Multiplex communications – Network configuration determination
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-30
2001-07-10
Vincent, David (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Network configuration determination
C710S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259678
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to telecommunications terminals.
Telecommunications terminals connect subscriber lines, such as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines, to telecommunications exchanges and other telecommunications equipment. A terminal includes channel unit card slots that accept channel unit cards. Channel unit cards convert analog and digital signals from subscriber lines into formatted digital data signals. Different types of channel unit cards service different types of subscriber lines (e.g. POTS or ISDN). The terminal constructs a single time division multiplexed (TDM) signal from several channel unit cards' formatted digital data signals for transmission to remote telecommunications equipment. The terminal also demultiplexes TDM signals received from remote telecommunications equipment to deliver formatted digital data back to the channel unit cards which then convert the formatted digital data into a form suitable for transmission over subscriber lines.
Two telecommunications terminals can be connected “back to back” to form a digital loop carrier (DLC) network. A DLC network typically includes a remote terminal (RT) placed near a business or residence and a central terminal (CT) placed in a central exchange connected to a telecommunications switch. The RT and CT communicate over a single line carrying TDM signals. This configuration connects subscribers to the telecommunications switch.
A telecommunications terminal management system provides administrators and others with information about terminals aggregated at a site. Terminal information includes descriptions of the channel unit cards currently installed in the terminal.
A simple telecommunications terminal management system has a computer connected to a telecommunications terminal. The computer collects and displays information about the terminal. The computer can collect information by sending Transaction Language 1 (TL1) commands to the terminal. TL1 is a Bellcore language that defines different ASCII commands that telecommunications terminals can understand and process. For example, if the computer sends the terminal the TL1 command RTRV-EQUIP-ALL, the terminal would respond by sending back a TL1 ASCII message containing information describing installed equipment—namely, all of the channel unit cards presently installed in the terminal.
Administrators using DSC™ Communications Corporation's Liteview™ terminal management system manually initiated polling (e.g. sending TL1 retrieve messages) of a telecommunications terminal whenever the administrators wanted to update the system's knowledge of which cards a terminal held.
SUMMARY
In general, in one aspect, a system for managing telecommunications terminals includes at least one telecommunications terminal capable of receiving a set of telecommunications cards, the telecommunications terminal being programmed to autonomously generate messages that describe changes to the set of telecommunications cards, and a computer connected to the telecommunications terminal that builds a model of the telecommunications terminal based on messages received from the telecommunications terminal.
Embodiments of the system may include one or more of the following features. The system may include two or more telecommunications terminals connected to the computer. The system may receive autonomous messages from each of the connected telecommunications terminals. The telecommunications cards may be channel unit cards. Changes to the set of telecommunications cards that the terminal senses may include telecommunications card insertion and/or removal. The model may be a hierarchy of software objects. The system may insert new software objects into the model when no model software object corresponds to an inserted card. The system may display the model to an operator and allow the computer operator to interact with the model. The system may request a message or messages describing the set of telecommunications cards upon connection of the telecommunications terminal to the computer.
In general, in one aspect, a system for managing telecommunications terminals includes at least one telecommunications terminal capable of receiving a set of telecommunications cards, the telecommunications terminal being programmed to produce messages that describe the set of telecommunications cards in response to a request, and a computer connected to the telecommunications terminal, the computer being programmed to automatically request messages from the telecommunications terminal at a specified interval and to build a model of the telecommunications terminal based on the messages.
In general, in one aspect, a method for managing a telecommunications terminal system that includes at least one telecommunications terminal capable of receiving a set of telecommunications cards includes automatically sensing a change in the set of telecommunications cards present in the telecommunications terminal, and automatically updating a model of the telecommunications terminal based on the change.
Advantages may include one or more of the following.
The systems provides ease of use by accurately displaying the cards a terminal holds without administrator prompted polling.
The systems also provide interactive feedback to the administrator. For example, when a card is inserted or removed from the terminal, the administrator can be notified immediately.
The systems also enable a monitoring system, e.g. a server, to dynamically build and maintain an object model representative of terminal information. Because the autonomous messages are generated and transmitted automatically upon sense terminal card changes, the object model will provide a consistent and accurate representation of the terminal.
Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description including the drawings and the claims.
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Christian Daniel M.
Thompson Jonathan A.
Wierzbicki Thomas M.
Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P.
Fish & Richardson P.C
Vincent David
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