US 5,473,665 AGranted

Performance monitoring of DS0 channel via D4 channel bank

AssigneeAdtran, Inc.

InventorsClifford L. Hall, Norman R. Harris, Stephen T. Killian, Jeffrey B. Wells

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Abstract

Non-intrusive performance monitoring of a DS0 channel between a customer premises interface and a D4 channel bank includes an augmentation of existing channel bank equipment and a digital services communication device terminating the DS0 link at the customer site. An auxiliary signalling and performance monitoring arrangement is remotely accessible by a non-resident control site, thereby enabling the control site to perform prescribed network supervisory tasks with respect to one or more selected DS0 links. Office channel unit data port and line interface components of the channel bank are modified to provide bidirectional signalling capability via the receive segment of the channel bank's internal communications link. The signalling format on the bidirectional signalling link is defined so as to support both the transmission of incoming (received DS1) signalling traffic from the line interface unit to an office channel unit, and the bidirectional exchange of performance-monitoring command and response messages. A performance monitoring arrangement, monitors at least one prescribed performance aspect of the DS0 channel.

Claims59

Dependent claims

For use with a telephone communication network containing a first communication link over which first digital communication signals are conveyed at a first data rate between a first site and a communications link interface unit at a second site, said second site further including a communication services channel unit coupled to said first communications link interface unit and to a second communications link over which second digital communication signals are conveyed at a second data rate between said communication services channel unit at said second site and a digital communications network interface at a customer site, a method of enabling performance of said second digital communications link to be monitored by way of a performance reporting communication path coupled to said communications link interface at said second site comprising the steps of:

(a) at said communications services channel unit of said second site, during a communication interval in which said second digital communication signals are conveyed over said second communications link between said communications services channel unit and said digital communications network interface at said customer site, monitoring at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link without interrupting conveyance of said second digital communication signals over said second communications link between said communication services channel unit and said digital communications network interface, and storing information signals representative of said at least one monitored prescribed performance aspect;
(b) forwarding from said communications services channel unit to said communications link interface unit, said first digital communication signals that are to be transmitted from said communications link interface unit over said first communications link to said first site, together with said information signals representative of said at least one monitored prescribed performance aspect;
and
(c) reporting, to an information signal recipient, by way of said reporting communications path from said communications link interface unit, said information signals representative of said at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link that has been forwarded to said communications link interface unit in step (b).

1 more element

For use with a telephone communication network containing a first communication link over which first digital communication signals are conveyed at a first data rate between a first site and an intra-communications link interface at said a second site, said intra-communications link interface transmitting second digital communication signals, which contain information contained in said first digital communication signals, over a second communications link to a digital services network interface at a third site to which a customer digital services communication device is coupled, said second communication signals having a second data rate, a method of enabling performance of said second communications link to be monitored by way of a performance reporting communication path that is coupled to said intra-communications link interface at said second site comprising the steps of:

(a) at said intra-communications link interface of said second site, during a communication interval in which said second digital communication signals are transmitted over said second communications link between said intra-communications link interface and said digital services network interface, monitoring at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link without interrupting transmission of said second digital communication signals over said second communications link between said intra-communications link interface and said digital services network interface, and storing information performance signals representative of said at least one monitored prescribed performance aspect;
and
(b) reporting, to a performance signal recipient by way of said reporting communications path coupled to said intra-communications link interface, said performance signals representative of said at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link, representative information of which has been monitored and] stored in step (a).

For use with a telephone communication network containing a first communication link over which first digital communication signals are conveyed at a first data rate between a first site and an intra-communications link interface at said second site, said intra-communications link interface transmitting second digital communication signals, which contain information contained in said first digital communication signals, over a second communications link to a digital services network interface at a third site to which a customer digital services communication device is coupled, said second communication signals having a second data rate, an arrangement for enabling performance of said second communications link to be monitored by way of a performance reporting communication path that is coupled to said intra-communications link interface at said second site comprising:

a performance monitoring unit, installed within said intra-communications link interface and being coupled to said second communication link, and being operative to monitor, during a communication interval in which said second digital communication signal are transmitted over said second communications link between said intra-communications link interface and said digital services network interface, at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link., without interrupting transmission of said second digital communication signals over said second communication link, and to store information signals representative of said at least one monitored prescribed performance aspect;
and
a performance information reporting unit, coupled to said performance monitoring unit, and being operative to supply output signals via said reporting communications path to a performance output recipient, said output signals being representative of said at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link.

For use with a telephone communication network containing a first communication link over which first digital communication signals are conveyed at a first data rate between a first site and a communications link interface unit at a second site, said second site further including a communication services channel unit coupled to said communications link interface unit and to a second communications link over which second digital communication signals are conveyed at a second data rate between said communication services channel unit at said second site and a digital communications network interface serving a customer site, a system for enabling performance of said second digital communications link to be monitored by way of a performance reporting communication path coupled to said communications link interface comprising:

a performance monitoring arrangement, coupled with said communications services channel unit and said digital communications network interface, and being operative to monitor, during a communication interval in which said second digital communication signals are conveyed over said second communications link between said communication services channel unit and said digital communications network interface, at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link, without interrupting conveyance of said second digital communication signals over said second communication link, and to store information signals representative of said at least one monitored prescribed performance aspect;
and
a performance information reporting unit, coupled with said communications link interface unit and said communications services channel unit, and being operative to supply output signals via said performance reporting communications path to a performance information recipient, said output signals being representative of said at least one prescribed performance aspect of said second communications link.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.