Patent ID: 6226260
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A Frame Relay-Asynchronous Transfer Mode (FR-ATM) gateway apparatus for resilient interconnection of a first frame relay (FR) end-user system to a self-healing ATM network, comprising:at least one frame-relay interworking function (FR-IWF) module for connection to a corresponding FR physical interface (FR UNI);a plurality of ATM interworking function (ATM-IWF) modules for connection to respective ATM physical interfaces (ATM UNI); anda switch coupled between said at least one FR-IWF module and said plurality of ATM-IWF modules;wherein each ATM-IWF module includes:means for transmitting a Rx ATM PHY field in response to receiving ATM cells from said ATM network, said Rx ATM PHY field identifying a receive ATM UNI physical interface (Rx ATM UNI) through which said ATM cells were sent from said ATM network to the FR/ATM gateway; andwherein said at least one FR-IWF module includes:means for storing a first Tx ATM-PHY field, said Tx ATM-PHY field identifying a transmit ATM physical interface (Tx ATM UNI) used to transmit cell data from the FR/ATM gateway to the ATM network;means for monitoring a first Rx ATM-PHY field sent from a ATM-IWF module through said switch; andmeans for comparing said first Tx ATM-PHY field and said first Rx ATM-PHY field to determine whether said receive ATM physical interface differs from said transmit ATM physical interface as a result of self-healing in the ATM network.