Reframing circuitry with virtual container drop and insert functionality to support circuit emulation protocols

1. An apparatus comprising:

reframing circuitry adapted to control one or more communications between a physical layer device and a link layer device;

wherein the physical layer device has a container frame interface but not a virtual container frame interface;

wherein in a first direction of communication the reframing circuitry receives a container frame from the container frame interface of the physical layer device with the container frame having a first arrangement of columns comprising a path overhead column;

the reframing circuitry being configured to output a virtual container frame;

wherein the virtual container frame provided by the reframing circuitry includes a modified version of the container frame with the modified version of the container frame having a second arrangement of columns different than the first arrangement of columns; and

wherein the second arrangement of columns comprises a reordering of payload information columns of the first arrangement of columns.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reframing circuitry outputs the virtual container frame to the link layer device.

3. An apparatus comprising:

reframing circuitry adapted to control one or more communications between a physical layer device and a link layer device;

wherein in a first direction of communication the reframing circuitry receives a container frame with the container frame having a first arrangement of columns;

the reframing circuitry being configured to output a virtual container frame;

wherein the virtual container frame provided by the reframing circuitry includes a modified version of the container frame with the modified version of the container frame having a second arrangement of columns different than the first arrangement of columns;

wherein the reframing circuitry receives the container frame from the physical layer device and outputs the virtual container frame to the link layer device; and

wherein the physical layer device comprises a legacy mapper integrated circuit having a container frame interface but not a virtual container frame interface, and wherein the reframing circuitry is configured to allow the container frame interface of the legacy mapper integrated circuit to communicate with a virtual container frame interface of the link layer device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reframing circuitry in generating the modified version of the container frame is operative to remove the path overhead column of the container frame and to replace that path overhead column with a stuff column in the modified version of the container frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the reframing circuitry outputs the virtual container frame such that the virtual container frame includes the path overhead column that was removed from the container frame in generating the modified version of the container frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the reframing circuitry in generating the modified version of the container frame is operative to reorder multiple synchronous transport signal data columns of the container frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first arrangement of columns further comprises the path overhead column, followed by a single stuff column, followed by a sequence of multiple synchronous transport signal data columns that repeats in accordance with a first designated order.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the multiple synchronous transport signal data columns comprise a sequence of three STM 0 signal byte columns denoted STM 0 # 1 , STM 0 # 2 and STM 0 # 3 that repeats in the first designated order, where the first designated order is one of STM 0 # 2 , STM 0 # 1 , STM 0 # 3 and STM 0 # 2 , STM 0 # 3 , STM 0 # 1 .

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second arrangement of columns comprises two stuff columns followed by a sequence of multiple synchronous transport signal data columns that repeats in accordance with a second designated order different than the first designated order.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the multiple synchronous transport signal data columns comprise a sequence of three STM 0 signal byte columns denoted STM 0 # 1 , STM 0 # 2 and STM 0 # 3 that repeats in the second designated order, where the second designated order is STM 0 # 1 , STM 0 # 2 , STM 0 # 3 .

11. An apparatus comprising:

reframing circuitry adapted to control one or more communications between a physical layer device and a link layer device;

wherein in a first direction of communication the reframing circuitry receives a container frame with the container frame having a first arrangement of columns;

the reframing circuitry being configured to output a virtual container frame;

wherein the virtual container frame provided by the reframing circuitry includes a modified version of the container frame with the modified version of the container frame having a second arrangement of columns different than the first arrangement of columns;

wherein the reframing circuitry receives the container frame from the physical layer device and outputs the virtual container frame to the link layer device; and

wherein in a second direction of communication the reframing circuitry receives from the link layer device a virtual container frame comprising a container frame with the container frame having the second arrangement of columns;

the reframing circuitry being configured to output to the physical layer device a modified version of the container frame;

wherein the modified version of the container frame provided by the reframing circuitry to the physical layer device has the first arrangement of columns.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the reframing circuitry in generating the modified version of the container frame removes a path overhead column of the virtual container frame and replaces a stuff column of the container frame with the removed path overhead column in the modified version of the container frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the reframing circuitry in generating the modified version of the container frame reorders multiple synchronous transport signal data columns of the container frame.

14. An integrated circuit comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .

15. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices arranged in one or more networks;

at least one of said communication devices comprising:

a physical layer device;

a link layer device; and

reframing circuitry adapted to control one or more communications between the physical layer and link layer devices;

wherein the physical layer device has a container frame interface but not a virtual container frame interface;

wherein in a first direction of communication the reframing circuitry receives a container frame from the container frame interface of the physical layer device with the container frame having a first arrangement of columns comprising a path overhead column;

the reframing circuitry being configured to output a virtual container frame;

wherein the virtual container frame provided by the reframing circuitry includes a modified version of the container frame with the modified version of the container frame having a second arrangement of columns different than the first arrangement of columns; and

wherein the second arrangement of columns comprises a reordering of payload information columns of the first arrangement of columns.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the physical layer device comprises a legacy mapper integrated circuit, and wherein the reframing circuitry is configured to allow the container frame interface of the legacy mapper integrated circuit to communicate with a virtual container frame interface of the link layer device.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the reframing circuitry is implemented within one of the physical layer device and the link layer device.

18. A method comprising:

receiving in a first direction of communication between a physical layer device and a link layer device a container frame;

wherein the physical layer device has a container frame interface but not a virtual container frame interface;

wherein the container frame is received from the container frame interface of the physical layer device, with the container frame having a first arrangement of columns comprising a path overhead column;

generating a virtual container frame that includes a modified version of the container frame with the modified version of the container frame having a second arrangement of columns different than the first arrangement of columns; and

outputting the virtual container frame;

wherein the second arrangement of columns comprises a reordering of payload information columns of the first arrangement of columns.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the generating step further comprises:

removing the path overhead column of the container frame;

replacing the removed path overhead column with a stuff column in the modified version of the container frame;

configuring the virtual container frame to include the removed path overhead column; and

reordering multiple synchronous transport signal data columns of the container frame.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable computer program code embodied therein, wherein the computer program code when executed in a communication device causes the device to perform the steps of the method of claim 18 .