Reconfigurable apparatus providing 1:N and 1:1 equipment redundancy for high speed broadband interfaces with 1‘and 1:N automatic protection switching

A reconfigurable apparatus providing 1:N redundancy and 1:1 redundancy for high speed broadband interfaces with 1+1 and 1:N Automatic protection Switching (APS), the apparatus comprising:

• a mini-midplane having a redundant slot and a plurality of active slots, the mini-midplane being configured to provide communication with a gateway;
• at least one set of cross-coupled APS lines between a first active slot and a second active slot, said at least one set of cross-coupled APS lines including at least one port for implementing 1:1 equipment redundancy;
• a plurality of point-to-point traces between said redundant slot and each of said plurality of active slots wherein said plurality of point-to-point traces between said redundant slot and each of said active slots are for high speed broadband interfaces, said broadband interfaces are selected from the group comprising Optical Carrier 3 and Optical Carrier 12, for implementing 1:N equipment redundancy for broadband interfaces;
• and
• a plurality of shared traces between said redundant slot and said at least one active slot, wherein said plurality of shared traces between said redundant slot and said at least one active slot are for low speed narrowband interfaces, wherein said narrowband interfaces are selected from the group comprising T1 interfaces and E1 interfaces, for implementing 1:N equipment redundancy for narrowband interfaces.

A system having 1:N and 1:1 equipment redundancy for broadband interfaces and 1+1 and 1:N automatic protection switching comprising:

• a gateway comprising:
• a back plane;
• a redundant front card in communication with said back plane;
• and
• a plurality of active front cards, each of said active front card in communication with said back plane;
• a first reconfigurable apparatus comprising:
• a first mini-midplane having a first redundant slot and a first plurality of active slots, the mini-midplane being configured to provide communication with said gateway;
• at least one first set of cross-coupled APS lines between a first active slot and a second active slot of said first plurality of active slots for implementing 1:1 equipment redundancy;
• a first plurality of point-to-point traces between said first redundant slot and each of said first plurality of active slots for implementing 1:N equipment redundancy;
• a first redundant back card inserted in said first redundant slot and in communication with said first mini-midplane;
• and
• a first plurality of back cards, wherein a respective one of said first plurality of back cards are inserted in a respective active slot of said first plurality of active slots, each of said first plurality of back cards in communication with said first mini-midplane;
• and
• a second reconfigurable apparatus comprising:
• a second mini-midplane having a second redundant slot and a second plurality of active slots, the second mini-midplane configured to provide communication with said gateway;
• at least one second set of cross-coupled APS lines between a first active slot and a second active slot of said second plurality of active slots for implementing 1:1 equipment redundancy;
• a second plurality of point-to-point traces between said second redundant slot and each of said active slots of said second plurality of active slots for implementing 1:N equipment redundancy;
• a second redundant back card inserted in said second redundant slot and in communication with said second mini-midplane;
• and
• a second plurality of back cards, wherein a respective one of said second plurality of back cards are inserted in a respective active slot of said second plurality of active slots, each of said second plurality of back cards in communication with said second mini-midplane;
• and wherein said first apparatus provides communication between a plurality of working lines and said plurality of active front cards and wherein said second apparatus provides communication between a plurality of protected lines and said plurality of active front cards.

A reconfigurable apparatus comprising:

• a mini-midplane having a redundant slot and a plurality of active slots, the mini-midplane configures to provide communication with a gateway;
• means for providing 1:N redundancy for broadband interfaces;
• means for providing 1:1 redundancy for said broadband interfaces;
• means for providing 1+1 Automatic protection Switching (APS);
• and
• means for providing 1:N APS,
• wherein said means for providing 1:N redundancy for broadband interfaces and said means for providing 1+1 APS and said means for providing 1:N APS include a plurality of point-to-point traces between said redundant slot and each of said active slots and wherein said means for providing 1:1 redundancy for said broadband interface and said means for providing 1+1 APS and said means for providing 1:N APS include at least one set of cross-coupled APS lines between a first active slot and a second active slot.