Patent ID: 8416770

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a plurality of interfaces; a switch fabric coupled to the interfaces and configured to switch a data in a data stream received from one of the interfaces to at least some of the other interfaces, wherein the data stream comprises a plurality of timeslots, a packet-switched traffic, a circuit-switched traffic, and a transitional signaling positioned between the packet-switched traffic and the circuit-switched traffic, wherein the transitional signaling indicates a change of state between the packet-switched traffic and the circuit-switched traffic, and wherein the transitional signaling does not indicate the state in every octet of the data stream, wherein a first timeslot within the data stream carries the transitional signaling, wherein the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling comprises a signaling information and one of the packet-switched traffic and the circuit-switched traffic, wherein the circuit-switched traffic or the packet-switch traffic precedes the signaling information, wherein the transitional signaling indicator further comprises a location field that indicates a first octet in the first timeslot that carries the signaling information, wherein an opcode indicates that the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is idle when the opcode is set to a first opcode value, wherein the opcode indicates that the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the start of a universal service transport (UST) frame when the opcode is set to a second opcode value, wherein the opcode indicates that a second timeslot immediately following the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the start of a high performance flow (HPF) traffic when the opcode is set to a third opcode value, wherein the opcode indicates that the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the end of the HPF traffic when the opcode is set to a fourth opcode value, wherein the opcode indicates that the second timeslot immediately following the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the start of best effort packet (BEP) traffic when the opcode is set to a fifth opcode value, wherein the opcode indicates that the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the end of the BEP traffic when the opcode is set to a sixth opcode value, wherein the opcode is a continuity check when the opcode is set to a seventh opcode value, and wherein the opcode indicates that the second timeslot immediately following the first timeslot carrying the transitional signaling is the start of a multipart opcode when the opcode is set to an eighth opcode value.