Dual-speed stackable repeater with internal bridge for cascading or speed-linking
First Claim
1. A dual-speed stackable repeater unit comprising:
- a first connection to a first stacking bus that operates at a first network speed;
a second connection to a second stacking bus that operates at a second network speed;
a plurality of ports for connecting to network stations, the plurality of ports including first ports operating at the first network speed and second ports operating at the second network speed;
an internal repeater, coupled to the first and second stacking buses by the first and second connections, for repeating data received from one of the first ports to all other first ports and to the first stacking bus, and for repeating data received from one of the second ports to all other second ports and to the second stacking bus;
an internal bridge, coupled to the first stacking bus and coupled to the second stacking bus, for storing data packets from the first stacking bus and forwarding the stored data packets to the second stacking bus;
a buffered cascading port, coupled to the internal bridge, for receiving data packets from an external repeater, the internal bridge forwarding the packets to the first and second stacking buses; and
a switch, coupled between the internal bridge and the second stacking bus, for disconnecting the internal bridge from the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a cascading unit, but for connecting the internal bridge to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a linking unit, wherein the internal bridge in the repeater unit links the first stacking bus to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a linking unit, but the internal bridge in the repeater unit not linking the first stacking bus to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a cascading unit, whereby the internal bridge buffers packets from the external repeater on the buffered cascading port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Repeater units in a stack are identical. Each repeater unit has an internal repeater and an internal bridge. The repeater stack is dual-speed, with each repeater connecting to a 10 Mbps (10M) backplane bus and to a 100 Mbps (100M) backplane bus in the stack'"'"'s chassis. The internal repeater has a 10M repeater circuit that connects 10M ports to the 10M bus, and a 100M repeater circuit that connects 100M ports to the 100M bus. Ports are configured for either 10M or 100M operation. Data from 10M ports is repeated to all other 10M ports and to the 10M bus, but not to 100M ports or the 100M bus. Instead, a 10M port is connected to the internal bridge, which is also connected to a 100M port. The internal bridge stores and forwards packets to and from the 10M port and the 100M port. Only one internal bridge in the stack is configured to link the 10M and 100M ports. Other internal bridges are configured to connect a cascading port to the internal repeater. The cascading port is buffered by the internal bridge. This buffering allows external repeaters to be cascaded without regard to the repeater limit. Repeater units in the stack can be automatically configured to enable only the first internal bridge for 10/100M linking, with the other repeater units'"'"'internal bridges configured for cascading.
72 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A dual-speed stackable repeater unit comprising:
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a first connection to a first stacking bus that operates at a first network speed;
a second connection to a second stacking bus that operates at a second network speed;
a plurality of ports for connecting to network stations, the plurality of ports including first ports operating at the first network speed and second ports operating at the second network speed;
an internal repeater, coupled to the first and second stacking buses by the first and second connections, for repeating data received from one of the first ports to all other first ports and to the first stacking bus, and for repeating data received from one of the second ports to all other second ports and to the second stacking bus;
an internal bridge, coupled to the first stacking bus and coupled to the second stacking bus, for storing data packets from the first stacking bus and forwarding the stored data packets to the second stacking bus;
a buffered cascading port, coupled to the internal bridge, for receiving data packets from an external repeater, the internal bridge forwarding the packets to the first and second stacking buses; and
a switch, coupled between the internal bridge and the second stacking bus, for disconnecting the internal bridge from the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a cascading unit, but for connecting the internal bridge to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a linking unit, wherein the internal bridge in the repeater unit links the first stacking bus to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a linking unit, but the internal bridge in the repeater unit not linking the first stacking bus to the second stacking bus when the repeater unit is configured as a cascading unit, whereby the internal bridge buffers packets from the external repeater on the buffered cascading port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
whereby the buffered cascading port is disabled when the repeater unit is configured as the linking unit. -
4. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 2 further comprising:
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multiple buffered cascading ports, for coupling to external repeaters, each of the multiple buffered cascading ports coupled to the internal bridge, whereby multiple external repeaters are coupled to the internal bridge.
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5. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 2 wherein the buffered cascading port can operate at the first network speed or at the second network speed.
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6. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 2 wherein the buffered cascading port is directly coupled to the internal bridge, bypassing the switch,
whereby the buffered cascading port is enabled when the repeater unit is configured as the linking unit and when the repeater unit is configured as the cascading unit. -
7. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 2 wherein the internal repeater further comprises:
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a first bridge port operating at the first network speed; and
a second bridge port operating at the second network speed;
wherein data received from the first bridge port is repeated to all first ports and to the first stacking bus;
wherein data received from the second bridge port is repeated to all second ports and to the second stacking bus;
whereby the internal bridge is coupled to the first stacking bus through the first bridge port of the internal repeater.
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8. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 7 wherein the internal repeater comprises a first internal repeater containing the first bridge port and a second internal repeater containing the second bridge port.
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9. The dual-speed stackable repeater unit of claim 2 wherein each port in the plurality of ports is configured as a first port or as a second port by auto-negotiation for the first or second network speed with a remote network station attached to each port,
whereby repeater ports are dual-speed ports.
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10. A repeater stack comprising:
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a first stacking bus operating at a first network speed;
a second stacking bus operating at a second network speed;
a plurality of repeater units coupled to the first and second stacking buses, each repeater unit in the plurality of repeater units comprising;
a first internal repeater having ports for connecting to remote network stations operating at the first or the second network speeds, the first internal repeater repeating data received from a port operating at the first network speed to all other ports operating at the first network speed and to the first stacking bus, the first internal repeater repeating data received from a port operating at the second network speed to all other ports operating at the second network speed and to the second stacking bus;
a second internal repeater having ports for connecting to remote network stations operating at the first or the second network speeds, the second internal repeater repeating data received from a port operating at the first network speed to all other ports operating at the first network speed and to the first stacking bus, the second internal repeater repeating data received from a port operating at the second network speed to all other ports operating at the second network speed and to the second stacking bus;
an internal bridge, coupled to a port of the first internal repeater operating at the first network speed, for storing entire packets of data and for re-transmitting stored packets at a same or a different network speed;
a cascading port for connecting to an external repeater; and
a switch, coupled to the internal bridge, the cascading port, and to a port of the second internal repeater operating at the second network speed, the switch connecting the internal bridge to the second internal repeater when configured for linking the first and second stacking busses, but the switch connecting the internal bridge to the cascading port when configured for cascading;
wherein a primary repeater unit has the switch configured for linking, the internal bridge of the primary repeater unit storing and re-transmitting packets between the first repeater at the first network speed and the second repeater at the second network speed;
wherein cascading repeater units have the switch configured for cascading, the internal bridge of a cascading repeater unit buffering packets from the cascading port, whereby internal bridges in the repeater units are used for linking and for cascading. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
whereby network loops are avoided. -
13. The repeater stack of claim 12 wherein the external repeaters are each in separate collision domains, wherein the internal bridges buffer a collision domain of the first repeaters and the first stacking bus from external collision domains of external repeaters connected to the cascading ports,
whereby the repeater stack does not count toward a repeater limit of collision domains of external repeaters coupled to the cascading ports. -
14. The repeater stack of claim 13 wherein the first network speed is 100 Mbps and the second network speed is 10 Mbps.
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15. The repeater stack of claim 13 wherein the first and second repeaters repeat data bits to other ports as data bits are received, but the internal bridges wait for an entire data packet of data bits is received and stored before re-transmitting the data packet.
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16. The repeater stack of claim 13 wherein the cascading port operates at either the first network speed or at the second network speed,
whereby the cascading port is a dual-speed port. -
17. The repeater stack of claim 13 wherein the switch comprises multiplexers configured by a mechanical switch.
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18. The repeater stack of claim 17 further comprising:
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auto-configuration means, coupled to the switch in each repeater unit, for configuring one repeater unit as the primary repeater unit and for configuring all other repeater units as cascading repeater units, whereby the switches are auto-configured.
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19. The repeater stack of claim 13 wherein the cascading port converts analog signals from the external repeater to digital signals to the internal bridge and wherein ports of the first and second internal repeaters convert analog signals from external network stations to digital signals, but the first and second i internal repeaters send and receive digital signals to the internal bridge.
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20. A stackable repeater unit comprising:
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first bus means for communicating data bits to and from other stackable repeater units at a first network speed;
second bus means for communicating data bits to and from other stackable repeater units at a second network speed;
a plurality of dual-speed ports for connecting to external network stations operating at the first network speed or operating at the second network speed;
repeater means, coupled to the dual-speed ports and coupled to the first bus means and to the second bus means, for repeating data bits received at the first network speed to the first bus means and to all dual-speed ports configured for operating at the first network speed, and for repeating data bits received at the second network speed to the second bus means and to all dual-speed ports configured for operating at the second network speed;
first bridge-port means, on the repeater means, for sending and receiving data bits at the first network speed;
second bridge-port means, on the repeater means, for sending and receiving data bits at the second network speed;
bridge means, permanently coupled to the second bridge-port means and switchably connected to the first bridge-port means, for storing packets from the first bridge-port means containing a plurality of the data bits sent at the first network speed and transmitting stored packets of the data bits to the second bridge-port means at the second network speed;
cascading port means, for coupling to an external repeater not in a same stack as the stackable repeater unit; and
switch means, coupled between the bridge means and the first bridge-port means, for connecting the first bridge-port means to the bridge means when the stackable repeater unit is configured for linking the first bus means to the second bus means, but for connecting the cascading port means to the bridge means when the stackable repeater unit is not configured for linking, whereby the stackable repeater unit is configured for linking or for the buffering the cascading port means.
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Specification