Internet access over a ring network
AssigneeADC Telecommunications, Inc.
InventorMichael H. Coden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A telecommunications network is provided. The network uses a ring of ring switches to provide a transport mechanism for data packets that is transparent to the data and protocols contained in the data packets. This transport mechanism is simple and low cost to implement. Such networks can carry, for example, data to and from the Internet to a subscriber with a cable modem hook-up to a cable network or a DSL modem connection to a copper wire DSL enabled telephone network.
Claims28
A telecommunications network comprising:
- a primary site coupled to the Internet;
- at least one secondary site that provides connections over a local network to and from subscribers;
- the primary site and the at least one secondary site each including at least one ring switch, wherein the ring switches are interconnected to form a transport ring;
- and
- the ring switches each using at least one table that tracks the identity of network devices associated with each port of the ring switch based on source identifiers of data packets received at the ports of the ring switch and wherein data packets received at a ring port that are not destined for a network device associated with a local port of the ring switch are switched to another ring switch based on the at least one table without the use of a token or encapsulating the data packet.
A method for providing access to the Internet, the method comprising:
- receiving a request for data from a destination network device;
- receiving the requested data from the Internet;
- placing packets that contain the requested data on a ring network that includes ring switches that each use a table adapted to self-learn which network devices are associated with each port of the ring switch;
- selectively switching the packets around the ring network based on a destination identifier of the packets using the table without the use of a token or encapsulating the data packet;
- and
- removing the packets from the ring at a local port of the ring switch when the destination identifier and the table for the ring switch indicate that the destination network device is located on a local port of the ring switch.
A network comprising:
- a primary site that is coupled to the Internet;
- at least on secondary site that provides access to subscribers;
- and
- a ring of ring switches that communicatively couple the primary site and the at least one secondary site in a ring, each ring switch having a table adapted to self-learn network devices associated with each port of the ring switch such that the ring switch associates destination identifiers with ports of the ring switch to switch data packets between the Internet and the subscribers based on at lease one destination identifier in the data packets without the use of a token or encapsulating the data packets.
A method for exchanging data with the Internet, the method comprising:
- placing the data in packets on a ring network that includes ring switches that each include a table adapted to self-learn network devices associated with each port of the ring switch;
- selectively switching the packets around and off the ring network based on destination identifiers of the packets using the table without the use of a token or encapsulating the data packets;
- and
- selectively removing the packets based on a source identifier when the source identifier is associated with a local port of the ring switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.