Broadcom Corporation

Gerald Grand

Lisa Voigt Denney

Yushan Lu

Niki Roberta Pantelias

Francisco J Gomez

R Jeff Lee

Michael R Zelnick

Mark Chambers

Baobinh Truong

A method and system for creating an ethernet-formatted packet from an upstream DOCSIS packet. The upstream packet is first received along with packet characteristic data that is contained in physical layer prepend data and in the packet header. A packet tag is then created, based on the packet characteristic data. The packet characteristic data includes identifiers for the transmitting remote device and the channel over which the transmission is sent. Packet characteristic data also includes information about the physical characteristics of the transmission signal, such as the power level and time offset. The packet characteristic data also includes administrative information, such as the minislot count at which the packet is received and whether the packet was received in contention. The packet tag is appended to the payload of the upstream packet. Also appended to the payload is an encapsulation tag, and source and destination address headers. The result is a packet in an ethernet format. The resulting packet can therefore be sent using the ethernet protocol. The packet includes information that characterizes a DOCSIS packet. In a distributed cable modem termination system, this additional characterizing information can be used by processes further upstream, such as packet classification. An analogous operation can take place with respect to packets going downstream. Here, a DOCSIS packet is formed at an intermediate node, on the basis of a received ethernet-formatted packet.

Packet tag for support of remote network function/ packet classification

A media access controller (MAC) configurable for first and second modes of operation is provided. The MAC includes an uplink processor coupled to a plurality of uplink channels, a downlink processor coupled to a downlink, and a MAP parser coupled to the downlink processor. The downlink processor is configured to provide information to the downlink channel, including bandwidth allocation map ('MAP') messages. Each MAP message is associated with one of the plurality of uplink channels or an uplink channel associated with one or more other MACs. The MAP parser is configured to control the MAC to receive information from a first set of one or more of the plurality of uplink channels in first mode and from a second set of one or more of the plurality of uplink channels in second mode.

Systems for flexible wireless channel association

A method of receiving information from one or more wireless uplink channels is provided. The method includes receiving information at a media access controller (MAC) from a first set of one or more wireless uplink channels in response to bandwidth allocation map (MAP) messages sent from the MAC and receiving information at the MAC from a second set of one or more wireless uplink channels in response to MAP messages sent by another MAC.

Methods for flexible wireless channel association

A system and method for seamlessly reprogramming clock frequencies includes a phase locked loop (PLL) that generates CPU and double data rate (DDR) clocks. A crystal is used to generate a reference clock. The CPU clock and the reference clock are inputs to a first multiplexer, and the DDR clock and reference clock are inputs to a second multiplexer. In normal operation the multiplexers provide the CPU and DDR clock signal as outputs. To reprogram the clock frequencies and reset the PLL, (1) the reference clock signal is selected to be the output of both multiplexers, so the device is running on the internal reference clock. The mux switching is synchronized with the CPU and DDR clock signals. (2) The PLL is reprogrammed, its internal voltage-controlled oscillator is reset, and the PLL is restarted at the new desired frequency. (3) When the new PLL frequency output is stable, the multiplexers are switched back to the PLL-generated CPU and DDR clocks, synchronously with the reference clock signal.

System and method for maintaining device operation during clock signal adjustments

A supervisory communications device, such as a headend device within a cable communications network, monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote communications devices, such as cable modems, throughout a widely distributed network. The supervisory device allocates bandwidth on the upstream channels by sending MAP messages over its downstream channel. A master-slave interface permits a second supervisory device to be connected to increase the number of available upstream channels. When one device operates as the slave device to the other, the slave device is programmable to select MAP messages from either of the master device or the slave device. A primary filter and a slave filter are provided to specify which downstream channel(s) has the authority to issue MAP messages for each available upstream channel. The filters utilizes registers to authenticate the source of the MAP messages. If properly authenticated, the MAP messages are forwarded to a parse processor to format the MAP messages, and send the MAP messages to a MAP FIFO to associate the upstream channel(s) with the appropriate source downstream channel.

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Cumming, GA, United States of America

Gerald Grand