Patent ID: 6128321
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A centrally-managed switch for interconnecting a plurality of digital signals through a plurality of selectable switch ports and controlled by a central management unit, the switch comprising:a cross-connect having a plurality of plesiochronous primary rate signal ports for receiving a plurality of plesiochronous primary rate signals, each plesiochronous primary rate signal comprising a plurality of channels, the cross-connect operable to switch any of the channels of an originating plesiochronous primary rate signal to any destination plesiochronous primary rate signal;an add/drop multiplexer comprising a plurality of synchronous primary rate signal ports coupled to particular ones of the plurality of plesiochronous primary rate signal ports of the cross-connect, the add/drop multiplexer including a plurality of synchronous high speed signal ports operable to receive a plurality of synchronous high-speed signals, each synchronous high-speed signal comprising a plurality of synchronous primary rate signals each including a plurality of channels, the add/drop multiplexer operable to convert a synchronous primary rate signal into a plesiochronous primary rate signal for processing by the cross-connect, the add/drop multiplexer operable to convert a plesiochronous primary rate signal processed by the cross-connect into a synchronous primary rate signal, the add/drop multiplexer operable to remove any of the synchronous primary rate signals from any originating synchronous high-speed signal and to add any synchronous primary rate signals to any destination high speed synchronous signal, the add/drop multiplexer not capable of switching data at the channel level; andwherein the cross-connect and add/drop multiplexer receive commands from the central management unit, the central management unit operable to generate commands to configure the switch for switching of data between synchronous high speed signals of the add/drop multiplexer at a channel level using the cross-connect, and to generate commands to configure the switch for insertion of data from an originating plesiochronous primary rate signal into a destination synchronous high-speed signal.