System for increasing fiber port density in data center applications

• US 10,382,845 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Inventors: Raza, Mohammad H., Stone, David G., Lorenzo, Aristito, Plante, Ronald M
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Ted M
• Application Number:
  US14/868,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3664 2D cross sectional arrangements of the fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4292 the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing

Abstract

A data center network device provides configurations where the port density can be increased by incorporating multiport transceivers within the device and the use of high density fiber connections on exterior panels of the device. The device also permits dynamically reassigning fiber connections to convert from single fiber connection paths to higher rate bonded fiber paths while at the same time making more efficient use of the fiber interconnections.

Claims

1. A data center network device, comprising:

a housing having one or more connection panels; and

a set of ports, wherein each port within the set of ports is configured to receive data streams from an external medium, and to transmit data streams to an external medium, wherein each port in the set of ports includes a connector and at least one transceiver, and wherein the connector is mounted to the one or more connection panels for connecting to external media, and the at least one transceiver is mounted within the housing away from the one or more connection panels such that the at least one transceiver is separated from the connector and optically connected to the connector within the housing by at least one fiber optic communication path.

2. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver is mounted to a circuit board within the housing.

3. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the fiber optic communication path comprises at least one fiber cable.

4. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the fiber optic communication path comprises at least one optical waveguide.

5. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver.

6. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises a plurality of transceivers.

7. The data center network device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of transceivers comprise low density transceivers.

8. The data center network device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of transceivers comprise high density transceivers.

9. The data center network device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of transceivers comprise a combination of low density transceivers and high density transceivers.

10. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises a pluggable transceiver and a cage for receiving the pluggable transceiver.

11. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the cage comprises an SFF cage.

12. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises an SFP transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

13. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises an SFP+ transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

14. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises a QSFP transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

15. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises a CFP transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

16. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises a CXP transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

17. The data center network device according to claim 10, wherein the pluggable transceiver comprises a WDM transceiver, and the cage comprises corresponding SFF cage.

18. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a simplex, duplex, or high density fiber connector.

19. The data center network device according to claim 18, wherein the high density fiber connector comprises MPO connectors.

20. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the high density fiber connector comprises MXC connectors.

21. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver and the at least one fiber optic communication path comprises a plurality of fiber optic communication paths, and wherein each of the at least one multiport transceiver ports can be connected to individual fiber connections on the connector using one of the plurality of fiber optic communication paths.

22. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver, the connector comprises high density fiber connector and the at least one fiber optic communication path comprises a plurality of fiber optic communication paths, and wherein each of the multiport transceiver ports can be connected to the high density fiber connector with one of the plurality of fiber optic communication paths.

23. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver and the connector comprises IEEE 802.3ba 40GBASE-SR4 or 100GBASE-SR10 connector configurations, and wherein each of the multiport transceiver ports can be connected to the connector using the at least one fiber optic communication paths.

24. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver and the at least one fiber optic communication path comprises a plurality of fiber optic communication paths, and wherein each of the multiport transceiver ports can be split between different connection panel connectors and connected to each panel connector with at least one of the plurality of fiber optic communication paths.

25. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver and the at least one fiber optic communication path comprises a plurality of fiber optic communication paths, and wherein each of the multiport transceiver ports can be optically coupled to a single high density connection panel connector using the plurality of fiber optic communication paths.

26. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver, the connector comprises a plurality of connectors and the at least one fiber optic communication path comprises a plurality of fiber optic communication paths, wherein at least one of the plurality of connectors comprises an IEEE 802.3ba 40GBASE-SR4 or 100GBASE-SR10 connector configurations and at least one of the plurality of connectors comprises a high density fiber connector, and wherein is optically coupled to the plurality of connectors using the plurality of fiber optic communication paths.

27. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein a data stream from a receiving port of a line rate may be coupled to an outgoing transmission port at a different line rate.

28. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transceiver comprises at least one multiport transceiver, and wherein the at least one multiport transceiver comprises a multifiber transceiver that can be dynamically reconfigured to support different arrangements of single and parallel fiber connections.

29. The data center network device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the ports in the set of ports comprise managed connectivity ports capable of reading a physical location identification from a managed connectivity port from an external medium connected to the one or more ports in the set of ports.