Apparatus and method for mapping the connectivity of communications systems with multiple communications paths

In a telecommunications system having first communications terminals at a plurality of first locations, second communications terminals at one or more second locations and communications media connecting a respective pair of first and second terminals, said system further comprising:

• first location means connectable in a first sequence to each of said first terminals and operative to generate a signal at each first terminal for transmission via said communications media to said respective second terminal, to identify each said first terminal with said first sequence and to store said identity of said first terminals with said first sequence;
• second location means connectable to said second communications terminals and operative to record a second sequence of second terminals in which said signal is received and the physical location of each second terminal on which said signal is received;
• and
• computer means for correlating the first sequence in which said signal generator means is connected to said first terminals and the second sequence in which said transmitted signal output is received at said second communication terminals;
• and
• means for generating a map comprising the identity of the location of each first communications point correlated to the identity of its corresponding second point whereby each of said second communication terminals may be identified with the physical location of each first communication terminal to which it is connected.

A method of correlating the respective locations of a plurality of first physically collocated terminals at a first physical location, each of said first terminals being identifiable by a respective one of a plurality of first unique identifiers and being connected by a communications medium to respective second terminals at second physically dispersed locations, each of said terminals being identifiable by a respective one of a plurality of second unique identifiers, comprising the steps of:

• establishing the existence of a connection between a first terminal and a second terminal by said communications medium;
• generating a unique signal at each first and second location, said signal comprising said first and second unique identifier, respectively;
• transmitting each said first unique signal from said first terminals at said first location to a respective one of second terminals at a respective second location,
• detecting and storing said transmitted first unique identifier at said respective physically dispersed second location,
• correlating each said detected first unique identifier with said generated second unique identifier, and
• generating a map of the communications medium which connects terminals at said first and second locations, said map comprising the identity of said first physically collocated terminals and the identity of said physically disposed location of said second terminals.

Apparatus for correlating the respective locations of a plurality of first collocated terminals, each of said first terminals being identifiable by one of a plurality of first unique identifiers and being connected by a communications medium to respective second terminals at second physically dispersed locations, the physical location of each of said second terminals being identifiable by one of a plurality of second unique identifiers, comprising:

• first means for generating a first unique signal at each first location, said signal comprising a first unique identifier;
• means for transmitting each said first unique signal from its respective first terminal to a respective second terminal,
• means for detecting said transmitted first unique identifier at its respective second terminal,
• second means for generating a second unique signal at each second location, said second unique signal being related to said second unique identifer, and
• computing means storing said detected first unique identifier and for correlating each first unique identifier with said second unique identifier wherey a map is created of the physical location of each second terminal at which said first identifier was detected and the identity of the respective first terminal to which it is connected.