Line interface equipment in ATM exchange

摘要

A state managing unit inside a line interface performs communication with a processor of both information concerning the starting and stopping of performance monitoring, and information concerning the monitoring. After entering into the state starting the monitoring, the managing unit manages by itself the state of progress of the monitoring of the performance, which state is changed by successively performing communications of OAM cells with an opposing ATM exchange, and thus autonomously executing the processing without intervention of the processor. The load on the processor is reduced and a high speed communication interface becomes unnecessary.