METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING MULTIMEDIA TRAFFIC OVER ETHERNET

• US 20080285444A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frazier, Howard, Kim, Yongbum, Diab, Wael William
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

Aspects of a method and system for managing multimedia traffic over Ethernet are provided. In this regard, multimedia traffic comprising one or more Ethernet frames may be identified via one or more headers comprising the frames and processed according to the identification. In this regard, general Ethernet traffic may be multiplexed into egress frames based on the identification. Similarly, ingress Ethernet frames may be demultiplexed into multimedia traffic and general traffic based on the identification. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise Ethertype and/or subtype fields. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a connection identifier field. Similarly, Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a data type field.

Claims

1. A method for enabling communication of information, the method comprising:

identifying an Ethernet frame comprising multimedia traffic via one or more fields associated with said Ethernet frame; and

one or both of multiplexing and demultiplexing said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising multiplexing general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic into egress Ethernet frames based on said identification.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising de-multiplexing ingress Ethernet frames into general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more fields comprise an Ethertype.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more fields comprise one or more subtype fields.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said one or more subtype fields comprise a connection identifier.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing HD multimedia traffic based on said connection identifier.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein said one or more subtype fields comprise a Data Type field.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing multimedia traffic based on said Data Type field.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said multimedia traffic is formatted so as to be compliant with one or more DisplayPort protocols.

16. The system according to claim 5, wherein said one or more subtype fields comprise a connection identifier.

17. The machine-readable storage according to claim 16, wherein said at least one code section enables multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing HD multimedia traffic based on said connection identifier.

11. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section for enabling communication of information, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:

identifying an Ethernet frame comprising multimedia traffic via one or more fields associated with said Ethernet frame; and

one or both of multiplexing and demultiplexing said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

12. The machine-readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said at least one code section enables multiplexing general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic into egress Ethernet frames based on said identification.

13. The machine-readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said at least one code section enables de-multiplexing ingress Ethernet frames into general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

14. The machine-readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said one or more fields comprise an Ethertype.

15. The machine-readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said one or more fields comprise one or more subtype fields.

18. The machine-readable storage according to claim 15, wherein said one or more subtype fields comprise a Data Type field.

19. The machine-readable storage according to claim 18, wherein said at least one code section enables multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing multimedia traffic based on said Data Type field.

20. The machine-readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said multimedia traffic is formatted so as to be compliant with one or more DisplayPort protocols.

21. A system for enabling communication of information, the system comprising:

one or more circuits that identifies an Ethernet frame comprising multimedia traffic via one or more fields associated with said Ethernet frame; and

said one or more circuits enables multiplexing and/or demultiplexing of said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said one or more circuits enables multiplexing of general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic into egress Ethernet frames based on said identification.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein said one or more circuits enables de-multiplexing of ingress Ethernet frames into general Ethernet traffic and said multimedia traffic based on said identification.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein said one or more fields comprise an Ethertype.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein said one or more fields comprise one or more subtype fields.

26. The machine-readable storage according to claim 25, wherein said one or more subtype fields comprise a connection identifier.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein said one or more circuits enables multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing of HD multimedia traffic based on said connection identifier.

28. The system according to claim 25, wherein said one or more subtype fields a Data Type field.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein said one or more circuits enables multiplexing and/or de-multiplexing of multimedia traffic based on said Data Type field.

30. The system according to claim 21, wherein said multimedia traffic is formatted so as to be compliant with one or more DisplayPort protocols.