Apparatus and method for a remote access server

• US 6,282,193 B1
• Filed: 08/21/1998
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sonus Networks Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonus Network
• Inventors: Risica, Anthony J., Hluchyj, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/138,182
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 370/285, 370/290, 370/291, 370/356, 370/395, 370/401, 370/402, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/489, 370/355, 370/403, 370/352, 375/222, 375/377
• US Class Current: 370/356
• 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 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0435 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13107 Control equipment for a part of the connection, distributed control, co-processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13298 Local loop systems, access network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13396 Signaling in general, in-band signalling

Abstract

A remote access server and method for using the remote access server in a packet network. In one embodiment, the remote access server includes a packet switch fabric, a packet network server and a dial access server. The packet network server has a first port for sending and receiving packet-based signals with the packet switch fabric and a second port for sending and receiving packet-based signals with the packet network. The dial access server has a port for sending and receiving packet-based signals with the packet switch fabric and the dial access server has a first digital signal processor for performing signal processing on the packet-based signals. The packet switch fabric transfers packet-based signals among the packet network server, and the dial access server. In a further embodiment, the dial access server includes a second digital signal processor for performing signal processing on the packet-based signals. The first digital signal processor may be a channel signal processor and the second digital signal processor may be a packet protocol processor. The signal processors perform remote access signal processing. The packet protocol processor may perform dial-up Internet protocol support. The channel signal processor may perform modulation and demodulation of packet-based signals, transcoding of packet-based signals, and automatic modem adaptation.

Claims

1. A remote access server for a packet network, the remote access server comprising:

a packet switch fabric;

a packet network server having a first port for sending and receiving packet-based signals with the packet switch fabric and a second port for sending and receiving packet-based signals with the packet network; and

a dial access server having a port for sending packet-based signals to and receiving packet-based signals from the packet switch fabric, the dial access server having a first digital signal processor for performing signal processing on the packet-based signals;

wherein the packet switch fabric transfers packet-based signals among the packet network server, and the dial access server.

2. The remote access server according to claim 1, wherein the dial access server further comprises a second digital signal processor for performing signal processing on the packet-based signals.

3. The remote access server according to claim 2, wherein the first digital signal processor is a channel signal processor.

4. The remote access server according to claim 3, wherein the second digital signal processor is a packet protocol processor.

5. The remote access server according to claim 4, wherein the signal processing performed on the channel signal processor is channel signal processing.

6. The remote access server according to claim 5, wherein the signal processing performed on the packet protocol processor is packet protocol processing.

7. The remote access server according to claim 6, wherein, the packet protocol processing performed on the second digital signal processor of the dial access server is dial-up Internet protocol support.

8. The remote access server according to claim 1, wherein the first digital signal processor of the dial access server further performs remote access signal processing.

9. The remote access server according to claim 8, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is modulation and demodulation of packet-based signals.

10. The remote access server according to claim 8, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is transcoding of packet-based signals.

11. The remote access server according to claim 8, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is automatic modem adaptation.

12. The remote access server according to claim 6, wherein the packet switch fabric further comprises a switch for switching among the packet network server, and the dial access server.

13. The remote access server according to claim 6, wherein the packet switch fabric is a switching module.

14. The remote access server according to claim 6, wherein the packet switch fabric is a packet bus.

15. The remote access server according to claim 6, wherein the packet switch fabric is a cell bus.

16. The remote access server according to claim 6, further comprising:

a management server coupled to the packet switch fabric providing management of remote access server resources;

wherein the packet switch fabric also transfers packet-based signals to the management server.

17. The remote access server according to claim 14, wherein the dial access server comprises

a packet bus interface for interfacing with the packet bus and coupled to the channel signal processor;

wherein the channel signal processor is coupled to the packet protocol processor and the packet protocol processor is coupled to the packet bus interface.

18. The remote access server according to claim 17, wherein the packet bus interface further comprises a multiplexer.

19. The remote access server according to claim 1, wherein the remote access server is located in an area remote from an end office and operatively coupled to the end office via a telephony gateway.

20. The remote access server according to claim 19, wherein the gateway is located in a local call area for Internet Service Provider subscribers, in order to avoid long distance toll charges for the Internet Service Provider subscribers.

21. A remote access server for a packet network, the remote access server comprising:

a packet network server having a port for receiving an input packet-based signal from the packet network and for sending an output packet-based signal to the packet network; and

a dial access server having a port for sending a signal associated with the output packet-based signal to the packet network server and for receiving a signal associated with the input packet-based signal from the packet network server, the dial access server having a first digital signal processor for performing signal processing.

22. The remote access server according to claim 21, wherein the dial access server further comprises a second digital signal processor for performing signal processing.

23. The remote access server according to claim 22, wherein the first digital signal processor is a channel signal processor.

24. The remote access server according to claim 23, wherein the second digital signal processor is a packet protocol processor.

25. The remote access server according to claim 24, wherein the signal processing performed on the channel signal processor is channel signal processing.

26. The remote access server according to claim 25, wherein the signal processing performed on the packet protocol processor is packet protocol processing.

27. The remote access server according to claim 26, wherein the packet protocol processing performed on the second digital signal processor of the dial access server is dial-up Internet protocol support.

28. The remote access server according to claim 21, wherein the first digital signal processor of the dial access server further performs remote access signal processing.

29. The remote access server according to claim 21, further comprising:

a management server coupled to the packet network server and the dial access server providing management of remote access server resources.

30. A method for accessing a remote access server, the method comprising:

receiving a packet-based signal having embedded information packets into a packet network server;

transferring the packet-based signal from the packet network server to a packet switch fabric;

transferring the packet-based signal from the packet switch fabric to a dial access server;

performing signal processing on the packet-based signal, thereby extracting the embedded information packets;

transferring the information packets from the dial access server to the packet switch fabric;

transferring the information packets signal from the packet switch fabric to the packet network server;

sending the information packets from the packet network server.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the signal processing is remote access signal processing.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the remote access signal processing is transcoding.

33. The method for accessing a remote access server according to claim 30, wherein the remote access server is located in an area remote from an end office and operatively coupled to the end office via a telephony gateway.

34. The method for accessing a remote access server according to claim 33, wherein the gateway is located in a local call area for Internet Service Provider subscribers, in order to avoid long distance toll charges for the Internet Service Provider subscribers.

35. A method for accessing a remote access server, the method comprising:

receiving information packets into a packet network server;

transferring the information packets from the packet network server to a packet switch fabric;

transferring the information packets from the packet switch fabric to a dial access server;

performing signal processing on the information packets, thereby embedding the information packets into a packet-based signal;

transferring the packet-based signal from the dial access server to the packet switch fabric;

transferring the packet-based signal from the packet switch fabric to the packet network server;

sending the packet-based signal from the packet network server.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the signal processing is remote access signal processing.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the remote access signal processing is transcoding.

38. The method for accessing a remote access server according to claim 35, wherein the remote access server is located in an area remote from an end office and operatively coupled to the end office via a telephony gateway.

39. The method for accessing a remote access server according to claim 38, wherein the gateway is located in a local call area for Internet Service Provider subscribers, in order to avoid long distance toll charges for the Internet Service Provider subscribers.

40. A remote access server for a packet network, wherein the remote access server is located in an area remote from an end office and operatively coupled to the end office via a telephony gateway, the remote access server comprising:

a dial access server having a first digital signal processor for performing signal processing on packet-based signals; and

a packet network server in signal communication with the dial access server, the packet network server sending packet-based signals and receiving packet-based signals via the gateway.

41. The remote access server according to claim 40, wherein the dial access server redirects the packet-based signals to a second server in the packet network.

42. The remote access server according to claim 40, wherein the dial access server redirects the packet-based signals to a second server in the packet network via a second gateway.

43. The remote access server according to claim 40, wherein the remote access server has two or more packet network servers, and a packet switch fabric directing packet-based signals between at least one of the packet network servers and the dial access server.

44. The remote access server according to claim 43, wherein the remote access server has two or more dial access servers, the packet switch fabric directing packet-based signals between at least one packet network server and at least one dial access server.

45. The remote access server according to claim 43, wherein the packet switch fabric further comprises a switch for switching among the packet network server, and the dial access server.

46. The remote access server according to claim 44, wherein the packet switch fabric is a switching module.

47. The remote access server according to claim 44, wherein the packet switch fabric is a packet bus.

48. The remote access server according to claim 44, wherein the packet switch fabric is a cell bus.

49. The remote access server according to claim 44, further comprising:

a management server coupled to the packet switch fabric providing management of remote access server resources;

wherein the packet switch fabric also transfers packet-based signals to the management server.

50. The remote access server according to claim 40, wherein the dial access server further comprises a second digital signal processor for performing signal processing on the packet-based signals.

51. The remote access server according to claim 50, wherein the first digital signal processor is a channel signal processor.

52. The remote access server according to claim 51, wherein the second digital signal processor is a packet protocol processor.

53. The remote access server according to claim 52, wherein the signal processing performed on the channel signal processor is channel signal processing.

54. The remote access server according to claim 53, wherein the signal processing performed on the packet protocol processor is packet protocol processing.

55. The remote access server according to claim 54, wherein the packet protocol processing performed on the second digital signal processor of the dial access server is dial-up Internet protocol support.

56. The remote access server according to claim 40, wherein the first digital signal processor of the dial access server further performs remote access signal processing.

57. The remote access server according to claim 56, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is modulation and demodulation of packet-based signals.

58. The remote access server according to claim 56, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is transcoding of packet-based signals.

59. The remote access server according to claim 56, wherein the remote access signal processing performed on the first digital signal processor of the dial access server is automatic modem adaptation.