Upper layer network device including a physical layer test port

• US 7,054,272 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Noel, Chris R, Simons, Corey, Kidder, Joseph D, Langrind, Nicholas A, Branscomb, Brian, Madsen, Jonathan D
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RYMAN, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US09/616,477
• Time in Patent Office: 2,146 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/242, 370/244, 370/245, 370/248, 370/249, 370/250, 370/389, 370/390, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 370/404, 370/471, 370/472
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides an upper layer network device with one or more physical layer data test ports. The data supplied to the test ports reflects the data received by the network device with minimal modification and no upper layer translation or processing, and supplying the data to the test ports does not impact or disrupt the service provided by the network device. Only a small portion of the network device need be operable to send data to the test ports. In addition, the test ports are programmable while the network device is operating and without impacting its operation. Moreover, because the test ports are programmable—that is, they are not dedicated—they may be re-programmed for normal device operation.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a physical layer subsystem for transferring network data in accordance with a physical layer protocol, said physical layer subsystem comprising a physical layer working port connected to a first physical network attachment and a cross-connection subsystem;

an upper layer subsystem for transferring the network data in accordance with an upper layer protocol and coupled with the physical layer subsystem; and

wherein the physical layer subsystem further includes a physical layer test port coupled to the physical layer subsystem and the upper layer subsystem and connected to a second physical network attachment,

wherein said cross-connection subsystem transfers network data between the physical layer working port and the upper layer subsystem and multicasts a portion of the network data to the physical layer test port wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem; and

wherein said test port is programmed while the network device is operating to function as a working port for normal data transfer while maintaining uninterrupted service provided by said network device.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the cross-connection subsystem comprises a cross-connection card, the physical layer subsystem includes a port card including the working port and the test port and connected to the cross-connection card, and the upper layer subsystem includes a forwarding card connected to the cross-connection card.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the cross-connection subsystem comprises a cross-connection card, wherein the physical layer subsystem comprises a first port card including the working port and a second port card including the test port, wherein the first and second port cards are connected to the cross-connection card, and the upper layer subsystem includes a forwarding card connected to the cross-connection card.

4. The network device of claim 3, wherein the first port card further includes a second test port.

5. The network device of claim 3, wherein the second port card further includes a second test port.

6. The network device of claim 3, wherein the physical layer subsystem further includes a third port card including a second test port and wherein the third port card is connected to the cross-connection card.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein the cross-connection subsystem comprises a first cross-connection card and a second cross-connection card, wherein the physical layer subsystem comprises a first port card connected to the first cross-connection card and a second port card connected to the second cross-connection card, and wherein the upper layer subsystem comprises a first forwarding card connected to the first cross-connection card and a second forwarding card connected to the second cross-connection card.

8. The network device of claim 7, wherein the first and second cross-connection cards are connected and the first port card includes the working port and the second port card includes the test port.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the network data comprises a received portion of the network data.

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the received portion of the network data comprises at least one path.

11. The network device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the network data comprises a transmit portion of the network data.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the transmit portion of the network data comprises at least one path.

13. The network device of claim 1, wherein the physical layer test port is a first physical layer test port and the physical layer subsystem further comprises:

a second physical layer test port coupled to the physical layer subsystem and the upper layer subsystem and connected to a third physical network attachment.

14. The network device of claim 13, wherein the cross-connection subsystem multicasts another portion of the network data to the second physical layer test port.

15. The network device of claim 1, wherein the physical layer working port is a first physical layer working port and wherein the physical layer subsystem further includes:

a second physical layer working port connected to a third physical network attachment.

16. The network device of claim 1, wherein the first physical network attachment comprises an input optical fiber and output optical fiber.

17. The network device of claim 1, wherein the first physical network attachment comprises an input cable and an output cable.

18. The network device of claim 1, wherein the physical layer protocol comprises SONET.

19. The network device of claim 1, wherein the physical layer protocol comprises Ethernet.

20. The network device of claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol comprises ATM.

21. The network device of claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol comprises MPLS.

22. The network device of claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol comprises IP.

23. The network device of claim 1, wherein the upper layer protocol comprises Frame Relay.

24. A network device, comprising:

an upper layer subsystem for transferring network data in accordance with an upper layer protocol;

a physical layer subsystem for transferring the network data with the upper layer subsystem and including a plurality of ports connected to physical network attachments, wherein one or more of said ports being designated as physical layer test ports and one or more of said ports being designated as working ports, wherein at least one of said test ports is programmed to function as a working port for normal transfer of data;

a cross-connection subsystem for transferring the network data between the upper layer subsystem and the working ports and for multicasting a portion of the network data to at least one of the test ports;

wherein said cross-connection subsystem transfers network data between the physical layer working port and the upper layer subsystem and multicasts a portion of the network data to the physical layer test port wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem;

wherein the cross-connection subsystem programs said at least one test port while the network device is operating to function as a working port for normal data transfer while maintaining uninterrupted service provided by said network device.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the test ports comprise a first test port and a second test port and wherein the cross-connection subsystem multicasts a portion of the network data to the first test port and another portion of the network data to the second test port.

26. The network device of claim 24, wherein the working ports comprise a first working port and a second working port and wherein the cross-connection subsystem transfers network data between the upper layer subsystem and the first and second working ports and multicasts a first portion of the network data transferred between the upper layer subsystem and the first working port to one of the test ports and a second portion of the network data transferred between the upper layer subsystem and the second working port to the test port.

27. The network device of claim 24, wherein the cross-connection subsystem transfers data from at least one of the test ports to at least one of the working ports.

28. A network device, comprising:

an upper layer subsystem for transferring network data in accordance with an upper layer protocol;

a physical layer subsystem including a plurality of ports connected to physical network attachments, wherein the plurality of ports include a working port and a test port; and

a cross-connection subsystem coupled to the upper layer subsystem and the physical layer subsystem and programmed to transfer the network data between the upper layer subsystem and the working port and to multicast a portion of the network data to the test port wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem,

wherein at least one of said network attachments is a test equipment and wherein said test port transmits test data from said test equipment to said any of said physical layer subsystem and said cross-connection subsystem;

wherein said at least one test port is programmed while the network device is operating to function as a working port for normal data transfer while maintaining uninterrupted service provided by said network device.

29. The network device of claim 28, wherein the test port is a first test port, the plurality of ports further comprises a second test port and the cross-connection subsystem is programmed to multicast another portion of the network data to the second test port.

30. The network device of claim 28, wherein the cross-connection subsystem is further programmed to send the network data from the upper layer subsystem to the working port and test data from the test port to the upper layer subsystem.

31. The network device of claim 28, wherein the working port is a first working port, the plurality of ports includes a second working port and the cross-connection subsystem is further programmed to transfer the network data between the upper layer subsystem and the first and second working ports and to multicast a first portion of the network data transferred between the upper layer subsystem and the first working port to the test port and to multicast a second portion of the network data transferred between the upper layer subsystem and the second working port to the test port.

32. A method of operating a network device, comprising:

transferring network data between a physical layer working port within a physical layer subsystem and a physical network attachment coupled with another network device;

transferring network data between the working port and an upper layer subsystem; and

providing another port within said physical layer subsystem programmed to function as a test port or another working port;

programming said another port to function as a test port while the network device is operating without disrupting or slowing service provided by said network device; and

sending a copy of a portion of the network data transferred between the working port and the upper layer subsystem to the physical layer test port with no translation or processing by said upper layer subsystem.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sending a copy of another portion of the network data transferred between the physical layer subsystem and the upper layer subsystem to the test port.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

sending the copy of the portion of the network data transferred between the working port and the upper layer subsystem to another test port.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein sending a copy of a portion of the network data transferred between the working port and the upper layer subsystem to a physical layer test port comprises:

programming a cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between the working port, the upper layer subsystem and the test port.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

re-programming the cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between the working port, the upper layer subsystem and another test port.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

re-programming the cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between another working port, the upper layer subsystem and the test port.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein sending a copy of a portion of the network data transferred between the working port and the upper layer subsystem to a physical layer test port comprises:

programming a cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between the working port and the upper layer subsystem and between a receiver of the working port and the test port.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein sending a copy of a portion of the network data transferred between the working port and the upper layer subsystem to a physical layer test port comprises:

programming a cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between the working port and the upper layer subsystem and between a transmitter of the upper layer subsystem and the test port.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising

programming a cross-connection subsystem to provide connections between a transmitter of the upper layer subsystem and a connection of the working port for transmitting data to another network device and between a receiver of the upper layer subsystem and a connection of the test port for receiving data from the network attachment.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein the portion of the network data comprises at least one path.

42. A network device, comprising:

a plurality of ports connected to external physical network attachments wherein at least one of said ports is programmed as a test port or a working port while the network device is operating; and

a cross-connection subsystem for transfering network data between said at least one port and an upper layer subsystem wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem.

43. The network device of claim 42, wherein the physical layer subsystem transfers network data in accordance with SONET protocol.

44. The network device of claim 42, wherein at least one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a test port and at least one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a working port and the physical layer subsystem further includes:

a cross-connection subsystem for multicasting network data to the test port and the working port.

45. The network device of claim 44, wherein the test port is a first test port and another one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a second test port and wherein the cross-connection subsystem multicasts the network data to the working port, the first test port and the second test port.

46. The network device of claim 44, wherein the working port is a first working port and another one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a second working port and wherein the cross-connection subsystem transfers the network data between the first and second working ports and multicasts the network data to the test port.

47. The network device of claim 42, wherein at least one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a working port and at least one of the plurality of ports is programmed as a test port and the physical layer subsystem further includes:

a cross-connection subsystem for transferring the network data from the test port to the working port.

48. A network device, comprising:

a physical layer subsystem including a plurality of ports connected to physical network attachments, wherein the plurality of ports include at least one working port and at least one test port; and

a cross-connection subsystem coupled to the physical layer subsystem and programmed to transfer the network data to the working port and to the test port wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem,

wherein said cross-connection subsystem configures said test port to function as another working port for normal data transfer while the network device is operating while maintaining uninterrupted service provided by said network device.

49. A network device, comprising:

a physical layer subsystem including a plurality of ports; and

a cross-connect subsystem coupled to the physical layer subsystem and configured to implement at least one of the plurality of ports as a working port and at least another of the plurality of ports as a test port;

wherein said cross-connect subsystem transfers network data between the physical layer subsystem and an upper layer subsystem and multicasts a portion of the network data to said test port wherein said network data remains unprocessed and untranslated by said upper layer subsystem; and

wherein said cross-connect subsystem reprograms said test port to function as another working port for normal data transfer while the network device is operating while maintaining uninterrupted service provided by said network device.

50. The network device of claim 49, wherein the cross-connect subsystem multicasts network data to the working port and the test port.