Virtual line cards in a disaggregated optical transport network switching system

• US 10,219,050 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Cai, Biaodong, Dunsmore, Richard, Naphan, Rod, Lisle, Sam, Patel, Deepak, Syed, Iqbal, Mayberry, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Beyen, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US15/419,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20170310413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/032 using working and protection systems H04J14/0287 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0012 Switching modules and their interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0026 Physical details
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0085 Support of Ethernet
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1652 Optical Transport Network [OTN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7452 Multiple parallel or consecutive lookup operations lookup operation involving Bloom filters H04L45/7459
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/00 Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems multiplex systems H04J
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 : Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0073 : Provisions for forwarding or routing, e.g. lookup tables

Abstract

Methods and systems of a disaggregated optical transport network (OTN) switching system that include using plug-in universal (PIU) modules for OTN to Ethernet transceiving and an Ethernet fabric as a switching core are disclosed. An OTN over Ethernet module in each of the PIU modules may enable various OTN functionality to be realized using the Ethernet fabric which may include multiple Ethernet switches. A virtual line card may include a logical aggregation of a kth Ethernet switch sub-port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the Ethernet switches. A virtual switch fabric may include multiple virtual line cards for the OTN switching system. Each of the virtual line cards may be associated with a virtual address that may correspond to a respective PIU module. The virtual address may include a media access control address associated with the respective PIU module.

Claims

1. An optical transport networking switching system comprising:

an Ethernet fabric including a number M of Ethernet switches, each of the M Ethernet switches having a number N of Ethernet switch ports, each of the N Ethernet switch ports having a number P of Ethernet switch sub-ports, wherein a variable i having a value ranging from 1 to M denotes the ith Ethernet switch corresponding to one of the M Ethernet switches, a variable j having a value ranging from 1 to N denotes the jth Ethernet switch port corresponding to one of the N Ethernet switch ports, and a variable k having a value ranging from 1 to P denotes the kth Ethernet switch sub-port corresponding to one of the P Ethernet switch sub-ports, and wherein N, M, and Pare greater than one; and

a plug-in universal (PIU) module having M PIU ports, wherein the ith PIU port of the M PIU ports corresponds to the ith Ethernet switch,

wherein the optical transport networking switching system switches optical data units through the Ethernet fabric using the PIU modules and a virtual switch fabric associated with the PIU modules.

2. The optical transport networking switching system of claim 1, wherein the virtual switch fabric comprise virtual line cards.

3. The optical transport networking switching system of claim 2, wherein a virtual line card comprises a logical aggregation of the kth Ethernet switch sub-port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches.

4. The optical transport networking switching system of claim 3, wherein the virtual line card is associated with a virtual address that is unique to the virtual line card in the virtual switch fabric.

5. The optical transport networking switching system of claim 4, wherein each of the PIU module is associated with a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein at least a portion of the MAC address includes the virtual address of the virtual line card connected to the PIU module.

6. The optical transport networking switching system of claim 2, wherein a virtual line card comprises a logical aggregation of a plurality of consecutive Ethernet switch sub-ports beginning with the kth Ethernet switch port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches.

7. An Ethernet fabric for optical transport networking switching, the Ethernet fabric comprising:

a number M of Ethernet switches, each of the M Ethernet switches having a number N of Ethernet switch ports, each of the N Ethernet switch ports having a number P of Ethernet switch sub-ports, wherein a variable i having a value ranging from 1 to M denotes the ith Ethernet switch corresponding to one of the M Ethernet switches, a variable j having a value ranging from 1 to N denotes the jth Ethernet switch port corresponding to one of the N Ethernet switch ports, and a variable k having a value ranging from 1 to P denotes the kth Ethernet switch sub-port corresponding to one of the P Ethernet switch sub-ports, and wherein N, M, and P are greater than one,

wherein the Ethernet fabric is exclusively coupled to a plurality of plug-in universal (PIU) modules each having M PIU ports including a first PIU module, wherein an ith PIU port of the first PIU module corresponds to the ith Ethernet switch,

wherein the Ethernet fabric is used to switch optical data units using the PIU modules and a virtual switch fabric associated with the PIU modules.

8. The Ethernet fabric of claim 7, wherein the virtual switch fabric comprise virtual line cards.

9. The Ethernet fabric of claim 8, wherein a virtual line card comprises a logical aggregation of the kth Ethernet switch sub-port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches.

10. The Ethernet fabric of claim 9, wherein the virtual line card is associated with a virtual address that is unique to the virtual line card in the virtual switch fabric.

11. The Ethernet fabric of claim 10, wherein each of the PIU module is associated with a media access control (MAC) address, and wherein at least a portion of the MAC address includes the virtual address of the virtual line card connected to the PIU module.

12. The Ethernet fabric of claim 8, wherein a virtual line card comprises a logical aggregation of a plurality of consecutive Ethernet switch sub-ports beginning with the kth Ethernet switch port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches.

13. A method for connecting Ethernet fabrics for optical transport networking switching, the method comprising:

in an Ethernet fabric comprising a number M of Ethernet switches, each of the M Ethernet switches having a number N of Ethernet switch ports, each of the N Ethernet switch ports having a number P of Ethernet switch sub-ports,

assigning a variable i having a value ranging from 1 to M to denote the ith Ethernet switch corresponding to one of the M Ethernet switches, wherein M is greater than one;

assigning a variable j having a value ranging from 1 to N to denote the jth Ethernet switch port corresponding to one of the N Ethernet switch ports, and wherein N is greater than one;

assigning a variable k having a value ranging from 1 to P to denote the kth Ethernet switch sub-port corresponding to one of the P Ethernet switch sub-ports, wherein P is greater than one;

connecting the Ethernet fabric exclusively to a plurality of plug-in universal (PIU) modules each having M PIU ports including a first PIU module, wherein an ith PIU port of the first PIU module is connected to the ith Ethernet switch; and

switching optical data units through the Ethernet fabric using the PIU modules and a virtual switch fabric associated with the PIU modules.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual switch fabric comprise virtual line cards.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

defining a virtual line card comprising a logical aggregation of the kth Ethernet switch sub-port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches; and

switching the optical data units using the virtual line card.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

associating the virtual line card with a virtual address that is unique to the virtual line card in the virtual switch fabric.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

associating the first PIU module with a media access control (MAC) address, wherein at least a portion of the MAC address includes the virtual address of the virtual line card connected to the PIU module.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

defining a virtual line card comprising a logical aggregation of a plurality of consecutive Ethernet switch sub-ports beginning with the kth Ethernet switch port of each of the corresponding Ethernet switch ports of each of the M Ethernet switches; and

switching the optical data units using the virtual line card.