Pointer processing for optical communication systems

1. A pointer processing method for a communication system, wherein a pointer value identifies position of a first byte of a payload envelope within a data frame, the method comprising:

selecting a sub-set of bits representing the pointer value;

generating, based on the sub-set of bits, a row number indicator value corresponding to the position of the first byte;

determining, based on the row number indicator value, an actual row number corresponding to the position of the first byte, wherein determining the actual row number comprises:

determining a boundary value corresponding to the row number indicator value;

comparing the pointer value with the boundary value; and

determining the actual row number based on the result of the comparison; and

from the actual row number, determining the row and column position of the first byte of the payload envelope within the data frame.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the sub-set of bits comprises selecting a specified number of most significant bits (MSBs) of the pointer value.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the row number indicator value is at most one row away from the actual row number.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the actual row number is implemented using a single comparison operation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the communication system conforms to a SONET standard;

the payload envelope is a synchronous payload envelope (SPE);

the data frame is a synchronous transport signals (STS) data frame; and

the STS data frame includes an STS-N data frame, where N=1, 3, 12, 48, or 192.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining an actual column number corresponding to the position of the first byte using the actual row number; and

encoding the actual row and column numbers.

7. Apparatus adapted to process communication signals, wherein the processing implements a pointer processing method, in which a pointer value identifies position of a first byte of a payload envelope within a data frame, the apparatus comprising:

a first logic circuit adapted to generate, based on a sub-set of bits representing the pointer value, a row number indicator value corresponding to the position of the first byte;

a second logic circuit coupled to the first circuit and adapted to generate a boundary value based on the row number indicator value;

a third logic circuit coupled to the second circuit and adapted to compare the pointer value with the boundary value; and

a fourth logic circuit coupled to the first and third circuits and adapted to generate, based on the outputs of the first and third circuits, an actual row number corresponding to the position of the first byte.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first, second, and fourth circuits are look-up tables (LUTs), and the third circuit is a single comparator.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first circuit is a decoder, the second circuit is a multiplexer, the third circuit is a comparator, and the fourth circuit is an encoder.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the sub-set of bits is a specified number of most significant bits (MSBs) of the pointer value.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the row number indicator value is at most one row away from the actual row number.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein apparatus has a single comparator.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:

a fifth circuit coupled to the fourth circuit and adapted to determine an actual column number corresponding to the position of the first byte using the actual row number; and

one or more encoders adapted to encode the actual row and column numbers.

14. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:

the apparatus conforms to a SONET standard;

the payload envelope is a synchronous payload envelope (SPE);

the data frame is a synchronous transport signals (STS) data frame; and

the STS data frame includes an STS-N data frame, where N=1, 3, 12, 48, or 192.

15. Apparatus adapted to process communication signals, wherein the processing implements a pointer processing method, in which a pointer value identifies the position of a first byte of a payload envelope within a data frame, the apparatus comprising:

means for selecting a sub-set of bits representing the pointer value; and

means for determining, based at least on the sub-set of bits, an actual row number corresponding to the position of the first byte, wherein determining the actual row number comprises:

determining a boundary value;

comparing the pointer value with the boundary value; and

determining the actual row number based on the result of the comparison.

16. A machine-readable storage medium, having encoded thereon program code, wherein, when the program code is executed within a programmable logic device (PLD), the PLD implements a pointer processing method, in which a pointer value identifies the position of a first byte of a payload envelope within a data frame, the method comprising:

selecting a sub-set of bits representing the pointer value; and

determining, based at least on the sub-set of bits, an actual row number corresponding to the position of the first byte, wherein determining the actual row number comprises:

determining a boundary value;

comparing the pointer value with the boundary value; and

determining the actual row number based on the result of the comparison.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the boundary value corresponds to a row number indicator value.