Patent ID: 6977926

Claim:
A system for providing a feedback signal in a telecommunications network, comprising: a plurality of bus control modules, each having a plurality of cards coupled thereto by a bus and operable to control the operation of the cards on the bus, and each further operable to receive feedback information from the cards coupled thereto and to generate a feedback signal based on the feedback information received; a lower level distribution module, at a control level hierarchically above the bus control modules, and coupled to the bus control modules separately from the bus to distribute control to the bus control modules and to receive the feedback signal therefrom; and a timing generator, at a control level hierarchically above the lower level distribution module, and coupled to the lower level distribution module, the lower level distribution module being coupled between the timing generator and the bus control modules, wherein the timing generator provides control to the lower level distribution module, and the lower level distribution module distributes the control to the bus control modules, wherein the feedback signal generated by the bus control modules comprises a plurality of frames, and feedback information from each of the bus control modules and lower level distribution module is assigned to a specified one of the frames, and wherein the lower level distribution module is operable to receive the feedback signal from the bus control modules, to insert feedback information for the lower level distribution module into the feedback signal, and wherein the timing generator is operable to receive the feedback signal from the distribution module coupled thereto.