Alcatel Canada Inc.

Alcatel-lucent Canada Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

Jonathan Spratley

Dion Pike

Joseph Soetemans

William Schaller

Daniel Gravelle

Derrick A Nagy

Gavin Gonsalves

Chung Kei Leung

Alexei Permiakov

Tom C Wilson

The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for providing a common support services infrastructure that allows a network element shelf to be used with circuit card configurations that provide enhanced and/or new data path functionality without requiring the expensive and time consuming redesign of the entire shelf unit. In one embodiment, the invention provides support services including common control and housekeeping services to a subshelf bay into which one or more subshelves may be installed. In one embodiment, the common support services that are provided include power supply services, environmental control services, information display services, and operational control and management services. In one embodiment, the subshelf bay is provided with standardized means used to supply the common support services to the subshelves. In one embodiment, each sub-shelf contains its own midplane and is operationally independent from other subshelves. The use of subshelves and the separation of providing support services (provided by the infrastructure) from providing data path functionality (provided by the subshelves) allows data path functionality to be enhanced by replacement of a subshelf without requiring redesign of the entire shelf unit.

Method and apparatus for providing a common support services infrastructure for a network element

A system and method for managing communication links connecting components in a network element is provided. The network element has a first component, a second component and at least two communication links. The communication links are adapted to provide a first connection and a second connection between the first component and the second component. The system includes, for each communication link of the at least two communication links connected to the first component and adapted to provide the first connection and the second connection, a detection module adapted to monitor a given communication link for an error. The system also includes, for each communication link connected to the second component and adapted to provide the first connection and the second connection, another detection module adapted to monitor another given communication link for an error. The system further includes a collection module communicating with each the detection module to collect information about any errors detected thereby and to provide a status report of each communication link.

System and method for providing management of fabric links for a network element

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Ottawa, Canada

Jonathan Spratley