Patent ID: 6285681
Filing Date: 2001-09-04
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
Apparatus for communicating data packets in variable length bursts over a physical layer in a multilayer data communication scheme, each burst containing (i) information data and (ii) overhead including forward error control (FEC) data, said apparatus comprising:a programmable block processor for grouping said information data into blocks according to a selected one of a plurality of available grouping modes;a programmable FEC encoder for encoding said blocks with said FEC data according to a selected one of a plurality of possible coding levels; andan interface associated with said block processor and said FEC encoder for:selecting a burst mode that uses a particular grouping mode provided by said block processor and a particular coding level established by said FEC encoder to achieve an associated transmission bandwidth efficiency and burst transmission robustness over said physical layer for bursts containing said blocks.