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Re: CR: Re: Single bit header error correction in ATM Specific TC

  • From: Gary Kessler <gkessler@symquest.com>
  • Date: Wed, 06 Oct 1999 10:16:15 -0400
  • X-Sender: gkessler@mail.symquest.com

Hi all.

At 11:15 10/05/1999 -0400, Paul Koning wrote:
>
>I've seen CRCs used in several places (not just ATM HEC)
>supposedly for single bit error correction.  It's never looked
>like a good idea to me.  If the block being protected is more
>than a few bytes long, the probability of miscorrection
>becomes uncomfortably high.  And in the case of ATM, you
>just do not get any useful benefit out of doing header error
>correction.

It depends upon the burst error pattern. On optical fiber, it is very common to find single-bit errors OR a large run of bit errors. In these cases, the CRC-8 used to protect a 40-bit block is fine since there are only 40 possible single-bit errors. On copper, bit error patterns vary widely so error correction is, indeed, a bad idea!!

This is why the CCITT/ITU-T originally proposed the HEC for multiple-bit error detection/single-bit error correction; they also originally proposed ATM to run exclusively over SONET/SDH. Once copper media were introduced, e.c. was dropped (along with pointers!).

Later!
/kessler

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Gary Kessler                                +1 802-658-9848 (direct)
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