Protocol and apparatus for selectively scanning a plurality of lines connected to a communication device
First Claim
1. A scanning protocol for scanning a plurality of serial transmission lines (26) connecting users'"'"' devices to scanning means (10, 16, 17) of a communication device, said lines being coupled to the scanning means through line interface couplers (LICs) (20) which are plugged to the scanning means at physical addresses whereby each line interface coupler LIC has a wired address corresponding to its physical address which is known to the scanning means, said protocol being characterized by the fact that, for each configuration of active line interface couplers effectively connected to active serial transmission lines each active line interface coupler LIC is re-addressable with a logical address corresponding to the wired address of any line interface coupler LIC in order to determine, for said configuration of active line interface couplers LICs, the shortest possible scanning scheme including only the active line interface couplers connected to active serial transmission lines, said scanning scheme being based upon the logical addresses.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A scanning protocol is provided for the scanning of a plurality of serial transmission lines connecting users'"'"' devices to the scanning means of a communication device, said lines being coupled to the scanning means through line interface couplers (LICs) having each a wired address (n,n'"'"', . . . ) known to the scanning means. This scanning protocol requires that for each LIC configuration, a given LICn having a wired address n be re-addressable with a logical address n'"'"' corresponding to the wired address of any other active LICn'"'"'. This is done in order to determine, for said LIC configuration, the shortest possible scanning scheme including all the active LICs. The re-addressing of a LICn of wired address n, with a logical address n'"'"', includes the steps of: resetting the LICn to be affected a logical address n'"'"'; setting the logical address n'"'"' into LICn; locking said logical address n'"'"' into said LICn, and enabling the lines (26) connected to LICn re-addressed with logical address n'"'"'.
-
Citations
8 Claims
- 1. A scanning protocol for scanning a plurality of serial transmission lines (26) connecting users'"'"' devices to scanning means (10, 16, 17) of a communication device, said lines being coupled to the scanning means through line interface couplers (LICs) (20) which are plugged to the scanning means at physical addresses whereby each line interface coupler LIC has a wired address corresponding to its physical address which is known to the scanning means, said protocol being characterized by the fact that, for each configuration of active line interface couplers effectively connected to active serial transmission lines each active line interface coupler LIC is re-addressable with a logical address corresponding to the wired address of any line interface coupler LIC in order to determine, for said configuration of active line interface couplers LICs, the shortest possible scanning scheme including only the active line interface couplers connected to active serial transmission lines, said scanning scheme being based upon the logical addresses.
Specification