Network architecture for intelligent network elements

• US 20040019876A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: PhyFlex Networks, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Inventors: Rege, Kiran M., Gupta, Dev V., Dravida, Subrahmanyam, Peralta, Frederick, Tandon, Manas
• Granted Patent: US 7,072,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/117
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5605 Fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5606 Metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5679 Arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 : relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 : by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 : Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 : using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 : Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

Hybrid fiber/coax networks employ the existing cable plant used for cable TV and transmit data signals in a frequency bandwidth above that which is used for cable TV. As this cable plant was deployed in a tree and branch topology, data transmissions may be susceptible to noise, variable transmission loss and frequency dispersion, particularly in the upstream direction. Further, due to the tree and branch topology, homes at the far end of the network experience much greater loss than do the homes that are near to the headend/ONU. The present system, which uses point-to-point data links between intelligent network elements located in the feeder/distribution network to provide reliable, secure, bi-directional broadband access. Digital signals are terminated at the intelligent network elements, switched and regenerated for transmission across additional upstream or downstream data links as needed to connect a home to a headend or router. The intelligent network elements can be co-located with or replace the standard network elements to take advantage of existing network configurations. The standard network elements can be selectively replaced by the intelligent network elements in an incremental approach. A tree-and-branch network architecture is therefore established in which each intelligent network element is assigned a routing ID employed in the point-to-point transmissions while leaving legacy analog signals unimpeded. In this manner, the data links are made over relatively short runs of coax cable, which can provide greater bandwidth than the typical end-to-end feeder/distribution connection between a home and the headend or optical network unit.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising

a plurality of intelligent network elements;

a plurality of connections, wherein the intelligent network elements are interconnected using point-to-point data links over a tree and branch network.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent network elements are addressable.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent network elements include an intelligent network interface unit at a home for communicating with a home local area network.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent network elements use priority level queuing for bandwidth management.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent network elements operate over the feeder/distribution network using bandwidth located above 860 MHz.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the feeder/distribution network is hybrid fiber/coax.

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the feeder/distribution network is all optical fiber.

8. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent network elements communicate with a topology server to enable automatic discovery of the network topology of the network elements.

9. The communication system of claim 8 wherein upon power up of an intelligent network element, the intelligent network element sends information to the topology server indicating the identity of neighboring devices such that the topology server is enabled to construct the network topology.

10. A communication network based on switches that provides quality of service, privacy, security and high bandwidth in both upstream and downstream directions on a hybrid fiber-coaxial cable plant.

11. A communications network architecture for interconnecting a plurality of communications elements comprising:

a plurality of intelligent network elements operable to transmit and receive data signals; and

a plurality of connections, each of the connections between an intelligent network element and at least one other intelligent network element for transmitting and receiving the data signals, the connections operable to transmit the data signals over point-to-point data links by the intelligent network elements.

12. The network architecture of claim 11 wherein the connections form a tree-and-branch topology.

13. The network architecture of claim 12 wherein the connections further comprise a preexisting network.

14. The network architecture of claim 13 wherein the preexisting network further comprises coaxial cable.

15. The network architecture of claim 13 wherein the preexisting network is operable in a first bandwidth and the intelligent network elements are operable to communicate in a second bandwidth.

16. The network architecture of claim 15 wherein the first bandwidth comprises legacy data signals and the second bandwidth comprises digital data signals.

17. The network architecture of claim 16 wherein the intelligent network elements form a broadband access network.

18. The network architecture of claim 17 wherein the broadband access network is connected to a public access network via an internetworking gateway.

19. The network architecture of claim 18 wherein the public access network is the Internet.

20. The network architecture of claim 18 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive electrical and optical signals and convert the received optical signals to electrical signals.

21. The network architecture of claim 18 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive electrical signals and convert a portion of the received electrical signals to optical signals.

22. The network architecture of claim 18 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive and transmit electrical and optical signals.

23. The network architecture of claim 18 wherein the internetworking gateway is an optical distribution switch (ODS).

24. The network architecture of claim 23 wherein the optical distribution switch is operable to communicate with the intelligent network elements via electrical signals.

25. The network architecture of claim 20 wherein the electrical signals are transmitted in the second bandwidth.

26. The network architecture of claim 23 wherein the broadband access network further comprises a feeder portion and a distribution portion.

27. The network architecture of claim 26 wherein the feeder portion is operable at a higher throughput than the distribution portion.

28. The network architecture of claim 26 wherein the feeder portion is operable to communicate with the ODS via electrical signals.

29. The network architecture of claim 28 wherein the ODS is operable to receive the optical signals from a headend.

30. The network architecture of claim 11 wherein each of the intelligent network elements has a unique routing ID (RID).

31. The network architecture of claim 23 wherein the data signals are transmitted in a downstream direction away from the ODS and transmitted in an upstream direction to the ODS.

32. A method of transmitting data in a computer network comprising

establishing a plurality of interconnected intelligent network elements operable to transmit data to other intelligent network elements;

and

providing a plurality of connections, each of the connections between an intelligent network element and at least one other intelligent network element for transmitting and receiving the data signals, the connections operable to transmit the data signals over point to point data links by the intelligent network elements.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the connections form a tree-and-branch topology.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the connections further comprise a preexisting network.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the preexisting network further comprises coaxial cable.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the preexisting network is operable in a first bandwidth and the intelligent network elements are operable to communicate in a second bandwidth.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the first bandwidth comprises legacy data signals and the second bandwidth comprises digital data signals.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the intelligent network elements further comprise a broadband access network.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the broadband access network is connected to a public access network via an internetworking gateway.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the public access network is the Internet.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive electrical and optical signals and convert the optical signals to electrical signals.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive electrical signals and convert the a portion of the electrical signals to optical signals.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein the internetworking gateway is operable to receive and transmit electrical and optical signals.

44. The method of claim 39 wherein the internetworking gateway is an optical distribution switch (ODS).

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the optical distribution switch is operable to communicate with the intelligent network elements via electrical signals.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the electrical signals are transmitted in the second bandwidth.

47. The method of claim 38 wherein the broadband access network further comprises a feeder portion and a distribution portion.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein the feeder portion is operable at a higher throughput than the distribution portion.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein the feeder portion is operable to communicate with the ODS via electrical signals.

50. The method of claim 45 wherein the optical signals are received from a headend.

51. The method of claim 44 wherein the data signals travel in a downstream direction away from the ODS and in an upstream direction to the ODS.

52. The method of claim 32 wherein each of the intelligent network elements has a unique routing ID (RID).

53. A computer program product including computer program code for

transmitting data in a computer network comprising

computer program code for establishing a plurality of interconnected intelligent network elements operable to transmit data to other intelligent network elements;

and

computer program code for providing a plurality of connections, each of the connections between an intelligent network element and at least one other intelligent network element for transmitting and receiving the data signals, the connections operable to transmit the data signals over point to point data links by the intelligent network elements.

54. A computer data signal having program code for transmitting data

in a computer network comprising:

program code for establishing a plurality of interconnected intelligent network elements operable to transmit data to other intelligent network elements; and

program code for providing a plurality of connections, each of the connections between an intelligent network element and at least one other intelligent network element for transmitting and receiving the data signals, the connections operable to transmit the data signals over point to point data links by the intelligent network elements.

55. A communications network architecture for interconnecting a

plurality of communications elements comprising:

means for establishing a plurality of interconnected intelligent network elements operable to transmit data to other intelligent network elements; and

means for providing a plurality of connections, each of the connections between an intelligent network element and at least one other intelligent network element for transmitting and receiving the data signals, the connections operable to transmit the data signals over point to point data links by the intelligent network elements.