Patent ID: 6788682
Filing Date: 2004-09-07
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for identifying one of a plurality of output ports of a first Mux/Demux device coupled to corresponding first communication links confirmed as a first trunk group for transmission of a packet received from a second Mux/Demux device having a plurality of input ports coupled to corresponding second communication links configured as a second trunk group, the number of input ports of said second Mux/Demux device associated with said second trunk group exceeding the number of output ports of said first Mux/Demux device associated with said first trunk group, said method comprising:storing in a port translation table output port identifiers in a round robin sequence indexed by port identifier tags; receiving at said first Mux/Demux device from said second Mux/Demux device via a communication path, a packet having a preamble containing one of said port identifier tags that identifies one input port of said plurality of second Mux/Demux device input ports on which the respective packet was received; identifying one of said plurality of output ports of said first Mux/Demux device for transmission of said packet from said port translation table indexed by said one of said port identifier tags; disassociating said one of said port identifier tags from said packet; and transmitting said packet out of said first Mux/Demux device from the port specified by said port translation table.