Wiring closet redundancy

• US 20060077891A1
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Michael, Karam, Roger, Wang, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

Systems and method for providing redundancy of communications and/or inline power to a powered Ethernet device are disclosed. A redundancy device is configured to receive in-line data and/or power from a plurality of Ethernet relay uplinks and to monitor communications between the relay uplinks. One of the relay uplinks is established as an active state uplink and passes data and/or power to the power device. Responsive to a switchover communication from a redundant uplink, the redundancy device establishes the redundant uplink as the active uplink, thereby passing data and/or power from the redundant uplink to the power device. The relay uplinks may use packet-based communication to sense when there is a failure in a link, and replace a failed device with a redundant device.

Claims

1. A redundancy device for providing redundancy for communications and/or inline power to a protected Ethernet device in a wired data telecommunications network comprising:

a redundancy device configured to provide data and/or power to a protected Ethernet device;

the redundancy device configured to receive in-line data and/or power from a plurality of Ethernet relay uplinks;

said redundancy device being configured to monitor communications between said plurality of relay uplinks; and

responsive to a switchover communication from a redundant uplink, establish said redundant uplink as the active uplink, thereby passing data and/or power from said redundant uplink to said protected device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications are effected using packet-based communication over an Ethernet link.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said redundant uplinks are configured to test the integrity of the connection between said redundant device and said active uplink, and issue said switchover communication responsive to a determination that the active connection has failed.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said communications are performed responsive to an indication inserted in said packet in place of the destination MAC address of said packet.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said redundant uplinks are configured to test the integrity of their connection to said redundant device.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said redundancy device receives in-line power from each of the Ethernet connections of said plurality of relay uplinks.

7. A redundant system for providing redundant sources of data and/or power to an Ethernet powered device (PD) comprising:

a plurality of relay uplinks, each of said relay uplinks coupled to a redundant device through an Ethernet link and configured to provide data and/or inline power to said redundant device;

said redundant device configured to;

enable the plurality of relay uplinks to establish a redundant system, a selected one of said plurality of relay uplinks being an active source for inline power and/or data;

provide power and/or data to an Ethernet powered device from said active relay uplink;

monitor packet-based communication between said plurality of uplinks; and

responsive to an indication contained in said packet-based communication, provide power and/or data to said powered device from a relay uplink other than said active relay uplink.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of redundant uplinks other than the active relay uplink are each configured to test the integrity of their respective connection with said active uplink, and issue a switchover communication to said redundant device responsive to a determination that the active connection has failed.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said communication is effected by replacing the destination MAC address of a packet with a switchover indication for said redundant device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a failure is determined by one of said plurality of relay uplinks failing to receive a predetermined number of connectivity check packets in a given time frame.

11. A redundancy device for providing redundancy for communications and/or inline power to a protected Ethernet device in a wired data telecommunications network comprising:

a first data switch configured to receive data and/or power from a first and second upstream Ethernet source over respective differential signal pairs;

a power source for supplying inline power to said differential pairs;

said first data switch including control circuitry for routing power and/or data from a selected one of said first or second upstream sources to a downstream Ethernet powered device.

12. The redundancy device of claim 11, wherein said device is further configured to perform an operation responsive to an indication contained in the destination MAC address of a received packet.

13. The redundancy device of claim 12, wherein said switching and control circuitry are configured to perform a lookup operation and execute a fetched operation corresponding with a decoded address in a table.

14. The redundancy device of claim 13, where said switching and control circuitry are configured switch data and/or traffic flow between said upstream sources and said power device to responsive said indication contained in said received packet.

15. The redundancy device of claim 14, further comprising a second data switch operatively coupled to said first data switch through relay control circuitry, said relay control circuitry being configured to pass power and/or data through said second data switch in the event of a failure of said first data switch.

16. The redundancy device of claim 14, said first data switch is placed in a state of high impedance in the event of a failure.

17. A redundancy device for providing redundancy for communications and/or inline power to a protected Ethernet device in a wired data telecommunications network comprising:

first data switching means for receiving data and/or power from a first and second upstream Ethernet source over respective differential signal pairs;

power source means for supplying inline power to said differential pairs;

said first data switching means including switching and control means for routing power and/or data from a selected one of said first or second upstream sources to a downstream Ethernet powered device.

18. The redundancy device of claim 17, where said switching and control means are configured switch data and/or traffic flow between said upstream sources and said power device to responsive said indication contained in a received packet.

19. The redundancy device of claim 18, further comprising second data switching operatively coupled to said first data switch, said device further comprising relay control circuitry means for passing power and/or data through said second data switching means in the event of a failure of said first data switching means.

20. The redundancy device of claim 19, said first data switching means is placed in a state of high impedance in the event of a failure.