Method and system for distributed processing of traffic in a telecommunications node

A method for processing asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) operation, administration, and management (OAM) traffic in a telecommunications node, comprising:

• receiving an ATM traffic stream at a line card of a telecommunications node, the ATM traffic stream including a plurality of discrete ATM cells, a portion of the ATM cells comprising OAM cells;
• at the line card, adding to each ATM cell received in the traffic stream a supplemental header including a loop-back tag;
• forwarding the ATM cells from the line card to a centralized ATM switch for the telecommunications node for identification at the centralized ATM switch OAM cells having the loop-back tag, the loop-back tag indicating that the ATM cells should be returned to the line card if the centralized ATM switch identifies the ATM cell as being an OAM cell such that processing of OAM cells will occur at the line card rather than at the centralized ATM switch;
• identifying OAM cells having the loop-back tag at the centralized ATM switch;
• at the centralized ATM switch, including an OAM tag in the supplemental header of cells determined by the centralized ATM switch to be OAM cells having the loop-back tag;
• returning OAM cells having the OAM tag included at the centralized ATM switch from the centralized ATM switch to the line card fo processing at the line card rather than at the centralized ATM switch;
• and
• processing at the line card the OAM cells returned from the centralized ATM switch having the OAM tag.

A telecommunications node, comprising:

• a line card operable to:
• receive a traffic stream including a plurality of discrete cells of plurality of types;
• and
• forward the cells to a centralized switch of the telecommunication node for identifying at the centralized switch cells of a particular type having a loop-back tag;
• the centralized switch, operable to:
• identify cells of the particular type having the loop-back tag;
• and
• return the cells identified at the centralized switch as being of the particular type having loop-back tag from the centralized switch to the line card for processing at the line card rather than at the centralized switch;
• and
• the line card operable to process the cells of the particular type having the loop-back tag returned from the centralized switch.

A line card for a telecommunications node, comprising:

• a port operable to receive a traffic stream including a plurality of discrete cells of a plurality of types;
• a traffic processor operable to:
• forward each cell along with a loop-back tag for the cell to a centralized switch for identifying at the centralized switch cells of a particular type having the loop-back tag, the loop-back tag indicating to the centralized switch that the cell is to be returned to the line card for processing at the line card if it is identified as being of a particular type having the loop-back tag;
• and
• receive cells identified at the centralized switch as being of the particular type having the loop-back tag from the centralized switch for processing at the line card rather than at the centralized switch;
• and
• process the cells of the particular type having the loop-back tag received from the centralized switch.

A method for processing traffic at a line card of a telecommunications node, comprising:

• receiving a traffic stream including a plurality of discrete cells at a line card of a plurality of types;
• forwarding each cell to a centralized switch along with a loop-back tag for identifying at the centralized switch cells of a particular type having the loop-back tag, the loop-back tag indicating to the centralized switch that the cell is to be returned to the line card if it is identified by the centralized switch as being of the particular type having the loop-back tag;
• and
• receiving from the centralized switch cells identified at centralized switch as being of the particular type hang the loop-back tag for processing at the line card rather than at the centralized switch;
• and
• processing at the line card cells identified at the centralized switch as being of the particular type having the loop-back tag.

A signal propagated on a transmission medium, the signal comprising:

• an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) operation, administration, and management (OAM) cell;
• a supplemental header added to the ATM OAM cell at a receiving line card of a telecommunications node, to supplemental header encapsulating the ATM OAM cell;
• and
• an OAM field in the supplemental header, the OAM field comprising a loop-back tag indicating to a centralized switch in the telecommunications node receiving the ATM OAM cell from the receiving line card that the ATM OAM cell is to be looped-back from the centralized switch to the receiving line card for processing at the receiving line card rather than at the centralized switch.

A signal propagated on a transmission medium, the signal comprising:

• an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) operation, administration, and management (OAM) cell;
• a supplemental header added to the ATM OAM cell at a line card of a telecommunications node, the supplemental header encapsulating the ATM OAM cell;
• and
• an OAM field in the supplemental header, the OAM field comprising a loon-back tag added by a centralized switch in the telecommunications node, the loop-back tag indicating to the line card in the telecommunications node receiving the ATM OAM cell from the centralized switch that the cell is an ATM OAM cell being looped-back by the centralized switch to the line card for processing at the line card rather than at the centralized switch.

A signal propagated on a transmission medium, the signal comprising:

• an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM operation, administration, and management (OAM) cell;
• a supplemental header added to the ATM OAM cell at a line of a telecommunications node, the supplemental header capsulating the ATM OAM cell;
• and
• an OAM field in the supplemental header, the OAM field comprising a tag indicating to a centralized switch in the telecommunications node receiving the ATM OAM cell from the line card that the ATM OAM cell is to be passed-through the centralized switch rather than looped-back to the line card for processing.

A method for distributed processing of traffic in a telecommunications node, comprising:

• receiving a traffic stream at a line card of a telecommunications node, the traffic stream including a plurality of discrete cells of a plurality of types;
• at the line card, adding to each cell received in the traffic stream a supplemental header including a loop-back tag;
• forwarding the cells from the line card to a centralized switch of the telecommunications node for identifying at the centralized switch control cells having the loop-back tag, the loop-back tag indicating that the cells should be returned to the line card if the centralized switch identifies the cell as being of the particular type such that processing of cells of the particular type will occur at the line card rather than at the centralized switch;
• identifying control cells having the loop-back tag at the centralized switch;
• returning control cells identified at the centralized switch as having the loop-back tag from the centralized switch to the line card for processing at the line card rather than at the centralized switch;
• and
• processing at the line card the control cells having the loop-back tag returned from the centralized switch.