A communication network uses intermediate nodes to resolve local traffic contention. Intermediate nodes receive upstream signals from end users, derive traffic information signals from the upstream signals, and transmit the traffic information signals to end users. By listening to the traffic information signals from the intermediate node, the end users know whether the upstream transmission channels are idle or busy, or whether a collision has occurred. The intermediate nodes derive and transmit the traffic information signals with or without the assistance of the central office or head end.
The invention provides a traffic regulation technique for media that functions within access protocols by making a percentage of total communication capacity of the media unavailable to end-users as reserve capacity. This reserve capacity is released when appropriate to regulate network traffic. Thus, the traffic regulation technique regulates the traffic by adjusting the percentage of reserve capacity. The reserve capacity may be targeted to a specific type of traffic. In this way, the traffic of the communication system 10 may be regulated so that desired quality of service may be provided for specific end users.
An interface that provides priority access to a network is disclosed. The interface includes several ports. Preferably the ports are Ethernet compliant ports. At least one of the ports transmits high priority frames in advance of lower priority frames. High priority frames are preferably buffered. Buffered high priority frames pre-empt transmission of lower priority frames at the port. If the port is operating half duplex using CSMA/CD, transmission of high priority frames pre-empts re-transmission of lower priority frames for which a collision has been detected. Additionally, in the case of frames to be broadcast to multiple ports, buffered frames may be transmitted at varying times at the ports at which the frame is to be broadcast. The interface may further buffer frames received at each port. As the buffer fills, flow of frames into the interface is preferably limited on a per-port basis, based on the number of frames already buffered for a particular port. The interface is particularly well suited for providing priority access to a shared access network to a high priority appliance such as an Ethernet phone. As such the interface may be integrated with such a phone.
A system (100) to enable the transfer of Internet protocol (IP) format data (12, 14) over a point-to-multipoint passive optical network (PON, 16) is illustrated in FIG. 2. An exchange (102) is connected to a plurality of outstations (104-108) via an optical communication resource (24, 26-38) including a passive optical splitter (22) providing isolation to individual outstations. Media access control of the plurality of outstations is administered by the exchange (102), with collision detection logic (112) in the exchange determining collision (158) of Internet protocol (IP) encoded data communicated thereto through the PON (16). The IP encoded data realises a transport mechanism through the PON. Each of the plurality of outstations (104-108) and the exchange (102) is adapted to pass data in an IP format to and from the optical communication resource such that IP encoded data is transported, in use, directly between the outstation and the exchange.
A method that is useable with a wireless medium and local stations includes communicating a request between one of the local stations and a central authority to reserve a time slot for transmitting from the local station. The central authority is used to selectively reserve the time slot based on at least in part a reservation schedule. If the central authority reserves the time slot, then during the time slot, the central authority prevents the other local stations from transmitting.
A communication system between head-ends and end-users is provided which expands bandwidth and reliability. A concentrator receives communication signals from a head-end and forwards the received communication signals to one or more fiber nodes and/or one or more mini-fiber nodes. The concentrator demultiplexes/splits received signals for the mini-fiber nodes and the fiber nodes and forwards demultiplexed/split signals respectively. The mini-fiber nodes may combine signals received from the head-end with loop-back signals used for local medium access control prior to forwarding the signals to the end-users. Upstream data are received by the mini-fiber nodes and/or fiber node and transmitted to the concentrator. The concentrator multiplexes/couples the mini-fiber node and the fiber node upstream signals and forwards multiplexed/coupled signals to the head-end. Communication signals received from the mini-fiber nodes that are destined to other end-users also connected to the mini-fiber nodes may be routed by the concentrator without head-end interaction.
