Abstract: A system, method, apparatus, means, and computer program code for requesting location data in a communications network, where the communications network includes a first base station server (BSS) in communication with a first serving mobile location center (SMLC), and a second BSS in communication with a second SMLC and a location measurement unit (LMU) under control of the second SMLC, the first and second BSS in communication with a serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN). According to some embodiments, a request for location data is generated at the first SMLC and is submitted to the first BSS using a packet-switched communications protocol. The first BSS forwards the request for location data to the SGSN using a packet-switched communications protocol. A response to the request for location data, generated by the second SMLC, is received. In some embodiments, the response can include a positive or a negative acknowledgement from the second SMLC.

Abstract: A multi-access transmission method for effectively and efficiently utilizing bands of a synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) path. The method has the steps of extracting a synchronous digital hierarchy path from signals input from a first point, recognizing all packets or cells input from the first point to select and drop a packet or cell to be dropped at a second point, multiplexing packets or cells not dropped and a packet or cell to be inserted at the second point at a packet or cell level, and sending signals created at the multiplexing step to a third point. With this method, packets or cells are multiplexed in a synchronous digital hierarchy path to share one synchronous digital hierarchy path among a plurality of communications.

Abstract: A system and method for encoding wide striped cells that carry packets of data across stripes. The method encodes an initial block of a first wide striped cell is encoded with initial cell encoding information, and distributes initial bytes of packet data into available space in the initial block of the first wide striped cell. The initial cell encoding information includes control information and state information. One initial block of the first wide striped cell comprises five subblocks corresponding to five stripes. Each subblock includes identical control information and identical state information. The method further includes adding reserve information to available bytes at the end of the initial block of the first wide striped cell. Remaining bytes of packet data are distributed across one or more blocks in the first wide striped cell until an end of packet condition is reached or a maximum cell size is reached.

Abstract: A communication system including a plurality of communication apparatuses connected via a data transmission line to execute data exchange between any of the communication apparatuses. The communication apparatuses include a transmitter/receiver configured to access said data transmission line at timing periods peculiar to respective communication apparatuses in synchronism with a common system clock among respective communication apparatuses. Further, the timing periods peculiar to respective communication apparatuses are set to be mutually shifted such that accesses to said data transmission line are not simultaneously generated from said plurality of communication apparatuses, and at least two communication apparatuses have communication speeds different from each other.

Abstract: In a first embodiment, an applications programming interface (API) implements and manages isochronous and asynchronous data transfer operations between an application and a bus structure. During an asynchronous transfer the API includes the ability to transfer any amount of data between one or more local data buffers within the application and a range of addresses over the bus structure using one or more, asynchronous transactions. An automatic transaction generator may be used to automatically generate the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer. The API also includes the ability to transfer data between the application and another node on the bus structure isochronously over a dedicated channel. During an isochronous data transfer, a buffer management scheme is used to manage a linked list of data buffer descriptors.

Abstract: Provided is a 10Base-T MAC to PHY interface requiring only two wires (pins) per port, with two additional global wires: a clock wire (pin), and a synchronization wire (pin). This reduction in the number of pins associated with each port is achieved by time-division multiplexing wherein each time-division multiplexed wire combines a plurality of definitions from the conventional seven-wire interface. As a result, each port has its own pair of associated time-division multiplexed wires (pins) and the addition of each port simply requires two additional wires. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, information normally transferred on nine wires in a conventional seven-wire interface at 10 MHz is time-division multiplexed onto two wires (corresponding to two pins) that transfer data at 40 MHz, four times the speed of conventional interfaces. Importantly, this multiplexing is done on a port by port basis.

Abstract: A network communications device is arranged to have a fast throughput of data packets. This is achieved by recognising that, in protocols such as Ethernet, the first symbols in a data packet do not carry any data and therefore do not necessarily require to be properly carried through a communications hub. Rather, a known number of symbols are discarded from the start of a packet on receipt and replaced on re-transmission. This discarding reduces the reception delays particularly in bussed-architecture repeaters where bus arbitration must take place for each received packet.

Abstract: In a data bus which is shared by several components, the components possess a hierarchical transmission token and are synchronized by a synchronization pulse. A clock signal of the synchronization pulse has a rate which is between the duration of transmission of the component with the highest priority token and the cumulative duration of transmission of all components.

Abstract: An Ethernet switch includes a plurality of ports, wherein the switch is configured to be operable within a temperature range of at least between approximately 0° C. and approximately 60° C. The switch is further configured to be operable within a non-condensing humidity range of at least between approximately 10% and approximately 95%. The switch is further configured to support at least one of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), a Quality of Service (QoS), a Remote Monitoring (RMON), and a Spanning Tree, and the switch is configured to be upgradeable using a plug in device.

Abstract: A transmission method and a transmission device are provided according to the present invention. In the method and device, a packet frame of a user is converted into a synchronous frame, and the synchronous frame is transmitted through a time division multiplex network. A time-division multiplex transmission band is allocated to the user according to a channel band of the packet frame of the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically determining the protocol being used from the frequency of an applied clock without the need for a separate pin or switch or a second external clock. The clock's frequency is identified when its frequency falls into the set range for which the apparatus is targeted. Based on the detected frequency in the set range, a mode select signal is generated. The mode select signal causes the chip to configure to the appropriate frequency for that mode, as well as any other unique configuration parameters. In one embodiment, the invention generates a ramp signal triggered by the external clock (which is the clock frequency for the desired protocol). The clock is simultaneously applied to a counter. When the ramp signal reaches a reference voltage, the count of the counter is compared to at least one threshold to determine to which frequency it corresponds. In response to this determination, the chip is configured according to the communication mode or protocol indicated.

Abstract: A system in which remote nodes are supplied with electrical power using existing network communication links. A communication device in a system according to the present techniques routes electrical power to a remote node via a set of unused lines of a network communication link used for communication with the remote node. The electrical power distributed to the remote node may be AC or DC power.

Abstract: The present invention includes an Ethernet frame switching system for receiving and transmitting data frames from and to a plurality of ports. The frame switching system includes a plurality of port control units for managing the transmission and reception procedural processes with a physical layer device. The frame switching system further includes a queue management unit (QMU) connected with data buses to the port control unit. The data frames received from or transmitted to the port control unit are managed by the QMU that these data frames received are transmitted directly to and data frame for transmission or retrieved directly from a single shared data frame buffer such that the local data frame buffer is not required in each of the port control units.

Abstract: An Ethernet flow control system, preferably for a Ethernet switch, having flow controlled transmitting ports in compliance with IEEE Standard 802.3x. The flow control system includes a shared resource, a plurality of buffers receiving data frames from the shared resource, and a plurality of transmitting ports. Each transmitting port being associated with one of the plurality of buffers and being flow controllable between an enabled state and a blocked state. The transmitting port removing and transmitting data frames from the associated buffer when in the enabled state. Each transmitting port including a timer for measuring the time that an associated buffer has a data frame and the corresponding transmitting port is in the blocked state. Each port also includes control logic for removing data frames from the associated buffer when the measured time is greater than a predetermined time.

Abstract: An applications programming interface implements and manages isochronous and asynchronous data transfer operations between an application and a bus structure. During an asyncronous transfer the API includes the ability to transfer any amount of data between one or more local data buffers within the application and a range of addresses over the bus structure using one or more asynchronous transactions. An automatic transaction generator may be used to automatically generate the transactions necessary to complete the data transfer. The API also includes the ability to transfer data between the application and another node on the bus structure isochronously over a dedicated channel. During an isochronous data transfer, a buffer management scheme is used to manage a linked list of data buffer descriptors. This linked descriptor list can form a circular list of buffers and include a forward pointer to the next buffer in the list and a backward pointer to the previous buffer in the list for each buffer.

Abstract: A message hub is provided for use in a message communication system having a plurality of nodes connected to the message hub by a data communication medium for inter-node messaging. The message hub operates in a scheduling phase and a transmission phase. In the scheduling phase, request receiving means receives a messaging request signal is received from each node. In accordance with the messaging request signal, selecting means selects a selected node in the scheduling phase. Granting means generates a grant signal to the selected node for allowing the selected node to transmit a message to the message hub on the data communication medium. The granting means also generates a listen signal to the other nodes for commanding the other nodes to listen to the data communication medium. The message hub enters in the transmission phase in which message receiving means receives a message transmitted from the selected node on the data communication medium.

Abstract: In a communication environment with a number of radio systems a radio station in one of the radio systems seizes a sub-frequency range in a predetermined frequency range. Prior to each transmission of a useful signal, the one radio station checks whether a given sub-frequency range in the predetermined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area. If the given sub-frequency range is free, the radio station transmits at random instants at least two pulses with a transmission range that is substantially restricted to the given sub-frequency range and avoids collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time.

Abstract: A method by which a pair of communicating network equipment drivers can determine if the equipment they control such as a network adapter or a switch port are directly connected by a single network cable, is applicable to network protocols which include a link active signaling technique as part of the physical layer specification. The method includes determining whether the link is in a first state in which there is only one device coupled to the link without intervening devices which are members of a particular class, or in a second state in which there may be more than one device coupled to the link without intervening devices which are members of the particular class. If the link is in the first state, then a physical layer test involving the physical layer link active signaling mechanism is executed to ensure that the responding device is coupled to the same link without intervening devices that are not members of the particular class.

Abstract: A network includes stations that communicate with one another via a common medium using a non-deterministic protocol. The risk of collision between the two frames transmitted simultaneously by two stations is reduced by providing each station with a detector to determine whether there is a risk of collision based on counter updates for recent transmissions performed by the station. Each station further includes a delay to limit a station's means bit rate to a predetermined maximum value when there is a risk of collision of data sent by the stations on the network. The maximum bit rate is chosen such that the sum of the values for all of the stations is less than the mean bit rate that can be accommodated by the common medium.

Abstract: A network having a number of terminals connected by a hub includes managing data transmission collisions by distinguishing among the terminals following a transmission. In the preferred embodiment, the terminals are arranged in a star configuration and the hub is an Ethernet hub that forwards a data packet from a terminal to all of the remaining terminals. A data packet is stored in memory while it is transmitted to all of the other terminals in the collision domain. If a collision is detected in forwarding the data packet, the transmission is completed to the collision-free terminals, thereby isolating subsequent forwarding of the data packet to the one or more collision-inducing terminals. When a no-carrier condition is sensed, the data packet is retransmitted to the one or more collision-inducing terminals.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to provide a subscriber network system which can perform the system control operation. In the system where the optical network unit 10 and the subscriber line terminal 20 use the ATM transmission mode, a PDS-OAM cell, similar in format to an ATM cell, is defined for use in the system control operation. When control information is sent from the subscriber line terminal 20 to the optical network unit 10, the control cell generation module 22 generates a PDS-OAM cell containing control information and sends this cell to the optical network unit 10. The optical network unit 10 causes the control cell termination module 17 to terminate the PDS-OAM cell sent from the subscriber line terminal 20. The control cell generation module 14 generates a PDS-OAM cell containing a response to the control information from the subscriber line terminal 20 or warning information generated within the optical network unit 10 and sends this cell to the subscriber line terminal 20.

Abstract: A repeater set provides for delaying a character of data that passes through the repeater set from one receive channel to a set of transmit channels. In providing for the delay of a character, the repeater set includes a delay calculator for calculating a character delay value. The repeater set then receives a character that is to be provided on a transmit channel and delays the character in a delay module for a period of time equal to the character delay value. The character delay value is determined by the delay calculator by first calculating a bit delay value and then converting the bit delay value into the character delay value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a media-independent interface (MII) on a highly integrated network component by implementing the MII interface with a lower pin count, while reducing the timing budget. In another embodiment, the present invention functions to interface MII compatible devices while reducing pin count and the timing budget.

Abstract: A wireless telecommunications system includes a central station communicates with a plurality of subscriber stations served by the central station. The central station is connectable to a telecommunications network under a multiplexed multi-channel digital data telecommunications protocol having a plural number of data channels. Each subscriber station provides a line connection for carrying a predetermined number of digital data channels, where the plural number is greater than the predetermined number. The central station is connectable to each subscriber station via a wireless link under a wireless link protocol having the predetermined number of data channels. The central station includes a central protocol interface for converting between the multi-channel telecommunications protocol and the wireless link protocol for each wireless link.

Abstract: A high speed data network having a novel data translator having an SRAM data buffer in the full to half duplex direction and flow control media access elements, such as for detecting data collision and retransmission of data, for providing transparent high data rate transfer between full and half duplex data media. The main SRAM data buffer provides multiple frame FIFO storage and configured to provide alternating incoming and outgoing data access. The preferred embodiment further includes main SRAM incoming FIFO and outgoing FIFO memories. The outgoing FIFO memory is configured to operate in an alternating in/out memory access (independent of the main SRAM incoming and outgoing data access) providing data byte access after the byte is written from the main SRAM. Furthermore, the outgoing FIFO memory supplies the data to be retransmitted in the event of a data collision, without interrupting the operation(s) of the main SRAM buffer.

Abstract: A repeater that prevents a node involved in a collision from detecting that the collision occurred, and transmits the data packet received from that node to all other nodes connected to the repeater. The repeater accomplishes this by repeating the data packet received from that node during the collision, and discarding the data packets received from other nodes, thereby allowing a valid data packet to traverse the repeater and all communication medium segments attached thereto. The repeater maintains a count of the collisions and retransmission attempts experienced by each node since that node's last successful data packet transmission. The count is used to prioritize which of the nodes involved in a subsequent collision will be allowed to continue to transmit.

Abstract: An improved repeater or hub in a CSMA/CD based LAN that provides deterministic access to a shared communication medium for a limited number of nodes and improves the nondeterministic access latency for up to the maximum number of nodes allowed to be coupled to the repeater without requiring any modification to the adapter in each of the nodes. The repeater prevents a node involved in a collision from detecting that the collision occurred, and transmits the data packet received from that node to all other nodes connected to the repeater. The repeater accomplishes this by repeating the data packet received from that node during the collision, and discarding the data packets received from other nodes, thereby improving the performance of a CSMA/CD LAN by allowing a valid data packet to traverse the repeater and all communication medium segments attached thereto.

Abstract: A virtual ethernet interface interconnects a first computer at a customer premise with an ethernet local area network (LAN) at a central office that is connected to the customer premise via a digital subscriber line (DSL). The virtual ethernet interface comprises a virtual interface card connected to the first computer and a physical interface card connected to a second computer that is in communication with the ethernet hub. On start up, the central office computer sends the MAC address associated with the ethernet interface of the physical interface card back to the virtual interface card of the first computer. Thus, the virtual ethernet interface allows the first computer to form ethernet frames using the MAC address of the physical interface card so that it appear as though they were originated from the second computer. Further, the first computer can receive frames taken from the ethernet LAN by the physical interface card and transmitted to the virtual interface card over the DSL link.

Abstract: Provided is a 10Base-T MAC to PHY interface requiring only two wires (pins) per port, with two additional global wires: a clock wire (pin), and a synchronization wire (pin). This reduction in the number of pins associated with each port is achieved by time-division multiplexing wherein each time-division multiplexed wire combines a plurality of definitions from the conventional seven-wire interface. As a result, each port has its own pair of associated time-division multiplexed wires (pins) and the addition of each port simply requires two additional wires. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, information normally transferred on nine wires in a conventional seven-wire interface at 10 MHz is time-division multiplexed onto two wires (corresponding to two pins) that transfer data at 40 MHz, four times the speed of conventional interfaces. Importantly, this multiplexing is done on a port by port basis.

Abstract: A repeater in a LAN maintains a count of collisions and retransmission attempts for each node coupled to the repeater since that node's last successful packet transmission. The count is used to prioritize which of the nodes involved in a subsequent collision will be allowed to continue transmitting. The time at which data packets from the nodes arrive at the repeater will vary according to the propagation delay attributed to the varying lengths of the communication medium between each of the nodes and the repeater. For the repeater to arbitrate among the nodes that begin transmitting, it is useful to receive the data packets from each node at the same time. The repeater automatically equalizes the transmission delay. The repeater buffers the data packet received from each node until sufficient time has elapsed to begin receiving a data packet from each node that is attempting to transmit a data packet during the current arbitration interval. For each node, the repeater maintains a slot time counter.

Abstract: It is disclosed hereby that a switch system comprises a N:M switch circuit, a plurality of layer 2 switches, each comprising a plurality of packet processing channels, and a plurality of network interfaces, each comprising a fixed number of pairs of ports to be directly connected to the same number of devices. The N:M switch is coupled with the N number of the packet processing channels of the layer 2 switches at the N-side and with the M number of the ports of the network interfaces at the M-side. When a packet containing a destination to a receiving device sent by a sending device arrives at the network interface, the N:M switch establishes an electronic connection between an available packet processing channel and a port to which the sending device is connected, the packet passes through to the packet processing channel in which the packet is processed and stored.

Abstract: A spectrum manager and a spectrum management method for a communication network. The preferred embodiment is a method of controlling the transmission of multiple information streams in a communication network comprising the steps of providing a communication network and a plurality of information streams corresponding to a plurality of analog and digital services provided by the network; assigning to each information stream one or more spectrum slices within a predetermined frequency spectrum so that each information stream has a different spectrum slice(s) assigned to it; transmitting the information streams over the communication network within the information streams' assigned spectrum slices; assigning to at least one information stream a new spectrum slice within the predetermined frequency spectrum; and transmitting the information streams over the communication network within the information streams' assigned spectrum slices.

Abstract: A flow control enabled Ethernet switch that applies backpressure to input ports that attempt to transmit a data packet to a busy destination port. The backpressure is a phantom packet that activates the IEEE 802.3 collision detection system to abort transmission of the data packet. A subsequent series of phantom packets (that are invalid) provide carrier activity that inhibits retransmission of the packet. When the destination port is available, the phantom packets are stopped, permitting standard retransmission of the data packet. The switch includes prioritization mechanisms (e.g., a throttle count) to use when awarding priority to a port having backpressure applied.

Abstract: In an add/drop multiplexing apparatus, a fixed length cell such as an ATM cell can be handled in addition to the existing data services. The add/drop multiplexing apparatus for supporting a fixed length cell is comprised of: an input unit for inputting multiplexed signals transmitted over a transmission path; a cross-connect unit for deriving a preset time slot signal from the multiplexed signals inputted by the input unit; and a tributary interface unit for converting the signal derived by the cross-connect unit into a signal having such a format corresponding to a low-ordered communication network. The tributary interface unit converts a fixed length cell received from the low-ordered communication network into a signal format processable by the cross-connect unit, and also converts the signal outputted from the cross-connect unit into a fixed length cell so as to be transmitted to the low-ordered communication network.

Abstract: A scalable CSMA/CD repeater is based on polling and collision resolution logic, and slot time and interframe gap negotiation logic controlled by the repeater itself. The repeater based polling and collision resolution provides central control of the backoff and retry algorithm of each connected MAC unit. Thus, the MAC unit does not rely on random backoff mechanisms that significantly degrade performance of prior art systems. Furthermore, the retry by a MAC unit after a collision is managed by commands received from the collision resolution logic in the repeater. The repeater based collision resolution logic ensures that all ports involved in a collision have a fair opportunity to forward a packet without being blocked before enabling all the ports in the network to freely compete again.

Abstract: A system for transmitting data in high precision by restricting a delay in data transmission time includes a hub. The hub receives through the transmission media a data frame transmitted from a communication device that has a transmission request among a plurality of communication devices, and relays the received data frame to a destination communication device based on a destination address included in the received data frame.

Abstract: An inter-repeater backplane employs both analog and digital circuitry to convey state machine information to adjacent repeaters thereby allowing seamless integration of multiple repeaters into a single hub without requiring additional drivers or external glue logic. A data path allows the passage of data between multiple repeaters on the inter-repeater backplane and an inter-repeater backplane enable allows individual repeaters to take control of the inter-repeater backplane data bus. An inter-repeater backplane driver enables external bus drivers which may be required in synchronous systems with large backplanes. An inter-repeater backplane clock is used to synchronize multiple repeaters on the inter-repeater backplane. Only two leads (IRCOL and IRCFS) are used to provide transmit and receive collision information. These two leads in conjunction with IRENA also indicate which repeater is receiving data.

Abstract: Support for a mixed network environment is provided which can contain multiple isochronous and/or non-isochronous LAN protocols such as isochronous-ethernet, ethernet, isochronous-token ring, token ring, other isochronous-LAN or other LAN systems. Support for a mixed environment includes a protocol detection mechanism which is embodied in a handshaking scheme. This handshaking scheme determines the signalling capability at the end points of the link and implements the correct protocol. This enables isochronous nodes and hubs to automatically detect the presence of ethernet, token ring, or other LAN equipment at the other end of the network cable. If this detection occurs, the isochronous LAN equipment will fall-back to a LAN compliant mode of operation. Typically, only the hub will have the capability of operating in different networking modes, such as ethernet, Token Ring isochronous modes.

Abstract: A flow control enabled Ethernet switch that applies backpressure to input ports that attempt to transmit a data packet to a busy destination port. The backpressure is a phantom packet that activates to abort transmission of the data packet. When the destination port is available, the phantom packets control retransmission, permitting standard retransmission of the data packet. The switch may include prioritization mechanisms to use when awarding priority to a port having backpressure applied.

Abstract: A system for transmitting data in high precision by restricting a delay in data transmission time, and including a hub. The hub receives through transmission media a data frame transmitted from a communication device that has a transmission request among a plurality of communication devices, and relays the received data frame to a destination communication device based on a destination address included in the received data frame.