摘要:
A system for redundancy switching of line cards in a communications system. When a line card needs to be replaced or serviced or becomes inoperable, signal traffic is switched to and through a redundant line card. This is achieved by implementing a switching fabric on I/O cards, where the I/O cards carry signal traffic to and from line cards. The switching fabric enables traffic to and from an I/O card servicing the line card to be replaced to instead service the redundant line card.
摘要:
A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) is partitioned into Line Cards, I/O Cards, and a midplane to provide enhanced Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability. Each I/O Card provides a cabling interface for coupling an assigned Line Card to other portions of a Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Network. A plurality of RF signals is coupled via connectors between each Line Card and a corresponding I/O Card, via the midplane. This permits a Line Card to be removed for servicing without requiring recabling of the corresponding I/O Card. Preferably, a rectangular-multi-pin collinear connector-cascade (Line Card jack, midplane double-plug, and I/O Card jack) is used to couple the plurality of RF signals. The connector-cascade is configured with protective RF ground pins adjacent and surrounding each of a plurality of RF signal pins. This approach permits each Line Card to be removed or inserted in a single action, without attention to individual RF interconnects, yet meets all system RF requirements while using relatively inexpensive connectors. The I/O Cards preferably include a distributed backup bus that permits one of the Line Cards in the CMTS to serve as a designated backup. The backup bus enables assignment of the designated backup Line Card to the I/O Card associated with a failing Line Card, without requiring recabling of any I/O Card. In conjunction with a signal processing architecture that permits dynamically programmable channel assignments, the backup bus facilitates rapid and fully automated failover. The Line Cards are preferably further partitioned into easily replaceable sections, including IF-to-RF and signal processing modules.
摘要:
Methods and apparatus are provided for tunneling (transparently transmitting) over a packet network, from a source to a destination, the spectrum of one or more bandpass channels individually selected from a larger spectrum at the source. Each channel is selected, translated to baseband (using sampling techniques), digitized, framed, merged with other digital services, transmitted (along with associated attribute information) using packet techniques, and later reconstructed. The present invention provides a selective and efficient use of available bandwidth, in that it is not necessary to transmit the entire spectrum, when only one or few portions of the spectrum are desired. This in turn, reduces bandwidth requirements all along the transmission path and at the source and destination. The reduced bandwidth requirements have associated reductions in power and costs.
摘要:
Enhanced Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) functionality, including programmable digital domain modulators and demodulators for dynamic channel assignment, is incorporated into Fiber Nodes (FNs) or mini Fiber Nodes (mFNs), yielding enhanced Fiber Nodes (eFNs). These eFns distribute CMTS functionality deep into Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Networks (HFCN) rather than centralizing the CMTS functions within a single location. Moving the cable modem terminations closer to the subscribers shortens the analog RF paths required to support cable modems. Communication of both subscriber data and CMTS control data is performed over Ethernet-compatible packet networks between the field-based CMTSs and an upstream facility (e.g., the Head End), which includes an Internet gateway. Packet data for multiple subscriber cable modems is easily compressed and merged over common network paths, reducing cabling plant complexity and increasing bandwidth utilization. This approach dramatically reduces the infrastructure cost per cable modem. Distributing CMTS functionality among multiple eFNs also reduces demands on already stretched resources at the Head End for space, power, and HVAC. For HFCN channels containing signals with modulation or encoding schemes that are unknown or best processed upstream, the invention also provides for tunneling their spectrum over the same packet network as used for the cable modem data. The channels to he tunneled are isolated using digital receivers, translated to baseband, their data framed, merged with cable modem subscriber data, and transmitted over the packet network. Upstream, the framed channel data is parsed and the original channel spectrum reconstructed to permit information recovery.
摘要:
A network device and system are provided. The network device may include a chassis configured to receive a line card and an input/output (I/O) card that operatively connects to a network via cabling. The chassis may include a bus structure. The bus structure may include an I/O interface to couple to a chassis interface of the I/O card, and a line card interface to couple to a chassis interface of the line card using a connector away that includes at least one RF conductor which may be associated with a set of connectors configured to shield the at least one RF conductor.
摘要:
Enhanced Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) functionality, including programmable digital domain modulators and demodulators for dynamic channel assignment, is incorporated into Fiber Nodes (FNs) or mini Fiber Nodes (mFNs), yielding enhanced Fiber Nodes (eFNs). These eFns distribute CMTS functionality deep into Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Networks (HFCN) rather than centralizing the CMTS functions within a single location. Moving the cable modem terminations closer to the subscribers shortens the analog RF paths required to support cable modems. Communication of both subscriber data and CMTS control data is performed over Ethernet-compatible packet networks between the field-based CMTSs and an upstream facility (e.g., the Head End), which includes an Internet gateway. Packet data for multiple subscriber cable modems is easily compressed and merged over common network paths, reducing cabling plant complexity and increasing bandwidth utilization. This approach dramatically reduces the infrastructure cost per cable modem. Distributing CMTS functionality among multiple eFNs also reduces demands on already stretched resources at the Head End for space, power, and HVAC. For HFCN channels containing signals with modulation or encoding schemes that are unknown or best processed upstream, the invention also provides for tunneling their spectrum over the same packet network as used for the cable modem data. The channels to be tunneled are isolated using digital receivers, translated to baseband, their data framed, merged with cable modem subscriber data, and transmitted over the packet network. Upstream, the framed channel data is parsed and the original channel spectrum reconstructed to permit information recovery.
摘要:
A fiber node may include a cable modem termination system (CMTS) that includes a first receiver to receive first signals from a plurality of cable modems over a plurality of upstream channels, and extract data from the first signals; a second receiver to receive second signals, the second signals being in a different format than the first signals; and a processor, connected to the first receiver and the second receiver, to receive the extracted data from the first receiver, receive the second signals from the second receiver, compress the extracted data and the second signals, merge the extracted data and the second signals, and transmit, to an upstream facility, the merged extracted data and the second signals over a common network path.
摘要:
Enhanced Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) functionality, including programmable digital domain modulators and demodulators for dynamic channel assignment, is incorporated into Fiber Nodes (FNs) or mini Fiber Nodes (mFNs), yielding enhanced Fiber Nodes (eFNs). These eFns distribute CMTS functionality deep into Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Networks (HFCN) rather than centralizing the CMTS functions within a single location. Moving the cable modem terminations closer to the subscribers shortens the analog RF paths required to support cable modems. Communication of both subscriber data and CMTS control data is performed over Ethernet-compatible packet networks between the field-based CMTSs and an upstream facility (e.g., the Head End), which includes an Internet gateway. Packet data for multiple subscriber cable modems is easily compressed and merged over common network paths, reducing cabling plant complexity and increasing bandwidth utilization. This approach dramatically reduces the infrastructure cost per cable modem. Distributing CMTS functionality among multiple eFNs also reduces demands on already stretched resources at the Head End for space, power, and HVAC. For HFCN channels containing signals with modulation or encoding schemes that are unknown or best processed upstream, the invention also provides for tunneling their spectrum over the same packet network as used for the cable modem data. The channels to he tunneled are isolated using digital receivers, translated to baseband, their data framed, merged with cable modem subscriber data, and transmitted over the packet network. Upstream, the framed channel data is parsed and the original channel spectrum reconstructed to permit information recovery.
摘要:
A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) is partitioned into Line Cards, I/O Cards, and a midplane to provide enhanced Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability. Each I/O Card provides a cabling interface for coupling an assigned Line Card to other portions of a Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Network. A plurality of RF signals is coupled via connectors between each Line Card and a corresponding I/O Card, via the midplane. This permits a Line Card to be removed for servicing without requiring recabling of the corresponding I/O Card. Preferably, a rectangular-multi-pin collinear connector-cascade (Line Card jack, midplane double-plug, and I/O Card jack) is used to couple the plurality of RF signals. The connector-cascade is configured with protective RF ground pins adjacent and surrounding each of a plurality of RF signal pins. This approach permits each Line Card to be removed or inserted in a single action, without attention to individual RF interconnects, yet meets all system RF requirements while using relatively inexpensive connectors. The I/O Cards preferably include a distributed backup bus that permits one of the Line Cards in the CMTS to serve as a designated backup. The backup bus enables assignment of the designated backup Line Card to the I/O Card associated with a failing Line Card, without requiring recabling of any I/O Card. In conjunction with a signal processing architecture that permits dynamically programmable channel assignments, the backup bus facilitates rapid and fully automated failover. The Line Cards are preferably further partitioned into easily replaceable sections, including IF-to-RF and signal processing modules.