Communication system and method for an optical local area network
OwnerAlexander Ivan Soto, Walter Glenn Sotoinventors
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Abstract
An optical local area network includes a passive optical distribution fabric interconnecting a plurality of nodes including a first node and a plurality of remaining nodes, a hub that includes the first node and a control module, and a client network adapter coupled to each of the remaining nodes for responding to the control module. The control module controls timing for each of the client network adapters to transmit signals over the passive optical distribution fabric and distribution of signals to each of the nodes.
Claims26
A method for a Local Area Network (LAN) Manager for managing the communications of a passive optical local area network, wherein the passive optical local area network is disposed to further include a plurality of LAN clients, at least one passive optical splitter, and a plurality of optical fibers, the method for a LAN Manager for managing the communications of the passive optical local area network comprising:
- transmitting downstream optical signals on a downstream wavelength wherein the downstream optical signals includes downstream control and downstream data information and wherein the downstream control information includes upstream bandwidth allocations for one or more LAN clients;
- receiving upstream optical signals on an upstream wavelength responsive to the upstream bandwidth allocations and wherein the upstream optical signals include upstream control and upstream data information;
- and
- processing at least a portion of the upstream data information to perform switching function at Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Layer 2, wherein the portion of the upstream data information includes an OSI Layer 2 destination address, whereby
- upstream data information received from a first LAN client can be transmitted in the downstream data information to a second LAN client responsive to a destination address in the upstream data information.
A method for a Local Area Network (LAN) Manager for managing the communications of a passive optical local area network, wherein the passive optical local area network is disposed to further include a plurality of LAN clients, at least one passive optical splitter, and a plurality of optical fibers, the method for the LAN Manager for managing the communications of the passive optical local area network comprising:
- transmitting downstream optical signals on a downstream wavelength wherein the downstream optical signals includes downstream control and downstream data information and wherein the downstream control information includes upstream bandwidth allocations for one or more LAN clients;
- receiving upstream optical signals on an upstream wavelength responsive to the upstream bandwidth allocations and wherein the upstream optical signals include upstream control and upstream data information;
- and
- processing at least a portion of the upstream data information to perform Ethernet switching, wherein the portion of the upstream data information includes an Ethernet destination address, whereby
- upstream data information received from a first LAN client can be transmitted in the downstream data information to a second LAN client responsive to an Ethernet destination address in the upstream data information.
A method for a Local Area Network (LAN) Manager for managing the communications of a passive optical local area network, wherein the passive optical local area network is disposed to further include a plurality of LAN clients, at least one passive optical splitter, and a plurality of optical fibers, the method for the LAN Manager for managing the communications of the passive optical local area network comprising:
- transmitting downstream optical signals on two or more downstream wavelengths wherein each downstream optical signal includes downstream control and downstream data information and wherein the downstream control information includes upstream bandwidth allocations for one or more LAN clients;
- receiving upstream optical signals on two or more upstream wavelengths responsive to the upstream bandwidth allocations and wherein the upstream optical signals each include upstream control and upstream data information;
- and
- processing at least a portion of the upstream data information to perform switching function at Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Layer 2, wherein the portion of the upstream data information includes an OSI Layer 2 destination address, whereby
- upstream data information received from a first LAN client can be transmitted in the downstream data information to a second LAN client responsive to an OSI Layer 2 destination address in the upstream data information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.