Patent ID: 7583599

Claim:
A method for transferring data traffic between a plurality of devices supporting transparent generic frame procedure (GFP-T) mapping and frame generic frame procedure (GFP-F) mapping, said plurality of devices comprising a first device and a second device, the method comprising: the first device implementing an adaptation process for GFP-T mapping, the first device having a stream interface; a second device implementing a framing process for both GFP-T mapping and GFP-F mapping the second device having a transport interface; providing a common burst interface between the first and second devices, the first device separate from the second device, the common burst interface being independent of a rate of data traffic into the devices; and performing rate adaptation for GFP-T mapping from the first device to the second device, wherein rate adaptation comprises: monitoring a first set of thresholds of a data level of data accumulating in an output FIFO of the first device, the first set of thresholds including threshold 1 and threshold 2 greater than threshold 1 ; transmitting data from the output FIFO of the first device to an input FIFO of the second device under a no-pad-insertion state until the data level of data accumulating in the output FIFO of the first device drops below threshold 2 , the no-pad-insertion state preventing insertion of pad control codes in the transmitted data to maintain a constant flow of data during GFP-T mapping; and transmitting data from the output FIFO of the first device to the input FIFO of the second device under a pad-insertion state until the data level of data accumulating in the output FIFO of the first device returns from below threshold 2 to rise above threshold 1 , the pad-insertion state permitting the insertion of pad control codes in the transmitted data to maintain the constant flow of data during GFP-T mapping; monitoring a second set of thresholds of a data level of data accumulating in the input FIFO of the second device, the second set of thresholds including threshold 3 and threshold 4 greater than threshold 3 ; reading transmitted data from the input FIFO of the second device after the data level of transmitted data accumulating in the input FIFO of the second device reaches threshold 3 ; reporting, from the second device over the common burst interface to the first device, a hungry status of the input FIFO of the second device when the data level of transmitted data accumulating in the input FIFO of the second device drops below threshold 4 and a satisfied status when the data level of transmitted data accumulating in the input FIFO of the second device rises above threshold 4 ; and stopping transmitting data from the output FIFO of the first device to the input FIFO of the second device when the reported status of the input FIFO of the second device is a satisfied status.