TRANSPARENT MULTIPLEXER/DEMULTIPLEXER

摘要

A configuration for a SONET transport node comprises a pair of transparent mux/demuxs provided at two sites and connected over a high rate span. The T- Muxsprovide continuity of all tribs and maintain a lower bit rate linear or ring system through the higher bit rate span. The lower bit rate linear or ring s ystem operates as if it were directly connected without the higher bit rate midsec tion. For the forward direction of the traffic, the T-Mux comprises a multi-channel re ceiver for receiving the trib signals and providing for each trib signal a trib SPE and a trib OH. The trib SPEs are multiplexed into a supercarrier SPE and the trib OHs signals are processed to generate a supercarrier OH. A supercarrier transmit ter maps the supercarrier SPE and the supercarrier OH into a supercarrier signal andtransmits same over the high rate span. Reverse oper ations are effected for the reverse direction of traffic. With this invention, an entire ring system doe s not have to be upgraded to a higher line rate due to fiber exhaust on a single span. The invention is particularly applicable to OC-48/OC-12/OC-3 linear and ring net works and the high rate span could be an OC-192 line.