Multi-stage SONET overhead processing
AssigneeNetwork Elements, Inc.
InventorI. Claude Denton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An overhead processor processes overhead bytes in a stream of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple levels. In one embodiment, the overhead processor includes three stages. A first stage provides access for external processing of a first set of overhead bytes in the stream of SONET frames. A second stage is programmable to process a second set of overhead bytes in the stream of SONET frames. A third stage processes a third set of overhead bytes in each frame in the stream of SONET frames.
Claims34
An apparatus comprising:
- an overhead processor including a plurality of processing stages, each of the plurality of processing stages to provide a separate access mechanism for processing a plurality of overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames, wherein the plurality of processing stages comprise:
- a first stage to provide access to an entire set of the plurality of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames for external processing;
- a second stage to programmably process a programmable set of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames;
- and
- a third stage to process a fixed set of overhead bytes in each of the plurality of SONET frames.
A method comprising:
- processing a plurality of overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple stages, each of the multiple stages to use a separate access mechanism to the plurality of overhead bytes, wherein the multiple stages comprise:
- providing access for external processing of an entire set of the plurality of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames;
- programmably processing a programmable set of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames;
- and
- processing a fixed set of overhead bytes in each of the plurality of SONET frames.
A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions that when executed implement a method comprising:
- processing a plurality of overhead bytes in a plurality of Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) frames in multiple stages, each of the multiple stages to use a separate access mechanism to the plurality of overhead bytes, wherein the multiple stages comprise:
- providing access for external processing of an entire set of the plurality of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames;
- programmably processing a programmable set of overhead bytes in the plurality of SONET frames;
- and
- processing a fixed set of overhead bytes in each of the plurality of SONET frames.
A multi-stage Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) processor to process a plurality of reserved overhead bytes in a plurality of SONET frames comprising:
- a rate buffering unit to provide access for external processing of the reserved overhead bytes in each of the plurality of SONET frames, said rate buffering unit to capture and/or insert the overhead bytes at a SONET frequency and to provide and/or receive the overhead bytes at an external processing rate;
- a plurality of capture and/or insertion units to programmably process a programmable set of the reserved overhead bytes, each of said plurality of capture and/or insertion units comprising a memory unit and a configurable byte selector, each configurable byte selector to be programmed with a particular reserved overhead byte location in each of the plurality of SONET frames, each memory unit to be written to and/or read from in bursts from external processing and to write to and/or read from the particular reserved overhead byte location in each of the plurality of SONET frames;
- and
- a fixed-function hardware unit to process a fixed set of the reserved overhead bytes to provide standard SONET overhead functions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.