US 6,680,940 B1 · System for transporting ethernet frames over very high speed digital subscriber lines

Abstract

An apparatus for and method of encapsulating Ethernet frames over a Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) transport facility. The VDSL frames are transmitted over a point to point VDSL link where they are subsequently extracted and forwarded as standard Ethernet frames. The VDSL facility transport system comprises an Ethernet to VDSL Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) coupled to a DSL Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) over a VDSL transport facility. The Ethernet to VDSL CPE functions to receive a 10 BaseT Ethernet signal and encapsulate the Ethernet frame into a VDSL frame for transmission over the VDSL facility. The DSLAM is adapted to receive VDSL frames, extract Ethernet frames therefrom and generate and output a standard Ethernet signal. Ethernet frames are encapsulated within VDSL frames and transmitted on the wire pair without regard to the state of the Tx and Rx SOC signals output by the VDSL transceiver.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An apparatus for encapsulating and extracting Ethernet frames to and from a Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) facility, comprising:

an Ethernet transceiver for receiving and transmitting Ethernet frames from and to an Ethernet source;
a VDSL transceiver for receiving and transmitting VDSL frames from and to said VDSL facility;
and
an Ethernet encapsulation/extraction (EEE) unit coupled to said Ethernet transceiver and said VDSL transceiver, the EEE unit operative to:
store Ethernet frames received from said Ethernet source by said Ethernet transceiver;
encapsulate within VDSL frames Ethernet frames received from said Ethernet source for transmission over said DSL facility by said VDSL transceiver;
extract Ethernet frames received from said VDSL facility by said VDSL transceiver;
and
store said Ethernet frames received from said VDSL facility for transmission to said Ethernet transceiver.

6 more elements

A Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) for encapsulating and extracting Ethernet frames to and from one or more Very high speed Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) facilities, comprising:

a plurality of VDSL transceivers for receiving and transmitting VDSL frames tom and to said VDSL facilities;
an Ethernet transceiver for receiving and transmitting Ethernet frames from and to an Ethernet source;
an Ethernet encapsulation/extraction (EEE) unit coupled to said plurality of VDSL transceivers and operative to:
extract Ethernet frames from said VDSL frames received from said VDSL facility;
store said Ethernet frames for transmission to said Ethernet transceiver;
store Ethernet frames received from said Ethernet source for subsequent encapsulation within VDSL frames for transmission over said VDSL facilities;
and
an Ethernet switch operative to provide switching functions for one or more bidirectional Ethernet frame streams to and from of said EEE and said Ethernet transceiver.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for transporting ethernet frames over very high speed digital subscriber lines

Life of this patent

System for transporting ethernet frames over very high speed digital subscriber lines

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25