Communications system for receiving and transmitting data cells

摘要

PCT No. PCT/CA95/00248 Sec. 371 Date Oct. 24, 1996 Sec. 102(e) Date Oct. 24, 1996 PCT Filed Apr. 28, 1995 PCT Pub. No. WO95/30318 PCT Pub. Date Nov. 9, 1995A communication system comprising a hub slot adapted to receive any one of a plurality of hub cards for receiving and transmitting data cells; a plurality of universal card slots; a plurality of interface cards insertable in any one of the plurality of universal card slots for receiving incoming ones of the data cells containing data and transmitting outgoing ones of the data cells containing data; an add bus having respective data links connected between individual ones of the universal card slots and the hub slot for receiving the outgoing ones of the data cells from the plurality of interface cards and transmitting the outgoing ones of the data cells to the hub slot; a drop bus having a single data link connected between all of the universal card slots and the hub slot for transmitting the incoming ones of the data cells from the hub slot to the plurality of interface cards; and an arrangement within each of the interface cards for filtering the incoming ones of the data cells from the drop bus and thereby routing the data cells to an appropriate one or more of the plurality of interface cards.