Multi-network compatible data architecture

• US 8,532,094 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fourcand, Serge Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TITO Q
• Application Number:
  US13/271,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A backbone network, comprising a network switch configured to communicate data over Ethernet and SONET/SDH interfaces without encapsulating the data. Also disclosed is a backbone network, comprising a plurality of synchronized network switches, wherein the switches are configured to communicate a plurality of time division multiplexed data streams across at least part of the network via a plurality of Ethernet interfaces and a plurality of SONET/SDH interfaces, and wherein the switches are configured to communicate the data streams without encapsulating the data streams.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory and configured to;

receive a packet data comprising a header and a payload;

receive a time division multiplexed (TDM) data; and

communicate the packet data and the TDM data within a synchronous optical network (SONET)/synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) frame comprising an overhead section and a payload section,

wherein the payload section comprises the TDM data and the packet data,

wherein the overhead section comprises a timeslot map that specifies a data type for the TDM data and the packet data within the payload section,

wherein the packet data is positioned within the payload section without adding any signaling information to the header and without modifying the header to contain signaling information beyond that which existed when the packet data was received,

wherein the apparatus is coupled to a multimedia distribution network,

wherein the packet data comprises a high performance flow of an audio data or a video data,

wherein the high performance flow data is encoded using a 7 bit data encoding scheme,

wherein the apparatus is coupled to an internet service provider (ISP) or an internet,

wherein the packet data further comprises a best-effort packet data,

wherein the best-effort packet data is web-browsing data or file download data, and

wherein the best-effort packet data is encoded with a 9 bit encoding scheme in the SONET/SDH frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus does not append additional signaling information to the header, wherein the TDM data within the SONET/SDH frame is encoded using an 8 bit data encoding scheme and wherein the apparatus does not remove the header from the packet data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is coupled to a service provider that provides the packet data, wherein the header is appended to the packet by the service provider such that the packet comprises the header before it is received by the processor, and wherein the timeslot map specifies a location for the TDM data and the packet data within the payload section.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network switch is coupled to a plurality of service providers that provide the TDM data and the packet data, and wherein the service providers comprise at least one of an audio service provider, a video service provider, an internet service provider, a telephony service provider, a utility service provider, and a disaster management service provider.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the TDM data comprises voice data that is not buffered, encapsulated, or modified prior to communication via the network switch, and wherein no signaling information is added to the voice data when encoded in the SONET/SDH frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is located at a central office, wherein the TDM data is voice data, wherein the data type assigned for the TDM data is a TDM data type, and wherein the data type assigned for the packet data is a best effort packet (BEP) data type.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is coupled to an access network that distributes the data to a plurality of service users.

8. A network comprising:

a first multi-transport switch comprising a first Ethernet interface and a first synchronous optical network (SONET)/synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) interface, wherein the first multi-transport switch is configured to;

receive an Ethernet packet comprising a header and a payload on the first Ethernet interface;

receive a TDM data stream on the first TDM interface;

place the Ethernet packet into the payload of a SONET/SDH frame without adding any signaling information to the header of the Ethernet packet and without modifying the header of the Ethernet packet to contain signaling information beyond that which existed when the Ethernet packet was received;

encode the TDM data stream into the SONET/SDH frame with no embedded signaling; and

transmit the SONET/SDH frame over the SONET/SDH interface,

wherein the SDH/SONET frame comprises a header comprising a timeslot map that indicates a first data type that corresponds to the Ethernet packet placed within the SONET/SDH frame and a second data type that corresponds to the TDM data stream encoded within the SONET/SDH frame,

wherein the first multi-transport switch is coupled to a multimedia distribution network,

wherein the Ethernet packet comprises a high performance flow of an audio data or a video data,

wherein the high performance flow data is encoded using a 7 bit data encoding scheme,

wherein the first multi-transport switch is coupled to an internet service provider (ISP) or an internet,

wherein the Ethernet packet further comprises a best-effort packet data,

wherein the best-effort packet data is web-browsing data or file download data, and

wherein the best-effort packet data is encoded with a 9 bit encoding scheme in the SONET/SDH frame.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the Ethernet packet is placed within the payload of the SONET/SDH frame without appending additional signaling information to the header of the Ethernet packet and without removing the header from the Ethernet packet, and wherein the SONET/SDH frame comprises only a single header section.

10. The network of claim 8 further comprising a second multi-transport switch comprising a second Ethernet interface and a second SONET/SDH interface coupled to the first Ethernet interface, wherein the second multi-transport switch is configured to:

receive the SDH/SONET frame on the second SONET/SDH interface;

extract the Ethernet packet from the SONET/SDH frame; and

transmit the Ethernet packet on the second Ethernet interface without adding any signaling information to the header and without modifying the header to contain signaling information beyond that which existed when the packet was received.

11. The network of claim 8, wherein the first multi-transport switch further comprises a first time division multiplexed (TDM) interface, and wherein the first multi-transport switch is further configured to:

receive a TDM data stream on the first TDM interface; and

map the TDM data stream into the SDH/SONET frame before transmitting the SDH/SONET frame over the SDH/SONET interface, wherein the SDH/SONET frame comprises both the TDM data stream and the Ethernet packet.

12. The network of claim 11 further comprising a second multi-transport switch comprising a second Ethernet interface, a second SONET/SDH interface coupled to the first Ethernet interface, and a second TDM interface, wherein the second multi-transport switch is configured to:

receive the SDH/SONET frame on the second SONET/SDH interface;

extract the Ethernet packet and the TDM data stream from the SONET/SDH frame;

transmit the TDM data stream on the second TDM interface; and

transmit the Ethernet packet on the second Ethernet interface without appending any additional signaling information to the header of the Ethernet packet.

13. The network of claim 8, wherein the SDH/SONET frame further comprises a payload comprising a plurality of timeslots, and wherein placing the Ethernet packet into the SONET/SDH without appending additional signaling information to the header of the Ethernet packet comprises:

assigning the Ethernet packet to one or more of the plurality of timeslots; and

updating the timeslot map to reflect the timeslot assignment,

wherein the timeslot map specifies the timeslots that hold the Ethernet packet.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the timeslots are octet-sized timeslots, wherein a first timeslot comprises only TDM data.

15. A method for communicating data within a synchronous optical network (SONET)/synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) frame, the method comprising:

receiving packet data over a first interface, wherein the packet data comprises a header and a payload at the time of reception;

receiving time division multiplexed (TDM) data over a second interface; and

communicating the packet data and the TDM data within the SONET/SDH frame that is transmitted over a third interface, wherein the SONET/SDH frame comprises an overhead section and a payload section,

wherein the TDM data is encoded into the SONET/SDH frame without embedded signaling,

wherein the packet data is positioned within the payload section without adding any signaling information to the header and without modifying the header to contain signaling information beyond that which existed when the packet was received,

wherein the payload section comprises a plurality of timeslots,

wherein the overhead section comprises a timeslot map that indicates a data type assigned for each of the timeslots,

wherein the first interface is coupled to a multimedia distribution network,

wherein the packet data comprises a high performance flow of an audio data or a video data,

wherein the high performance flow data is encoded using a 7 bit data encoding scheme,

wherein the first interface is coupled to an internet service provider (ISP) or an internet,

wherein the packet data further comprises a best-effort packet data,

wherein the best-effort packet data is web-browsing data or file download data, and wherein the best-effort packet data is encoded with a 9 bit encoding scheme in the SONET/SDH frame.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the packet data is positioned within the payload of the SONET/SDH frame without appending additional signaling information to the header and without removing the header from the packet data, and wherein the timeslot map specifies the location of the packet data within the payload of the SONET/SDH frame.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the packet data is received from a first service provider that appends the header to the packet before transmitting the packet data over the first interface.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the TDM data comprises voice data that is not buffered, encapsulated, or modified prior to communication over the third interface.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the packet data comprises a high performance flow (HPF) data that is audio data, video data, or both.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the packet data comprises best-effort packet (BEP) data.