Patent ID: 7769036

Claim:
A device for processing a telecommunications frame which includes overhead and payload, the device comprising: a first hardware module for processing the payload, wherein the payload processing comprises adaptation, termination and cross-connection functions; and a second hardware module for processing at least a part of the overhead, wherein said second hardware module cooperates with the first hardware module and receives the overhead extracted by the first hardware module before a regenerator section, wherein the processing of at least a part of the overhead performed by the second hardware module comprises: buffering the overhead on single significant byte basis; determining at least one single tributary; elaborating such a buffered overhead on standard compliance for the at least one single tributary for defect process and correlation process; calculating output consequent actions and protection commands, according to different protection schemes; and performing overhead regeneration, wherein said second hardware module communicates any detected failure to the first hardware module for taking possible consequent actions, and wherein said second hardware module controls the cross connection function.