A METHOD OF AND A MULTIPLEXING STRUCTURE FOR INSERTING A PLURALITY OF HIGHER ORDER VIRTUAL CONTAINERS INTO A HIGHER ORDER STM FRAME IN AN SDH SYSTEM

摘要

In a method of inserting a plurality of higher order virtual containers (VC-4, VC-3) into a higher order STM frame (STM-4, STM-16, STM-64) in an SDH multiplexing structure, the higher order virtual containers (VC-4, VC-3) are first multiplexed together in a larger virtual container (VC-5, VC-6). This is then inserted into the higher order STM frame (STM-4, STM-16, STM-64). A corresponding multiplexing structure comprises a larger virtual container (VC-5, VC-6) in which the higher order virtual containers VC-4, VC-3) may first be multiplexed together with a view to being subsequently inserted into the higher order STM frame (STM-4, STM-16, STM-64). Hereby, when several higher order virtual containers are transferred between the same nodes in the network, fewer auxiliary data have to be transferred, and the processing equipment and pointer buffers of the network elements for the handling of such signals may be reduced.