Method and apparatus that provides fault tolerance in a communication network
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsPaul Shala Henry, Robert Bennett, Irwin Gerszberg, Farhad Barzegar, Donald J. Barnickel, Thomas M. Willis, III
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Abstract
A system for detecting a fault in a first wire of a power grid that affects a transmission or reception of electromagnetic waves that transport data and that propagate along a surface of the first wire, selecting a backup communication medium from one or more backup communication mediums according to one or more selection criteria, and redirecting the data to the backup communication medium to circumvent the fault. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims20
A waveguide system, comprising:
- a first physical transmission medium that facilitates propagation of first electromagnetic waves, wherein the first electromagnetic waves convey data;
- a second physical transmission medium;
- a memory that stores instructions;
- and
- a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations, the operations comprising:
- detecting a fault that adversely affects the propagation of at least a portion of the first electromagnetic waves along the first physical transmission medium conveying at least a portion of the data;
- and
- responsive to the detecting the fault, generating second electromagnetic waves that propagate along the second physical transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey the at least a portion of the data.
A method, comprising:
- detecting, by a processing system including a processor, a fault that adversely affects propagation of at least a portion of first electromagnetic waves along a first physical transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves convey data;
- and
- responsive to the detecting the fault, generating, by the processing system, second electromagnetic waves that propagate along a second physical transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey at least a portion of the data.
A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
- detecting a fault that adversely affects propagation of first electromagnetic waves along a first physical transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves convey data;
- and
- responsive to the detecting the fault, generating second electromagnetic waves that propagate along a second physical transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey at least a portion of the data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.