Remote communications server system

• US 6,091,737 A
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Multi-Tech Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Davis, Jeffrey P., Hong, Kevin, Sharma, Raghu, Johnson, Gregory R., Martenson, Dale W., Damodar, Bhat V, Narasimhan, Sundararajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pizarro, Ricardo M.
• Application Number:
  US08/970,644
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431, 370/432, 370/433, 370/435, 370/437, 370/438, 370/439, 370/448, 370/401, 375/222, 395/200.47, 395/200.49
• US Class Current: 370/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5618 Bridges, gateways [GW] or interworking units [IWU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/40 Constructional details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A remote communications server system enables multiple remote users simultaneous access to a network. The system connects a plurality of on-line sessions across multiple communication lines to the network. A unique combination of multiple buses, multiple processors, and a segmented design creates a distributed processing communications system having high throughput without the stability problems associated with gigabit bus speeds. Furthermore, the system supports a mixture of communication links and allows the substitution of one service type for another without affecting the remaining communication links. The system is scalable in that segments can be added as needed and the number of lines handled by a segment can be increased.

Claims

1. A communications server system for managing communication sessions between multiple remote users and a network, the communications server system comprising:

a network interface coupled to a plurality of connection segments through a first bus, the network interface operable for receiving outgoing network packets from a connection segment on the first bus and transmitting the outgoing network packets to the network, and for receiving incoming network packets from the network and transmitting the incoming network packets to a connection segment on the first bus;

the plurality of connection segments further coupled to a second bus, each one of the connection segments comprising;

a communications module for coupling to a telephone line and operable for transforming incoming telephone signals from the remote users into frames of incoming data and transmitting the frames of incoming data on the second bus, the communications module further operable for transforming frames of outgoing data received on the second bus into for the remote users; and

a remote access server processor for controlling the communication sessions through the one connection segment, the remote access server processor operable for converting the frames of incoming data received on the second bus into outgoing network packets and transmitting the outgoing network packets on the first bus, and for converting the incoming network packets received on the first bus into frames of outgoing data and transmitting the frames of outgoing data on the second bus; and

a system manager processor coupled to the plurality of connection segments through a third bus, the system manager processor operable for transmitting commands to each connection segment and for receiving status information from each connection segment on the third bus.

2. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the communications module of one of the plurality of connection segments comprises:

a T1 connection line interface operable for demultiplexing the incoming telephone signals from the remote users into incoming service channels for transmission on a fourth bus, and for multiplexing outgoing service channels on the fourth bus into outgoing telephone signals for transmission on the remote users; and

a plurality of modem modules coupled to the fourth bus, each modem module comprising;

a plurality of modems, each modem operable for demodulating incoming data from a service channel and for modulating outgoing data into the service channel; and

a modem module processor operable for receiving the demodulated data from the modems in the modem module and packing the demodulated data into frames of incoming data for transmission on the second bus, the modem module processor further operable for receiving frames of outgoing data from the second bus and sending the outgoing data in the received frames to the modems in the modem module.

3. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the communications module of one of the plurality of connection segments comprises a primary rate ISDN line interface operable for retrieving the frames of incoming data from a B channel of the incoming telephone signals for transmission on the second bus and further operable for inserting the frames of outgoing data received on the second bus into the B channel of the outgoing telephone signals.

4. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the communications module of one of the plurality of connection segments comprises:

a primary rate ISDN connection line interface operable for retrieving incoming modulated data from a B channel of the incoming telephone signals into incoming service channels for transmission on a fourth bus, and for inserting outgoing modulated data received in outgoing service channels on the fourth bus into a B channel of the outgoing telephone signals; and

a plurality of modem modules coupled to the fourth bus, each modem module comprising;

a plurality of modems, each modem operable for demodulating incoming modulated data from a service channel and for modulating outgoing data into the service channel; and

a modem module processor operable for receiving the demodulated data from the modems in the modem module and packing the demodulated data into frames of incoming data for transmission on the second bus, the modem module processor further operable for receiving frames of outgoing data from the second bus and sending the outgoing data in the received frames to the modems in the modem module.

5. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the communications module of one of the plurality of connection segments comprises a plurality of basic rate ISDN line interfaces, each basic rate ISDN interface operable for retrieving the frames of incoming data from a B channel of the incoming telephone signals for transmission on the second bus and further operable for inserting the frames of outgoing data received on the second bus into the B channel of the outgoing telephone signals.

6. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the first bus is an Ethernet standard bus.

7. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the second bus is a 16-bit parallel bus running at 8 megahertz.

8. The communications server system of claim 1, wherein the third bus is a serial bus running at 57,600 bits per second.

9. The communications server system of claim 2, wherein the fourth bus comprises a data bus and a control bus.

10. The communications server system of claim 9, wherein the control bus is an asynchronous serial bus running at 9600 bits per second.

11. A communications server system for managing communication sessions between multiple remote users and a network, the communications server system comprising:

a plurality of connection segments coupled to a first bus, each one of the connection segments comprising;

a communications line interface operable for managing data and control information in incoming telephone signals from the remote users and outgoing telephone signals to the remote users, the communications line interface selected from the group consisting of;

a T1 communications line interface,

a primary rate ISDN communications line interface, and

a basic rate ISDN communications line interface; and

a remote access server processor operable for transforming the data in the incoming telephone signals received from the communications line interface on the first bus into data for the network, and to transform the data from the network into the data for outgoing telephone signals for transmission to the communications line interface on the first bus;

a network interface coupled to the plurality of connection segments through a second bus, the network interface operable for managing data transferred between the remote access server processor for each of the plurality of connection segments and the network; and

a system manager processor coupled to the plurality of connection segments through a third bus, the system manager processor operable for controlling operation of the connection segments.

12. The communications server system of claim 11, wherein each connection segment comprising a T1 communications line interface further comprises:

a plurality of modem pools comprising a plurality of modems;

a plurality of modem pool processors coupled to the remote access server processor for the connection segment on a fourth bus, each modem pool processor further coupled to the modems in one of the modem pools and operable for managing data traversing the modems in the modem pool between the T1 communications line interface and the remote access server processor of the connection segment.

13. The communications server system of claim 11, wherein each one of the plurality of connection segments comprising a primary rate ISDN communications line interface further comprises:

a plurality of modem pools comprising a plurality of modems;

a plurality of modem pool processors coupled to the remote access server processor for the connection segment on a fourth bus, each modem pool processor further coupled to the modems in one of the modem pools and operable for managing data traversing the modems in the modem pool between the primary rate ISDN communications line interface and the remote access server processor of the connection segment.

14. A method of distributing processing requirements for communications sessions between multiple remote telephone users and a network, the method comprising:

dividing the communications sessions among a plurality of connection segments;

dedicating a communications line interface to each connection segment to manage data and control information in incoming telephone signals from the remote telephone users and outgoing telephone signals to the remote telephone users;

dedicating a remote access server processor to each connection segment to transform the data in the incoming telephone signals into data for the network, and to transform the data from the network into the data for the outgoing telephone signals;

coupling the communications line interface and the remote access server processor for each one of the plurality of connection segments to a first bus;

assigning a network interface to manage communication between the remote access server processors and the network;

coupling the remote access server processors and the network interface to a second bus;

assigning each communications session in a connection segment to a modem based on control information in the incoming telephone signals;

grouping the modem assigned to each communications session in a connection segment into a plurality of modem pools for the connection segment;

coupling a modem pool processor to the modems in a modem pool to manage data traversing the modems between the communications line interface of the connection segment and the remote access server processor of the connection segment; and

coupling the remote access server processor and the modem pool processors in the segment to a third bus.