Enhanced cmts for reliability, availability, and serviceability

Abstract

A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) is partitioned into Line Cards, I/O Cards, and a midplane to provide enhanced Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability. Each I/O Card provides a cabling interface for coupling an assigned Line Card to other portions of a Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Network. A plurality of RF signals is coupled via connectors between each Line Card and a corresponding I/O Card, via the midplane. This permits a Line Card to be removed for servicing without requiring recabling of the corresponding I/O Card. Preferably, a rectangular-multi-pin collinear connector-cascade (Line Card jack, midplane double-plug, and I/O Card jack) is used to couple the plurality of RF signals. The connector-cascade is configured with protective RF ground pins adjacent and surrounding each of a plurality of RF signal pins. This approach permits each Line Card to be removed or inserted in a single action, without attention to individual RF interconnects, yet meets all system RF requirements while using relatively inexpensive connectors. The I/O Cards preferably include a distributed backup bus that permits one of the Line Cards in the CMTS to serve as a designated backup. The backup bus enables assignment of the designated backup Line Card to the I/O Card associated with a failing Line Card, without requiring recabling of any I/O Card. In conjunction with a signal processing architecture that permits dynamically programmable channel assignments, the backup bus facilitates rapid and fully automated failover. The Line Cards are preferably further partitioned into easily replaceable sections, including IF-to-RF and signal processing modules.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A line card comprising:
 a chassis interface to mate the line card to a chassis of a cable modem termination system (CMTS);   CMTS processing functionality; and   a detachable intermediate frequency (IF)-to-radio frequency (RF) module.   
     
     
         30 . The line card of  claim 29 , where the chassis interface allows the line card to mate and unmate from the chassis independent of cables coupling an I/O card, mated to another chassis interface of the chassis, to a network. 
     
     
         31 . The line card of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 a detachable signal processing module.   
     
     
         32 . The line card of  claim 29 , further comprising:
 a set of connectors, and   where the detachable IF-to-RF module comprises:
 a complementary set of connectors, where the set of connectors and the complement set of connectors are simultaneously mated when the IF-to-RF module is mated to the line card and simultaneously unmated when the IF-to-RF module is unmated from the line card. 
   
     
     
         33 . The line card of  claim 32 , where, when mated to the line card, the IF-to-RF module is to:
 receive, via the set of connectors and the complementary set of connectors, analog IF downstream signals.   
     
     
         34 . The line card of  claim 32 , where the set of connectors and the complementary set of connectors comprise push-on mating coaxial connectors. 
     
     
         35 . The line card of  claim 31 , where the detachable signal processing module comprises:
 an analog-to-digital converter, and   a digital-to-analog converter.   
     
     
         36 . A line card comprising:
 a chassis interface to mate the line card to a chassis of a cable modem termination system (CMTS);   CMTS processing functionality; and   a detachable signal processing module.   
     
     
         37 . The line card of  claim 36 , where the chassis interface allows the line card to mate and unmate from the chassis independent of cables coupling an I/O card, mated to another chassis interface of the chassis, to a network. 
     
     
         38 . The line card of  claim 36 , where the detachable signal processing module comprises:
 an upstream digital signal processing component to perform upstream digital signal processing, and   a downstream signal processing component to perform downstream digital signal processing.   
     
     
         39 . The line card of  claim 38 , further comprising:
 a set of connectors, and   where the detachable signal processing module comprises:
 a complementary set of connectors, where the set of connectors and the complement set of connectors are simultaneously mated when the detachable signal processing module is mated to the line card and simultaneously unmated when the detachable signal processing module is unmated from the line card. 
   
     
     
         40 . The line card of  claim 39 , further comprising:
 a detachable IF-to-RF module, and   where, when mated to the line card, the detachable IF-to-RF module is to:
 receive analog IF downstream signals. 
   
     
     
         41 . The line card of  claim 36 , where the detachable signal processing module comprises:
 an upstream digital signal processing component to perform upstream digital signal processing, and   a downstream signal processing component to perform downstream digital signal processing.   
     
     
         42 . The line card of  claim 36 , where the detachable signal processing module comprises:
 an analog-to-digital converter, and   a digital-to-analog converter.