Tactical Fiber Optic LAN For Voice And Data

An asynchronous high-speed fiber optic local area network is described that simultaneously supports packet data traffic with synchronous T1 voice traffic over a standard asynchronous FDDI token ring channel. A voice interface module (VIM) was developed that parses, buffers, and resynchronizes the voice data to the packet network. The technique is general, however, and can be applied to any deterministic class of networks, including multi-tier backbones. In addition, the higher layer packet data protocols may operate independently of those for the voice thereby permitting great flexibility in reconfiguring the network. Voice call setup and switching functions are performed external to the network with PABX equipment.