Interface apparatus and frequency-fluctuation test method

An interface apparatus in a network in which data to be transmitted is assembled into a fixed-length cell and then sent, said interface apparatus having transmitting section and a receiving section, said receiving section including:

• a cell disassembler for disassembling a cell received from the network into user data and reception timing information, and outputting the user data in sync with a receiving user clock;
• timing information generating means for generating test reception timing information;
• selecting means for selecting the reception timing information, which is output from said cell disassembler, during ordinary communication, and selecting the test reception timing information during a test;
• means for generating internal timing information, which constitutes timing information of the receiving user clock, using a network clock and the receiving user clock;
• and
• receiving user clock generating means for adjusting and outputting the timing of the receiving user clock in such a manner that a difference between the internal timing information and the reception timing information selected by said selecting means become zero.

An interface apparatus in a network in which data to be transmitted is assembled into a fixed-length cell and then sent, said interface apparatus having transmitting section and a receiving section, said transmitting section including:

• first transmission-timing information generating means for generating transmission timing information, which constitutes timing information of a sending user clock, using a network clock and the sending user clock, which is synchronized to sending user data;
• second transmission-timing information generating means for generating test transmission timing information;
• selecting means for selecting the transmission timing information, which is output by said first transmission-timing information generating means, during ordinary communication, and for selecting the test transmission timing information during a first test;
• and
• cell assembling means for assembling the sending user data and the transmission timing information selected by the selector into a fixed-length cell and sending the cell to a network;
• and
• said receiving section including:
• a cell disassembler for disassembling a cell received from the network into user data and reception
• timing information, and outputting the user data in sync with a receiving user clock;
• timing information generating means for generating test reception timing information;
• selecting means for selecting the reception timing information, which is output from said cell disassembler, during ordinary communication, and selecting the test reception timing information during a second test;
• means for generating internal timing information, which constitutes timing information of the receiving user clock, using a network clock and the receiving user clock;
• and
• receiving user clock generating means for adjusting and outputting the timing of the receiving user clock in such a manner that a difference between the internal timing information and the reception timing information selected by said selecting means become zero.

A method of conducting a frequency-fluctuation test in a network in which data to be transmitted is assembled into a fixed-length cell and then sent, comprising the following steps in a transmitting section of an interface apparatus:

• generating test transmission timing information;
• assembling sending user data and the test transmission timing information into a fixed-length cell;
• and
• sending the fixed-length cell to an opposite station apparatus via the network;
• and
• the following steps in said opposite-station apparatus:
• disassembling a cell received from the network into user data and test transmission timing information as reception timing information and outputting the user data in sync with a receiving user clock;
• generating internal timing information, which constitutes timing information of the receiving user clock, using a network clock and the receiving user clock;
• adjusting and outputting the timing of the receiving user clock in such a manner that a difference between the internal timing information and the reception timing information becomes zero;
• and
• monitoring a frequency-fluctuation by measuring the timing of the receiving user clock and checking whether said timing of the receiving user clock is normally controlled or not in said opposite-station based upon the frequency-fluctuation.

A method of conducting a frequency-fluctuation test in a network in which data to be transmitted is assembled into a fixed-length cell and then sent, comprising the following steps in a receiving section of an interface apparatus:

• disassembling a cell received from the network into user data and reception timing information, and outputting the user data in sync with a receiving user clock;
• generating test reception timing information;
• generating internal timing information, which constitutes timing information of the receiving user clock, using a network clock and the receiving user clock;
• adjusting and outputting the timing of the receiving user clock in such a manner that a difference between internal timing information and the test reception timing information becomes zero;
• and
• monitoring a frequency-fluctuation by measuring the timing of the receiving user clock, and checking whether said timing of the receiving user clock is normally controlled or not in said receiving section based upon the frequency-fluctuation.