Transparent auto-negotiation of ethernet

• US 10,601,663 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robitaille, Claude, Rochon, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van, Jenkey
• Application Number:
  US15/613,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3054 Auto-negotiation, e.g. access control between switch gigabit interface connector [GBIC] and link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001

Abstract

A system for negotiating Ethernet link settings between interconnected nodes in a network having an Ethernet protocol stack that includes a PCS sub-layer with an auto-negotiation function. The system comprises connecting an intermediate device coupled between two network nodes via optical or copper interfaces, with the link settings between each node and the connected intermediate device being the same, thereby bypassing the auto-negotiation of the PCS sub-layer in the intermediate device. The intermediate device may transparently send negotiation messages from each node to the other during the link negotiation phase without interacting with those messages. Instead of the intermediate device, a single form pluggable (SFP) device may be connected between the two network nodes via optical or copper interfaces on the network side and via an SFP slot on the device side.

Claims

1. A system for negotiating Ethernet settings in a network, said system comprising:

a first network device and a second network device;

an intermediate device connected to said first network device and said second network device, said intermediate device comprising;

a first network interface coupled to said first network device and a second network interface coupled to said second network device, said first network interface and said second network interface each comprising an Ethernet PCS sub-layer;

a first switch coupled to said first network interface, a management module, and said second network interface, said first switch for passing first auto-configuration codes to said management module and said Ethernet PCS sub-layer of said second network interface until said management module detects that a first auto configuration is completed;

a second switch coupled to said second network interface, said management module, and said first network interface, each of said first and second switch for passing one or more second auto-configuration codes to said management module and said Ethernet PCS sub-layer of each of said second and first network interface, respectively, until said management module detects that said first and a second auto-configuration is completed; and

said management module programming said first and said second switch into a data mode and configuring a protocol stack of said intermediate device to be compatible with said first and second auto-configuration codes once said management module detects that said first and second auto-configuration are completed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said intermediate device is a small-form factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said SFP has one port connected in said first device and another port connected to the network.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said SFP transceiver is an optical transceiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said first device and said second device are connected to said intermediate device via an interface selected from an optical interface, a copper interface, and a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said Ethernet settings are selected from said group consisting of speed, half or full duplex, master clock, slave clock, and other parameters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said intermediate device comprises a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), central processing unit (CPU), or combination thereof.

8. A method for negotiating Ethernet settings on an intermediate device located between a first and a second device in a network, said method comprising:

receiving first auto-configuration codes from said first device on a first network interface on said intermediate device, said first network interface comprising an Ethernet PCS sub layer;

receiving second auto-configuration codes from said second device on a second network interface on said intermediate device, said second network interface comprising an Ethernet PCS sub-layer;

transmitting said first auto-configuration codes to said Ethernet PCS sub-layer of said second network interface and a management module via a first switch coupled between said first network interface, said management module, and said second network interface, until a first auto-configuration is completed;

transmitting said second auto-configuration codes to said Ethernet PCS sub-layer of said first network interface and said management module via said first and a second switch coupled between said first network interface, said management module, and said second network interface located on said intermediate device until said first and a second auto-configuration is completed; and

programming, by said management module, said first switch and said second switch into a data mode and configuring a protocol stack of said intermediate device to be compatible with said first and second auto-configuration codes once said management module detects that said first and second auto-configuration are completed,.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said intermediate device is a small-form factor pluggable (SFP) transceiver.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said SFP has one port connected in the first device and another port connected to the network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said SFP transceiver is an optical transceiver.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said first device and said second device are connected to said intermediate device via an interface selected from an optical interface, a copper interface, and a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said Ethernet settings are selected from the group consisting of speed, half or full duplex, master clock, slave clock, and other parameters.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein said intermediate device comprises a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), central processing unit (CPU), or combination thereof.