the data packet is to be forwarded by the ingress ring node is determined. A subset of the rings including one or more common rings that are connected to both the ingress and egress ring nodes is identified. A ringlet of a ring among the one or more common rings is selected responsively to a respective value of at least one of the header fields of the packet. The data packet is forwarded from the ingress ring node to the egress ring node over the selected ringlet.

Abstract: A novel and useful mechanism for detecting the nodes connected to a network device and for creating a ring network from the nodes detected thereby. The invention simplifies insertion, removal and modification of nodes in the ring by detecting and reconfiguring the S ring without requiring intervention by a user. Identification information messages generated by network devices and sent out on all links and received over a plurality of ports are used in identifying and determining the connectivity and topology of the network devices. The resulting topology information is stored in a node database. The contents of the node database are then used to generate one or more ring networks, wherein each ring generated corresponds to a unique line speed. The connectivity of the one or more rings generated is stored in a ring database and the rings configured therefrom.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first link state initiation (HELLO) message from a first neighboring router. The HELLO message requests that a recipient node send a unique identifier for itself in a link state routing protocol. In response to receiving the first HELLO message, a first response message is sent that includes a first identifier from an identifier pool. The identifier pool contains for a local node a plurality of network identifiers that are unique among all nodes in the network that uses the link state routing protocol. A second HELLO message is received from a different second neighboring router. In response to receiving the second HELLO message, a second response message is sent that includes a different second identifier from the identifier pool.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method for reserving spare bandwidth for a link in a communication network including a plurality of links. The method provides for monitoring the volume of traffic routed through each link of the communication network. A single link failure for each link is then simulated and the volume of traffic which would be rerouted through each link for maintaining communication and the volume of traffic removed from each link are determined for each simulated single link failure. The difference between the volume of traffic which would need to be rerouted through each link and the corresponding volume of traffic removed from each link is then computed, and a maximum difference value is determined for each link for all simulated single link failures. An amount of spare bandwidth equivalent to the determined maximum difference is then reserved for each link.

Abstract: An asynchronous metropolitan packet transport ring having per-flow QoS. Asynchronous packetized data flow in one direction through a fiber optic loop. A number of Metropolitan Packet Switches (MPS) are coupled to the fiber optic loop. An MPS allows packetized data from an upstream MPS to flow to a downstream MPS over a segment of the fiber optic loop. The MPS also puts packetized data onto and pulls packetized data off of the fiber optic loop. Thereby, flows can access the fiber optic loop via the MPS's. The MPS's also regulate the data rates on a per-flow basis according to setup information supplied by a Ring Management System (RMS). If one segment of the fiber loop becomes overly congested, the MPS guarantees quality of service for those flows by deallocating available bandwidth from flows upstream to the point of congestion. Utilization of packet transport ring capacity is optimized by allocating any bandwidth that becomes available to active flows according to a pre-specified weighting scheme.

Abstract: In a data communication system for communicating data between a plurality of data communicating entities, data is transmitted simultaneously from at least a first data communicating entity and a second data communicating entity onto a serial data ring. A first portion of the serial data ring is cross coupled to a second portion of the serial data ring so that data from the first data communicating entity avoids conflict with data from the second data communicating entity, thereby emulating a forward and reverse transmission on a single unidirectional serial ring.

Abstract: A communication node includes a token-start-right acquisition processor that issues a token-start-right acquisition frame containing specific information, determines a priority based on predetermined reference using specific information for other communication node and the specific information for the own communication node upon reception of a token-start-right acquisition frame from the other communication node, issues the token-start-right acquisition frame at a predetermined time interval when the own communication node has a higher priority than the other communication node, and stops issuing the token-start-right acquisition frame when the own communication node has a lower priority than the other communication node, to forward the token-start-right acquisition frame of the other communication node, and also includes a token start processor that passes the token frame to the ring upon reception of the token-start-right acquisition frame which is issued by the token-start-right acquisition processor and c

Abstract: A control message having stored therein a link identifier for identifying a link such as a fiber or cable and a ring identifier for identifying a ring (or a control message having stored therein a ring identifier) is transmitted to a neighbor node. A ring identifier preliminarily assigned to a link identified by the link identifier received from the neighbor node (or a ring identifier preliminarily assigned to a link having received the control message) is compared with a ring identifier received from the neighbor node to select either one of the ring identifiers according to specified selection criteria. The ring identifier selected is assigned to the link identified.

Abstract: A method for checking a ring network redundancy includes a first exchanger and a second exchanger. When the first exchanger is set as a master, the plurality of second exchangers serve as the ring members; the first exchanger has a connection port, which is set as blocking, and the rest of connection ports are set as forwarding. The plurality of second exchangers regularly detects the plurality of connection ports for any outstanding status occurred in the connection status. When an outstanding status occurred, the CF5 is transmitted to the first exchanger and the first exchanger converts the connection port into the forwarding status, and the CF4 is transmitted to the plurality of second exchangers in order to renew the Mac address table. The method of sending out CF through a plurality of ring members can reduce the risk of losing the CF due to overloading network or having too much single network equipments, and thereby increase the reliability of the ring network during the redundancy checking.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems to generate node-disjoint routing paths from a root node to each node in a network node set, identify potential intermediate office node (IO) candidate pairs from the generated node-disjoint routing paths, generate a per central office node (CO) serving cost estimate for each IO candidate pair, and identify a low cost IO candidate pair having at least two node-disjoint paths to the root node without traversing nodes along a diverse path between the low cost IO candidate pair and subtending CO nodes.

Abstract: Methods, systems and data structure for facilitating identification of nodes in a ring network are provided. According to one embodiment, a data structure is stored on a computer-readable storage media of a node (e.g., a blade) participating in a ring network, within a multi-blade system, for example. The data structure includes a packet-ring master field, a control-node master field, a node characteristics field, a connection state field, a node identification field and a marker field. The packet-ring master field indicates whether the node is a current packet-ring master. The control-node master field indicates whether the node is a control-node master. The node characteristics field specifies per-node characteristics. The connection state field indicates a current connection state of the node. The node identification field specifies the node. The marker field indicates whether the data structure is a node discovery marker.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for dynamically and losslessly adjusting bandwidth of an embedded Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) ring network, in which dynamic and lossless bandwidth adjustment for an RPR ring network embedded in a Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)/Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) can be realized through adding a Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (LCAS) system in the SDH/SONET processing layer. When it is required to increase ring network bandwidth, the bandwidth of the link section between sites on the SDH/SONET processing layer is first increased. Then the LCAS system in the SDH/SONET processing layer is started, and the actual bandwidth of the link on the SDH/SONET processing layer is increased losslessly with the LCAS system. Finally the bandwidth of the ring network on the RPR processing layer is increased. When it is required to decrease ring network bandwidth, the bandwidth of the ring network on the RPR processing layer is first decreased.

Abstract: In a slotted ring network, a node may transmit a non-renewable slot reservation with any unreserved slot. The reservation restricts other nodes from transmitting a new packet in the slot. When the slot returns around the ring to the reserving node, the slot will be available. Preferably, reservation is made responsive to a starvation condition in the reserving node, which may be detected in any of various ways. In an optional enhancement, a reservation identifies the reserving node, and another node on the ring is free to transmit a new packet in the reserved slot if the new packet will reach its destination at or before the reserving node, and thus will not interfere with the reservation.

Abstract: An appropriate ring topology is selected by searching network topology information on the basis of given information about client signal paths on a predetermined condition, and a wavelength ring accommodating the client signal paths and having an optimal transmission characteristic is designed on the basis of the selected ring topology. Accordingly, accommodation of client signal paths in an optical network is efficiently designed.

Abstract: A gateway (GW) and a plurality of foreign agents (FA) are connected in a ring-like manner, and the procedures of (1) the GW receiving an IP packet, addressed from a corresponding node CN to a mobile node MNa; (2) the GW transferring the packet to a link L1 in one direction; (3) an FA1 transferring the received packet to a link L2 in the same direction; (4) FA1 furthermore transferring the received packet to a link L4, connected to MNa, if the destination address of the received packet is already registered in the visitor list; (5) an FA2 transferring the received packet to a link L3 in the same direction; (6) FA2 furthermore ending the process as it is if the destination address of the received packet is not registered; and (7) the GW discarding the received packet.

Abstract: A reply communication apparatus conforms to a protocol to return a reply electronic document in reply to a request electronic document sent from a communication apparatus. The apparatus has a hardware to perform a reply process in the protocol, and is operable to rewrite contents of the request electronic document to replace the request electronic document into a reply electronic document and to output the reply electronic document.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes storing, in a data store, a physical network model of a network environment, the network environment comprising one or more central controllers and one or more access points each operative to associate with a central controller, the physical network model comprising one or more region objects, each region object corresponding to a physical region of the network environment, each region object further including one or more radio frequency (RF) coverage maps, each RF coverage map defining a location of one or more access points and RF properties of a physical space; receiving a first mapping definition between a location server and a one or more region objects of the physical network model; receiving a second mapping definition between the location server and one or more central controllers; transmitting the one or more region objects in the first mapping definition to the location server; and configuring the location server and the one or more central controllers in the sec

Abstract: A node within a network comprising a transport layer protocol for multicasting datagrams on a virtual ring. Each node on the virtual ring is logically connected to two neighbour nodes through virtual connections. A virtual ring datagram is sent to a downstream neighbour node on the virtual ring and a token is received. The virtual ring is identified and the token is forwarded to the downstream neighbour node. If the received datagram is a virtual ring datagram, the virtual ring is identified and the node originator of the received virtual ring datagram is checked. If the received virtual ring datagram has not been locally originated, data in the virtual ring datagram is processed and the virtual ring datagram is forwarded to the downstream neighbour node on the virtual ring. If the received virtual ring datagram has been locally originated, the virtual ring datagram is removed from the virtual ring.

Abstract: A method for bridging traffic over a network includes receiving, at stations that are coupled to the network, forwarding information for remote devices that are coupled to the network via the stations. The forwarding information associates a remote address of each remote device with an address of one of the stations. Each station that receives the forwarding information stores the forwarding information in a forwarding database. The method also includes receiving traffic at a first station from a first remote device that is coupled to the first station. The traffic includes a destination address that is a remote address of a second remote device that is coupled to a second station of the network. Furthermore, the method includes identifying an address of the second station that is associated with the remote address of the second remote device in the forwarding database. The method also includes communicating the traffic directly to the second station using the identified address.

Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for broadcasting communication within a rendezvous federation. Embodiments of the invention include inter-ring and intra-ring communication. Inter-ring communication includes sending a message to destination rings included in a node's Collateral Ring Set entry table. When a node identifies a destination ring that has not yet received a message, the node can send a ring notification message. The ring notification message propagates towards a publishing node until a responsible node in the message path to the publishing node is identified. The responsible node updates its entry table to include the ring and forwards the message to the destination ring. Intra-ring communication can include recursively partitioning ranges of nodes within a ring and forwarding the message to nodes included the partitioned ranges.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a node comprises an interface to communicatively couple the node to a channel. The channel communicatively couples the node to a first neighbor node in a first direction and to a second neighbor node in a second direction. When the first neighbor node is scheduled to transmit and the node receives data from the first neighbor node via the channel, the node determines if the transmission of the data complies with a policy. When the transmission of the data does not comply with the policy, the node does at least one of: blocks the data from being relayed along the channel and relays the data along the channel with information indicating that the transmission of the data does not comply with the policy.

Abstract: To provide a transmission apparatus capable of setting the same control data to the entire child transmission apparatuses instantaneously at a time, thereby leading to improved maintenance operation and bringing about efficient maintenance and system stability. The transmission apparatus receives from a maintenance operator a designation of a parent apparatus having the control data set in advance. That control data is to be inherited to a child apparatus. The transmission apparatus determines whether any transmission apparatus has already been registered as parent apparatus in the child apparatus, and also determines whether the designated parent apparatus has already been registered as a child apparatus in the child apparatus. The transmission apparatus then requests the designated parent apparatus to transfer the control data in the designated parent apparatus to the child apparatus, when the designated parent apparatus is not registered in the child apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus including a ring network, a plurality of nodes on the ring network to act as senders, a node on the ring network to act as a receiver, the receiver having receiver logic to place a token on the ring, the token further having an indication of an activation status, and network logic to pass the token along the ring network from each node to the next after the token is placed on the ring network and to activate the token by setting the indication of the activation status to a value indicating that the token is active at a location on the ring determined so that over a defined period of time, the token is activated in proximity to each sender at approximately the same frequency.

Abstract: A technique for automated discovery of relationships between components providing a service and discovery of the relationship of shared components to other services. A discovery engine determines a management address for a component experiencing a problem and retrieves a TCP connection table for the component. It then identifies TCP connections that are either active or that were recently active. For each, the destination address is added to a global connection table. After the TCP connection table has been processed in this manner, the global connection table is traversed and TCP connection tables for each listed destination address are examined recursively. At the conclusion of this recursive process, the management table contains a list of management agents in the distributed system to which the original component had a TCP connection, either directly or indirectly.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a node for discovering topology structure automatically in a Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) ring network. The method includes: when receiving a topology discovering message, determining, by a node in the MPLS ring network, whether the topology discovering message is sent by the node; if yes, updating information of topology structure of the MPLS ring network stored in the node according to information of topology structure of the MPLS ring network carried by the topology discovering message; otherwise, appending information of topology structure of the node to the topology discovering message and forwarding the topology discovering message to a next node. Thus, the network topology may not depend on the topology of the physical layer network and the speed of discovering topology structure of the ring network is increased.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for ensuring service classes of packet services, which includes limiting the rate of services with different service classes uploaded to a ringlet from an RPR station in accordance with the RPR physical packet lengths; monitoring, in real time, the rate of non-class A0 services uploaded to the ringlet from the RPR station and forwarded by the RPR station in accordance with the RPR physical packet lengths, and when the rate of the non-class A0 services exceeds the un-reserved rate of the RPR network, reporting a congestion message and adjusting the rate of the non-class A0 services uploaded to the ringlet from the RPR stations in the congestion domain. A method of rate limitation is also disclosed, by which rate limitation is conducted based on a Token Bucket according to the total length of the sent packet after encapsulation.

Abstract: A bi-directional line switched mesh includes at least one bi-directional line switched ring (BLSR) sharing a common section with a partial bi-directional line switched ring (PBLSR). The partial bi-directional line switched ring has no working traffic along the common section, but may utilize the protection bandwidth associated with the common section of the BLSR in the event of a span failure of the PBLSR. Both electrical and optical PBLSR networks are also disclosed including methods of operating the asymmetrical ring nodes having unconfigured working ports (spans).

Abstract: Packet-aware transport architecture and techniques for implementing same that enhance data volume by scaling effectively to rapid data growth are disclosed. For example, a technique for determining a route for a demand in a circuit-switched network comprises the following steps/operations. The demand to be routed in the circuit-switched network is obtained. The circuit-switched networks implements a packet ring (PR) model such that one or more demands are routable on one or more virtual data rings in the circuit-switched network. An Ethernet-Over-SONET (EOS) communication channel in the circuit-switched network suitable for accommodating the demand is specified. The EOS communication channel or one of the one or more virtual data rings is then identified as the new route for the demand.

Abstract: A method and system for designing a bi-connected ring-based network is provided, which designs from scratch or converts an existing network to a dual-homed ring-based network. The network covers the locations capable of being bi-connected with one or more cycles/rings. The traffic demand is then routed via the cycles, in such a way so as to minimize the amount of network traffic management equipment required.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for switching Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop Systems is provided between a plurality of Fiber Channel Loop devices. In one aspect of the invention, the system switches based at least in part on arbitrated loop primitives. An exemplary interconnect system may include a first port and a second port, both including port logic to monitor certain arbitrated loop primitives, a connectivity apparatus, a route determination apparatus including a routing table consisting of ALPA addresses and their associated ports, the route determination apparatus coupled to each port and the connectivity apparatus, where the connectivity apparatus creates paths between the ports based on arbitrated loop primitives. In one embodiment, the connectivity apparatus is a crossbar switch. Examples of the arbitrated loop primitives that cause the switch to create paths between ports includes one or more of the following: ARB, OPN and CLS.

Abstract: A signaling system able to improve the efficiency of utilization of network resources and autonomously set a correct spare route, that is, a signaling system setting a path passing through two rings interconnected by a plurality of nodes by signaling wherein each node is provided with an inter-node connection information table including topology information in the network and a branch node judgment unit for judging whether a home node is a branch node based on the content of the inter-node connection information table and wherein when the home node receives a signaling message for setting a working path and it is judged that the node is a branch node, the signaling of the spare path is started for the destination node of the spare path based on the information in the inter-node connection information table so as to autonomous set the spare path.

Abstract: A virtual ring representing a community of interest is constructed from an interconnected mesh of nodes in a packet network. The virtual ring instantiates ring labels in respective forwarding tables for each node in the virtual ring and then advertises the ring labels to all other nodes in the virtual ring, for example by flooding BGP advertisements. Data packets entering the ring are assigned a ring label which is then stripped off when exiting the ring. The data packets are forwarded around the virtual ring using the ring labels. The virtual ring can operate using BGP/LDP Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). Multiple virtual rings can be bridged together using a central hub or alternatively multiple virtual rings can be redundantly bridged together using tandem hubs.

Abstract: A system and method for routing packet traffic is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a router having a routing element that routes packet traffic according to Internal Gateway Protocol (IGP) weights that prevent multicast packet traffic and unicast packet traffic from occupying a common unidirectional link. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: In a data communication system for communicating data between a plurality of data communicating entities, data is transmitted simultaneously from at least a first data communicating entity and a second data communicating entity onto a serial data ring. A first portion of the serial data ring is cross coupled to a second portion of the serial data ring so that data from the first data communicating entity avoids conflict with data from the second data communicating entity, thereby emulating a forward and reverse transmission on a single unidirectional serial ring.

Abstract: A ring communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of nodes in which a single one of the nodes is configured for full channel conversion and the remaining nodes, other than the single node, are configured for no channel conversion. Links with no more than W channels couple the nodes. The ring communication network may include N nodes and links connecting the nodes for carrying data in W channels such that N?2 log2 W?1, where W is a power of 2. Each of the N nodes includes switches connected such that each channel of a first one of the links adjacent to any one of the N nodes can be switched to no more than W?1 channels of another one of the links adjacent to any one node.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a node comprises an interface to communicatively couple the node to a channel. The channel communicatively couples the node to a first neighbor node and a first neighbor's neighbor node in a first direction. When the node relays relayed data along the channel, the node compares data received from the first neighbor node with data received from the first neighbor's neighbor node. The relayed data comprises: at least one of: the data received from the first neighbor node and the data received from the first neighbor's neighbor node; and information indicative of the results of the comparison.

Abstract: The systems and methods maintain varying protection levels of related objects, such as when nodes of a data structure are protected at the same or greater protection level as their children nodes. In one embodiment, the nodes store data to track protection levels of their children nodes.

Abstract: The resilient packet ring (RPR for short) is receiving much attention as a telecommunications network architecture. The RPR consists of dual counter-rotating ringlets and implements a ring protection scheme such as ring wrap and source steering. Topology discovery is an important aspect of the network management of the RPR. Herein described is a new topology discovery algorithm which performs in multiple phases. According to one phase of the algorithm, a station on the ring periodically exchange with only its neighboring stations a control messages containing a topology database. The topology database indicates addresses of stations on the ring and their link status. The algorithm should find applications not only in RPR but also other ring architectures.

Abstract: According to a particular embodiment, a method for automatically assigning dynamic IP addresses without user interaction includes maintaining at least one pool of unused IP addresses. An advertisement message is transmitted from a first network element to at least one additional network element in a transport ring. The advertisement message identifies the first network element as providing IP address assignment services. The IP address request message from a second network element in the transport ring is received at the first network element. In response to the IP address request message, an IP address is dynamically assigned from the at least one pool of unused IP addresses. The dynamically assigned IP address is transmitted from the first network element to the second network element.

Abstract: Methods are provided for discovering nodes participating in a ring network. According to one embodiment, a ring controller receives a packet containing an arbitration token. If the arbitration token does not arrive within a preselected network timeout period, then the ring controller generates an arbitration token. If the packet contains an arbitration token, then the ring controller checks to see if it was modified by a higher priority node and if not, sets itself as the master node. For each discovery marker in the packet, the ring controller saves topology information associated with the discovery marker. The ring controller adds to the packet a first discovery marker when the packet does not contain a first discovery maker, wherein the first discovery marker includes topology information associated with the node. Finally, the ring controller sends the packet to a next node in the network.

Abstract: A star topology platform management bus architecture and system that provides disaggregation of the platform control element portion and the routing element portion of a central management controller, which provides for physical design efficiency as well as other advantages. Such disaggregation is particularly beneficial in the context of modular electronic platforms that are standardized, since standardized boards are often highly constrained in the available backplane connection pins. The platform control element can be implemented on a standardized board and use a small number of pins to communicate via the backplane with a non-standardized board that implements one or more routing elements, which themselves require a large number of pins to communicate with various satellite management controllers.

Abstract: In a switch system including a plurality of switch mechanisms that form a ring topology, each of the switch mechanisms includes an input and output unit that inputs and outputs a packet to and from an outside of a loop; and a gate unit that transmits transmission information including whether there is a packet to be received by one of the switch mechanisms set as a following stage in the loop to the following stage in the loop at predetermined time's intervals. The input and output unit accumulates the packet input from the outside of the loop, and generate transmission information on the accumulated packet. The gate unit transmits the packet accumulated in the input and output unit and the transmission information on the accumulated packet to the following stage in the loop when receiving transmission information, from one of the switch mechanisms set as a preceding stage in the loop, indicating that there is not a packet to receive.

Abstract: In a communication system that uses virtually concatenated payloads, techniques to determine when to declare and when to clear alarm indication signal (AIS) for a group. The declaration of AIS for a group may occur based on when declaration of AIS for a member of a group occurs. The clearing of group AIS may occur based on when clearing of AIS by a last member of a group to clear AIS occurs.