Sprint International Communications Corporation

Sprint International Communication Corp.

Mark Jurkevich

Simon Bernstein

A packet switch with a plurality of processing modules (PMs) interconnected via a shared transmission medium is provided with a flat distributed architecture by which each of the PMs has the capability of exclusive control of establishing a path for a user connection through the switch when a call request (CR) packet is received at one of the input transmission lines to the respective PM of the switch, and in which the exclusive control is exercised to select the best available line among all of the output transmission lines from the switch whether that output transmission line is one of its own or one of those of another PM in the switch, so that the path for the user call connection through the switch established in response to a given CR packet at any given time is a single hop via the shared transmission medium between the source PM which established the path and the destination PM which has the selected output transmission line, except where a single PM is both the source and the destination PM because its own output transmission line is selected as the best currently available choice. Virtual trunk lines are generated internally of the switch and used for high speed switching and inter-PM communication, but not in the routing algorithm of CR packet processing.

Connection establishment in a flat distributed packet switch architecture

A packet switch with a plurality of processing modules (PMs) interconnected via a shared transmission medium is provided with a flat distributed architecture so that each PM has the capability of exclusive control of establishing a path for a user connection through the switch when a call request (CR) packet is received at one of its input transmission lines to the switch, and in which the exclusive control is exercised to select the best available output transmission line among all output transmission lines from the switch whether the best is one of its own or one of those of another PM in the switch, so that the path for the user call connection through the switch established in response to a given CR packet is a single hop via the shared transmission medium between the source PM which established the path and the destination PM which has the selected output transmission line, except where a single PM is both the source and the destination PM. System administration within the switch, including tasks of software loading, redundancy establishment, switch reconfiguration, statistics collection and alarm reporting to a network management system, is performed by one or more PMs selected upon switch initialization according to programmed criteria, and the operation of the system administration PM(s) is monitored to detect failure thereof and upon such failure to appoint replacement PM(s) to perform the system administration tasks.

System administration in a flat distributed packet switch architecture

A packet switch with a plurality of processing modules (PMs) interconnected via a shared transmission medium is provided with a flat distributed architecture by which each of the PMs has the capability of exclusive control of establishing a path for a user connection through the switch when a call request (CR) packet is received at one of its input transmission lines to the switch, and in which the exclusive control is exercised by selecting the best available line among all of the output transmission lines from the switch whether that output transmission line is one of its own or one of those of another PM in the switch, so that the path for the user call connection through the switch established in response to a given CR packet at any given time is a single hop via the shared transmission medium between the source PM which established the path and the destination PM which has the selected output transmission line, except where a single PM is both the source and the destination PM because its own output transmission line is selected as the best currently available choice. Virtual trunk lines are generated internally of the switch and used for high speed switching and inter-PM communication, but not in the routing algorithm of CR packet processing.

A packet switch with a plurality of processing modules (PMs) interconnected via a shared transmission medium is provided with a flat distributed architecture by which each of the PMs has the capability of exclusive control of establishing a path for a user connection through the switch when a call request (CR) packet is received at one of its input transmission lines to the switch, and in which the exclusive control is exercised by selecting the best available output transmission line among all of the output transmission lines from the switch whether that output transmission line is one of its own or one of those of another PM in the switch, so that the path for the user call connection through the switch established in response to a given CR packet at any given time is a single hop via the shared transmission medium between the source PM which established the path and the destination PM which has the selected output transmission line, except where a single PM is both the source and the destination PM because its own output transmission line is selected as the best currently available choice. System administration within the switch, including tasks such as software loading, redundancy establishment, switch reconfiguration, statistics collection and alarm reporting to the network management system, is performed by one or more of the PMs selected upon switch initialization according to programmed criteria including PM address.

Method and apparatus for information communication during call connections between subscribers adapted to transmit and receive multimedia information at a pair of endpoint nodes of a fast packet switched network, the endpoint nodes being connected by a network path including at least one transit node traversed by links of the path. The multimedia information is conveyed as traffic consisting of a plurality of component types from among voice, video and data traffic component types each associated with a different subscriber at one of the endpoint nodes. A succession of composite frames conveying information is launched from each of the endpoint nodes to the other of the pair on the network path, with each of the frames configured to contain a plurality of fixed size channels representing bandwidth allocations for each of the traffic component types. Each channel is assigned to a subscriber of the respective traffic component type at the endpoint node from which the composite frame wa launched for the duration of that subscriber's respective call connection. The composite frames are dynamically reconfigured by releasing and reassigning channels at each of the endpoint nodes when necessary to accommodate changes in traffic flow in the network.

Composite frame reconfiguration in integrated services networks

Information is transmitted between a multiplicity of subscribers as components of traffic in an integrated services network, (ISN), in which the information traffic consists of a multiplicity of media types according to the different subscribers including voice, video, and data traffic component types. The traffic component types in the form of portions of respective information streams to be transmitted from subscribers at an entry point of the ISN are assembled into the payload of each of a sequence of composite frames for transmission through the ISN. The traffic component types subjected to such assembly are limited to those destined for subscribers at the same exit point of the ISN. Traffic component types within the composite frame payload are grouped in sets of adjacent channels of fixed bandwidth so that each group is limited to channels containing traffic components of the same type, with each channel assigned in its entirety to a selected subscriber. Any unused bandwidth is compressed out of the composite frame payload before the frame is launched into the ISN, by eliminating channels assigned to then-inactive or only partially active subscribers.

Frame compression in integrated services networks

A system and method of transmitting information between a multiplicity of subscribers as components of traffic in an integrated services network (ISN). The information traffic consists of a multiplicity of media types associated with respective ones of the different subscribers including voice, video and data traffic component types. Each traffic component type has attributes relevant to transmission through the ISN which may differ from such attributes of the other traffic component types, such as delay sensitivity, loss tolerance, activity level, burst size, average packet length, and probability of buffer overflow. A plurality of the traffic component types to be transmitted, limited to those destined for subscribers at the same exit point of the ISN, is assembled from subscribers at an entry point of the ISN into a single composite frame of variable size for transmission along a path through the ISN. A different priority level is assigned to each traffic component type for transmission through the ISN according to the respective attributes of the traffic component types. The transmission of composite frames containing lower priority traffic component types is selectively blocked while allowing transmission of composite frames containing higher priority types during periods of traffic congestion or when control of traffic flow is otherwise required along the path.

Prioritizing attributes in integrated services networks

A method and system of transmitting information between a multiplicity of subscribers as components of traffic in an integrated services network (ISN). The information traffic consists of a multiplicity of media types according to the different subscribers including voice, video and data traffic component types. Each traffic component type has attributes of transmission through the ISN which may differ from transmission attributes of the other traffic component types, and the ISN also has attributes of transmission which may differ for transmission of the various traffic component types therethrough. A plurality of the traffic component types to be transmitted, limited to those destined for subscribers at the same exit point of the ISN, is assembled from subscribers at an entry point of the ISN into a single composite frame of variable size for transmission through the ISN. The traffic component types within the single composite frame are grouped into separate groups of adjacent channels for each traffic component type, so that each group is limited to channels containing traffic components of the same type, with each channel assigned in its entirety to a selected subscriber.

Configurable composite data frame

Method and apparatus for information communication during call connections between subscribers adapted to transmit and receive multimedia information at endpoint nodes of a fast packet switched network, in which the endpoint nodes are connectable for calls via network paths including transit nodes traversed by links of the paths, and the multimedia information is conveyed as traffic consisting of a plurality of component types from among voice, video and data traffic component types each associated with a different subscriber at one of the endpoint nodes. Each of a plurality of variably sized composite frames is assembled within a preset fixed time interval from portions of information streams generated by the subscribers at an endpoint node, into respective ones of a plurality of fixed size channels representing bandwidth allocations for each of the traffic component types, with each channel dedicated to a subscriber for the duration of that subscriber's respective call connection, to produce a sequence of the composite frames in which each is separated from the next by the time interval. The sequence of composite frames is synchronously launched into the network as assembly of each of the frames is completed.

Fixed interval composite framing in integrated services networks

Method and system for establishing call connections for information transmission between a multiplicity of subscribers as components of traffic in an integrated services network (ISN), in which plural subscribers are located at different endpoint nodes of the ISN, the ISN includes transit nodes interconnecting separate links of the ISN, and the information traffic consists of a multiplicity of media types according to the different subscribers including voice, video and data traffic component types. Call connections are established as virtual circuits (VCs) between subscribers among the various endpoint nodes of the ISN as necessary to accommodate desired information transmissions. A plurality of traffic component types in the form of portions of information streams to be transmitted from subscribers at an endpoint node of the ISN to subscribers at others of the endpoint nodes during respective call connections between subscribers, are assembled into each of a sequence of composite frames of variable size for transmission through the ISN, with each composite frame transmitted between a fixed pair of the endpoint nodes. A logical connection is anchored at each endpoint node of the pair as a virtual circuit path (VCP) between them to accommodate a multiplicity of VCs therebetween. The location of the VCP anchor is shifted at the endpoint node to adapt to changes in the information traffic pattern for subscribers thereat.

Adaptive VCP control in integrated services networks

Method and system for transmitting information during call connections between a multiplicity of subscribers as components of traffic in an integrated services network (ISN), in which the information traffic consists of a multiplicity of media types according to the different subscribers including voice, video and data traffic component types. A plurality of traffic component types in the form of portions of information streams to be transmitted from subscribers at an entry point of the ISN during respective call connections are assembled into each of a sequence of composite frames of variable size for transmission through the ISN. The traffic component types assembled into each of the composite frames are limited to those destined for subscribers at the same exit point of the ISN. Each composite frame is configured with the traffic component types assigned to respective separate groups of adjacent channels of predetermined bandwidth with each group limited to channels transporting traffic components of the same type and each channel in a group dedicated to a particular subscriber of the respective traffic component type for the duration of its respective call connection. Bandwidth in the composite frames is selectively seized for reallocation among the various traffic component types during periods of traffic congestion.

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Burtonsville, MD, United States of America

Mark Jurkevich