Multi-stage SONET overhead processing
OwnerI. Claude Dentoninventor
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Abstract
An overhead processor processes overhead bytes in a stream of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple levels. In one embodiment, the overhead processor includes three stages. A first stage provides access for external processing of a first set of overhead bytes in the stream of SONET frames. A second stage is programmable to process a second set of overhead bytes in the stream of SONET frames. A third stage processes a third set of overhead bytes in each frame in the stream of SONET frames.
Claims38
An apparatus comprising:
- a multi-stage overhead processor to process a plurality of reserved overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames.
A method comprising:
- processing a plurality of reserved overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple stages.
The method of clam 21 wherein the first set of overhead bytes comprise the reserved overhead bytes, and wherein providing access for external processing of the first set of overhead bytes comprises:
- capturing the reserved overhead bytes at a SONET frequency;
- buffering the reserved overhead bytes;
- and
- providing the reserved overhead bytes at an external processing frequency.
The method of clam 21 wherein the first set of overhead bytes comprise the reserved overhead bytes, and wherein providing access for external processing of the first set of overhead bytes comprises:
- receiving externally processed data at an external processing frequency;
- buffering the externally processed data;
- and
- overwriting the reserved overhead bytes with the externally processed data at a SONET frequency.
A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions that when executed implement a method comprising:
- processing a plurality of reserved overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple stages.
The machine readable medium of clam 28 wherein the first set of overhead bytes comprise the reserved overhead bytes, and wherein providing access for external processing of the first set of overhead bytes comprises:
- capturing the reserved overhead bytes at a SONET frequency;
- buffering the reserved overhead bytes;
- and
- providing the reserved overhead bytes at an external processing frequency.
The machine readable medium of clam 28 wherein the first set of overhead bytes comprise the reserved overhead bytes, and wherein providing access for external processing of the first set of overhead bytes comprises:
- receiving externally processed data at an external processing frequency;
- buffering the externally processed data;
- and
- overwriting the reserved overhead bytes with the externally processed data at a SONET frequency.
A multi-stage Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) processor to process a plurality of reserved overhead bytes in a plurality of SONET frames comprising:
- a rate buffering unit to provide access for external processing of the reserved overhead bytes in each of the plurality of SONET frames, said rate buffering unit to capture and/or insert the first set of overhead bytes at a SONET frequency and to provide and/or receive the first set of overhead bytes at an external processing rate;
- a plurality of capture and/or insertion units to programmably process a first set of the reserved overhead bytes, each of said plurality of capture and/or insertion units comprising a memory unit and a configurable byte selector, said configurable byte selector to be programmed with a particular reserved overhead byte location in each of the plurality of SONET frames, said memory unit to be written to and/or read from in bursts from external processing and to write to and/or read from the particular reserved overhead byte location in each of the plurality of SONET frames;
- and
- a fixed-function hardware unit to process a second set of the reserved overhead bytes to provide standard SONET overhead functions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.