Filtering and forwarding frames at an optical line terminal

Details Filtering and forwarding frames at an optical line terminal Filtering and forwarding frames at an optical line terminal

2003-01-29

2008-03-25

Nguyen, Brian (Department: 2616)

Multiplex communications

Pathfinding or routing

Switching a message which includes an address header

C370S475000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07349394

ABSTRACT:
An optical line terminal (OLT) monitors and controls communications with a plurality of optical nodes (ONs), such as optical network units (ONUs) and/or optical network terminators (ONTs), within a passive optical network (PON), such as, but not exclusively, an Ethernet-based passive optical node (EPON). A tagging mechanism is implemented to identify an origin ON that introduces a frame into the PON segment linking the origin ON with the OLT. The origin ON produces a PON tag to associate its identifier (ON_ID) to the frame. The PON tag facilitates filtering and forwarding operations, and enables the physical layer interface (PHY) to the PON segment to emulate a point-to-point and/or shared communications link. The PON tag allows a MAC control layer to create virtual ports to traffic incoming and outgoing optical signals, and supply the virtual ports to a forwarding entity for frame filtering and forwarding. The PON tag also allows an OLT and ON to track the origination and/or destination of a frame within the PON segment, and accept or reject the frame based on the contents of the PON tag.

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