Configuration controller for a communications network

A method for controlling configuration of a communications network to communicate communications signals, the communications network having nodes for transmitting and receiving the communications signals and a signaling medium for transporting the communications signals, the signaling medium including a plurality of lobes and a trunk circuit having ring segments, the lobes for connecting to the nodes and the ring segments for connecting to the lobe circuits, comprising the steps of:

• connecting a plurality of trunk coupling units referred to as TCUs to an internal ring segment and a plurality of ports, said plurality of ports including a lobe port for connecting to the lobes a ring input port for connecting to an upstream ring segment, and an output port for connecting to an downstream ring segment, there being one TCU corresponding to each of said plurality of ports, each of said plurality of TCUs for connecting a corresponding port to said internal ring segment, each of said plurality of TCUs having an inserted state to provide signaling continuity for the communications signals between said corresponding port and said internal ring segment, and each of said plurality of TCUs having a wrapped state to provide signaling isolation for the communications signals between said corresponding port and said internal ring segment;
• controlling said plurality of TCUs to switch a corresponding TCU to said inserted state while the communications signals at said corresponding port have a first state, or to switch said corresponding TCU to said wrapped state while the communications signals at said corresponding port have a second state, to enable adjacent portions of the signaling medium to exchange the communications signals having said first state, and to disable adjacent portions of the signaling medium from exchanging the communications signals having said second state.

An apparatus for controlling configuration of a token ring communications network to communicate communications signals, the communications network having nodes for transmitting and receiving the communications signals and a signaling medium for transporting the communications signals, the signaling medium including a plurality of lobes and a trunk circuit having ring segments, and the communications signals including data, timing, and control signals, the lobes for connecting to the nodes and the segments for connecting to the lobe circuits, comprising:

• an internal ring segment for connecting a plurality of ports;
• said plurality of ports including lobe ports for connecting the nodes via the lobes, a ring input port for connecting to an upstream ring input trunk segment, and a ring output port for connecting to a downstream ring segment;
• a plurality of trunk coupling units referred to as TCUs, there being one TCU corresponding to each of said plurality of ports, each of said plurality of TCUs for connecting a corresponding port to said internal ring segments, each of said plurality of TCUs having an inserted state to provide signaling continuity for the communications signals between said corresponding port and said internal ring segment, and each of said plurality of TCUs having a wrapped state to provide signaling isolation for the communications signals between said corresponding port and said ring segment;
• a controller, responsive to the timing and control signals, for controlling said plurality of TCUs, said controller to switch a corresponding one of said plurality of TCUs to said inserted state while the communications signals at said corresponding port include timing signals having a frequency within a predetermined frequency range and control signal at a predetermined voltage, or to switch said corresponding TCU to said wrapped state while the communications signals at said corresponding port do not include said timing signals within said predetermined frequency range, or to switch said corresponding TCU to said wrapped state while the communications signals at said corresponding port do not include the control signals.