Patent ID: 6831920
Filing Date: 2004-12-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A line interface unit for exchanging ATM cells between up and down lines and an ATM switch in an ATM switching system, comprising:OAM cell creating means for creating an OAM cell for one of the up and down lines responsive to a detection of an OAM cell from the other of the up and down lines or responsive to an external request; A memory storing an OAM cell data queue of created OAM cells which is shared by a plurality of lines; A shared buffer management table managing a sending sequence of the OAM cell data stored in said memory for each line; and OAM cell inserting means for inserting the created OAM cell on said one of the up and down lines responsive to a detection of an idle cell on said one of the up and down lines, by making a reference to said shared buffer management table, said shared buffer management table having a number of addresses identical to a number of addresses of said memory, and storing vacancy information indicating whether or not the addresses of said memory are vacant, said vacancy information with respect to an address of said memory having an arbitrary address value being stored at an address of said shared buffer management table having the same arbitrary address value.