Network node and method of operating a network node

• US 8,891,369 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Toscano, Orazio, Deprati, Stefano, Lanzone, Sergio
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Eunsook
• Application Number:
  US12/809,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20110044202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 370/253, 370/389, 370/458
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

Network node comprising input equipment, switching equipment and output equipment, the input equipment is arranged to be capable of packetizing time division multiplexed (TDM) traffic flows, the switching equipment is arranged to be capable of routing the packetized data from the input equipment to the output equipment, and the output equipment is arranged to be capable of reassembling the flows into time division multiplexed format, wherein the input equipment is also arranged to be capable of causing the data frequency of the packetized data sent to the switching equipment to be substantially equal to a predetermined data frequency.

Claims

1. A network node comprising input equipment, switching equipment and output equipment, wherein:

the input equipment is arranged to receive at its ingress interfaces time division multiplexed (TDM) traffic flows, wherein said TDM traffic flows are not synchronous among themselves;

the input equipment is further arranged to be capable of packetising the TDM traffic flows;

the switching equipment is arranged to be capable of routing the packetised data from the input equipment to the output equipment; and

the output equipment is arranged to be capable of reassembling the flows into time division multiplexed format,

and wherein the input equipment is also arranged to perform adaptation of all traffic flows from the ingress interfaces to a common reference clock, wherein adaptation of all traffic flows comprises repositioning a temporal position of a first payload byte of a frame to another position within the frame.

2. The network node as claimed in claim 1, in which the output equipment is arranged to be capable of processing the packetised data so as to output TDM traffic with a predetermined TDM data frequency.

3. The network node as claimed in claim 2, in which the output equipment is arranged to be capable of correcting for a variable delay characteristic caused by the packetised data being routed across the switching equipment.

4. The network node as claimed in claim 1, in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of monitoring a measure of the data frequency of the received data traffic.

5. The network node as claimed in claim 4, in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of comparing the data frequency of received data to a predetermined measure of data frequency.

6. The network node as claimed in claim 1, in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of modifying the data frequency of received data before it is sent to the switching equipment.

7. The network node as claimed in claim 5, in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of modifying the data frequency of received data before it is sent to the switching equipment;

and in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of modifying the data frequency in response to the comparison to the predetermined measure of data frequency.

8. The network node as claimed in claim 6, in which the output equipment is arranged to be capable of altering a temporal position of data relative to a respective time frame.

9. The network node as claimed in claim 8, in which the output equipment is arranged to be capable of altering a temporal position of payload data.

10. The network node as claimed in claim 1, in which the input equipment comprises a buffer which is arranged to store data received by the input equipment and a level of filling of the buffer is monitored which provides a measure of the frequency of the received data.

11. The network node as claimed in claim 10, in which the input equipment is arranged to be capable of modifying the temporal position of payload data before it is stored in the buffer in response to a comparison of the level of filling in said buffer to the predetermined filling level.

12. Data processing equipment which is configured to be capable of packetising time division multiplexed (TDM) traffic flows received at ingress interfaces, wherein said TDM traffic flows are not synchronous among themselves, and the equipment being suitable for connection to packet data switching equipment, and the data processing equipment is arranged such that, in use, the flows are processed to adapt all traffic flows from ingress interfaces to a common reference clock, wherein adaptation of all traffic flows comprises repositioning a temporal position of a first payload byte of a frame to another position within the frame.

13. A method of processing time division multiplexed (TDM) traffic flows, wherein said TDM traffic flows are not synchronous among themselves, comprising processing the flows to adapt all traffic flows to a common reference clock and to generate packetised data, routing the packetised data across switching equipment and then converting the packetised data into time division multiplexed format, wherein adaptation of all traffic flows comprises repositioning a temporal position of a first payload byte of a frame to another position within the frame.

14. A machine readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for controlling data processing equipment, which when run by the data processing equipment cause the equipment to process received time division multiplexed (TDM) traffic flows of TDM data, wherein the TDM traffic flows are not synchronous among themselves, such that all traffic flows are adapted to a common reference clock and packetised data is output by the data processing equipment, wherein adaptation of all traffic flows comprises repositioning a temporal position of a first payload byte of a frame to another position within the frame.