Enhanced communications network testing and control system

In a network testing and control system for use with a digital communications network which provides digital communication between a dynamically changing plurality of sites, one of said sites being designated a central site and the other sites being designated remote sites and said digital communication between said central site and said remote sites being over a plurality of communications lines using modem communications links, means at each site for uniquely identifying that site by a site address selected from a pool of available site addresses, an improvement for reporting on the operational status of remote sites connected to said communications network communications lines, said improvement comprising, at the central site,

• first and second data processing systems,
• system bus means for permitting the first and second data processing systems to communicate testing and control data with each other,
• means for entering commands to said first data processing system for real time control of the operation of the network testing and control system,
• said first data processing system including means for processing said commands to generate a sequence of instructions for said second processing system,
• said second data processing system including a plurality of connection port means for communicating with the remote sites over said communications lines in a shared and selectively concurrent arrangement with said digital communications network, each port means being adapted to be operatively connected to at least one said communications line,
• said second data processing system further having means for uniquely identifying each remote site according to the port means and communications line through which the remote site is connected to the central site, and in combination with the address of each remote site, which distinguishes that remote site from all other remote sites on the same communications line,
• said second processing system further having means for operating each port means and means for communicating therethrough between the second data processing system and remote sites over said shared communications lines substantially independent of the operation and communications through other port means, and
• said second processing system including means responsive to said instructions from said first processing system for effecting network testing and control operations of said remote sites for determining, at said central site, operating conditions of said remote sites on said digital communications network.

The network testing and control system for use with a digital communications network which provides digital communications between a dynamically changing plurality of sites, one of said sites being designated a central site and the other sites being designated remote sites and said digital communication between said central site and said remote sites being over a plurality of communications lines using modem communications links, means at each site for uniquely identifying said site by a site address selected from a pool of available site addresses, the system for reporting on the operational status of remote sites connected to said communications network communications lines, comprising, at the central site,

• a first data processing system,
• means for entering commands to said first data processing system for real time control of the operation of the network testing and control system,
• a plurality of second data processing systems,
• system bus means for permitting the first and second data processing systems to communicate testing and control data with each other byte-wise in parallel,
• at least one third data processing system for each second data processing system,
• each second data processing system including a plurality of connection port means, each port means being adapted to be connected to a third data processing system for communicating with the remote sites,
• each second data processing system further including means for converting said byte input from said first processing system to a bit-wise serial output to a said third data processing system, and
• each third data processing system being connected to a port means of one of the second data processing systems and also being connected to a communications line of the network for providing serial communications between a remote site on such line and such port means over said communications line in a shared and selectively concurrent arrangement with said digital communications network for determining operating conditions of said remote sites on said digital communications network.

In a network testing and control system for use with a digital communications network which provides digital communication between a plurality of sites, one of said sites being designated a central site and the other of said sites being designated remote sites and said digital communication between said central site and said remote sites being over a plurality of communications lines using modem communications links, and means at each site for uniquely identifying each said site by a site address, an improvement for reporting on the operational status of remote sites connected to said communications network communications lines, having at the central site a data processor system, and said improvement comprising, at the central site,

• a plurality of connection port means for communicating testing and control data with the remote sites over said communications lines in a shared and selectively concurrent arrangement with said digital communications network, each port being adapted to be operatively connected to at least one said communication line,
• means for transmitting testing and control data and receiving such data through each port means at the central site onto said communications line independently of the transmission and reception of testing and control data through each other port means and independently of transmission and of reception in said digital communications network,
• means for operating remote sites in a plurality of testing and control operating modes, said modes having a predetermined priority, and
• means for interrupting an ongoing testing and control operation at a remote site in accordance with a first such operating mode at a selected port for initiating operation at that remote site in accordance with a second higher priority testing and control operating mode at said selected port.

In a network testing and control system for use with a digital communications network which provides digital communication between a plurality of sites, one of said sites being designated a central site and the other of said sites being designated remote sites and said digital communication between said central site and said remote sites being over a plurality of communications lines using modem communications links, each site being uniquely identified by a site address, an improved network testing and control method for reporting, at the central site, on the operational status of remote sites connected to said communications network communications lines comprising the steps of

• connecting each of a plurality of ports at the central site for communicating testing and control data with selected ones of the remote sites over said communications lines in a shared and selectively concurrent arrangement with said digital communications network,
• transmitting and receiving testing and control data through each one of said ports and over said communications lines independently of the transmission and reception of testing and control data through each other port,
• operating said remote sites in accordance with the transmitted data in one of a plurality of operating testing and control modes for determining operating conditions at said remote sites in said digital communications network from said central site, said modes having a predetermined priority, and said mode of testing and control operation being selected at said central site, and
• interrupting an ongoing testing and control operation at a remote site in accordance with a first such operating mode at a selected port for initiating operation at said port in accordance with a second higher priority testing and control operating mode, whereby ongoing testing and control operations at said selected remote site can be altered in accordance with a priority mode operating system.