Patent ID: 7539196
Filing Date: 2009-05-26
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of tunnelling a first frame which includes data in an overhead area and in a payload area, from a first network to a second network via an intermediate network, a first node being disposed between said first network and said intermediate network and a second node being disposed between said intermediate network and said second network, the method including: a) at said first node, mapping said data of the first frame into the payload areas of a plurality of second frames, the second frames further including an overhead area which includes overhead data relating to the transport of the second frames over the intermediate network, assigning an identifier to each overhead area of each of said second frames, and outputting said second frames onto said intermediate network; b) transporting said second frames across said intermediate network to said second node in accordance with said overhead data; and c) at said second node, receiving said plurality of second frames, accessing each of said identifiers, reassembling said first frame from the payload areas of said second frames using the identifiers accessed from said second frames, the reassembled first frame including the data in the overhead area and in the payload area, and outputting said reassembled first frame onto said second network; wherein said first frames are one of optical transport network data frames and SDH or SONET data frames and said second frames are one of SDH and SONET frames.