PROTOCOLS FOR OUT-OF-BAND COMMUNICATION
First Claim
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1. A method for communicating data between transceiver modules each having a memory defining number of tables each having a size and offset address, the method comprising:
- determining a table and offset address for requested data according to a table size of an originating module;
generating system address corresponding to the table and offset address;
transmitting a read command having a command type indicating a system address size, the system address, a length of the requested data, and a contingency field storing the table size of the originating module;
receiving the read command at a receiving module;
regenerating the table and offset address from the system address and the table size stored in the contingency field;
if the table size stored in the contingency field is the same as a table size of the receiving module, transmitting data having the length of the requested data stored at an address corresponding to the table and offset address; and
if the table size stored in the contingency field is not the same as the table size of the receiving module, transmitting data having a length different from the requested length from a table of the receiving module having a table number corresponding to the regenerated table and offset address.
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Abstract
Methods for managing an optical network through out-of-band communication between optical transceiver modules in a heterogeneous network fabric are disclosed. The disclosed methods include methods for performing fabric discovery, communicating error messages, detecting intrusion. Methods are also disclosed for communicating between transceivers of differing protocol versions and memory capacity.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for communicating data between transceiver modules each having a memory defining number of tables each having a size and offset address, the method comprising:
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determining a table and offset address for requested data according to a table size of an originating module; generating system address corresponding to the table and offset address; transmitting a read command having a command type indicating a system address size, the system address, a length of the requested data, and a contingency field storing the table size of the originating module; receiving the read command at a receiving module; regenerating the table and offset address from the system address and the table size stored in the contingency field; if the table size stored in the contingency field is the same as a table size of the receiving module, transmitting data having the length of the requested data stored at an address corresponding to the table and offset address; and if the table size stored in the contingency field is not the same as the table size of the receiving module, transmitting data having a length different from the requested length from a table of the receiving module having a table number corresponding to the regenerated table and offset address. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20)
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8. An optical transceiver comprising a receive port, a transmit port, and a processor operably coupled to the receive port, the processor programmed to:
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receive a read command from the receive port, the read command having a command type indicating a system address size, the system address, a length of the requested data, and a contingency field storing a table size of a module that originated the read command; regenerate a table and offset address from a system address and a table size stored in a contingency field of the read command; transmit data through the transmit port having the length of the requested data stored at an address corresponding to the table and offset address if the table size of the read command is the same as a table size of the optical transceiver module; and transmit through the transmit port data having a length different from the requested length from a table of the receiving module having a table number corresponding to the regenerated table and offset address if the table size of the read command is not the same as the table size of the optical transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for discovering a network fabric comprising a plurality of transceiver modules each having a transmit port and a receive port, the transmit port of each transceiver module coupled to a receive port of another transceiver module, the method comprising:
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transmitting a first knock knock command from the transmit port of a first transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules; if a response to the first knock knock command is received at the receive port of the first transceiver module, recording within the first transceiver module an indicator that the first transceiver module is in a point-to-point network; if a response to the first knock knock command is not received at the receive port of the first transceiver module, sending from the transmit port of the first transceiver module a second knock knock command containing an instruction to forward the second knock knock command N times, where N is greater than 1; if a response to the second knock knock command is received at the receive port of the first transceiver module, recording within the first transceiver module an indicator that the first transceiver module is in a ring network having N layers; if a response to the second knock knock command is not received at the receive port of the first transceiver module, sending a plurality of subsequent knock knock each containing an instruction to forward, wherein each subsequent knock knock command instructs a receiving transceiver module to forward the subsequent knock knock command M times, where M is the number of times the previous knock knock command of the subsequent knock knock commands instructs the receiving transceiver module to forward the subsequent knock knock command plus an increment value; if a response to one of the subsequent knock knock commands is received, recording within the first transceiver module an indicator that the first transceiver module is in a ring network having M layers; and if a response to one of the subsequent knock knock commands having a value of M greater than a maximum value is not received, recording within the first transceiver module an indicator that the first transceiver module is not in a ring or point-to-point network. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification