Distributed intelligence MAC protocols for DWDM ring networks

• US 20060092958A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ljubisa Tancevski
• Original Assignee: Ljubisa Tancevski
• Inventors: Tancevski, Ljubisa
• Application Number:
  US11/311,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092958A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/404
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0238 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-many, e.g. multicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0241 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-one, e.g. unicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/43 with synchronous transmission, e.g. time division multiplex [TDM], slotted rings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/728 for backup paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/806 Broadcast or multicast traffic

Abstract

A metropolitan access network (10) uses a variation of a MAC protocol, where each station (14) on a ring (12) is associated with one or more time slot (30). Each slot carries information regarding the associated station, basic connection fields (32), communications fields (34), and quality of service fields (36). Each station maintains its own local database regarding the status of the network (10) by reading the information in each time slot (30).

Claims

1. A network comprising:

a network ring for providing communication on a plurality of channels, wherein at least one of said channels passes control information;

multiple devices operable to communicate with one another over a selected channel on the network ring, each device including circuitry for;

generating control information related to its current communication status and transmitting said control information on said ring; and

reading control information related to other devices from said ring and maintaining a local database of the current communications status of the devices.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein one of said channels is a control channel having a plurality of time slots, each time slot carrying control information regarding an associated device.

3. The network of claim 2 wherein each device is associated with one or more time slots.

4. The network of claim 2 wherein the control information in one of the time slots may be changed only by the associated device.

5. The network of claim 1 wherein each device generates control information about whether it is currently communicating with one or more other devices.

6. The network of claim 5 wherein each device generates control information including a channel identifier, if the device is currently communicating with another device.

7. The network of claim 1 wherein each device generates control information regarding the data rate of a communication.

8. The network of claim 1 wherein each device generates quality of service control information.

9. The network of claim 8 wherein said quality of service information includes information indicating whether a current communication is time-sensitive.

10. The network of claim 8 wherein said quality of service information includes information indicating whether a current communication is a best effort communication.

11. The network of claim 1 wherein at least one of said channels passes both data and control information.

12. A method of communicating between multiple devices on a network, comprising the step of:

providing communication for a plurality of channels on a network ring;

passing control information on at least one of said channels;

at each device, generating control information related to a current communication status of the device and transmitting said control information on said ring; and

at each device, reading control information related to other devices from said ring and maintaining a local database of the current communications status of the devices.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein each device transmits its control information to one of said channels designated as a control channel.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said control channels is divided into a plurality of time slots, each time slot carrying control information regarding an associated device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each device is associated with one or more time slots.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the control information in one of the time slots may be changed only by the associated device.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said generating step by each device includes the step of, at each device, generating control information about whether it is currently communicating with one or more other devices.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein each device generates control information including a channel identifier, if the device is currently communicating with another device.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein each device generates control information regarding the data rate of a communication.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein each device generates quality of service control information.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said quality of service information includes information indicating whether a current communication is time-sensitive.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said quality of service information includes information indicating whether a current communication is a best effort communication.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of said channels passes both data and control information.