LOGGING MECHANISM FOR AN INTELLIGENT TRANSMITTER MODULE

• US 20090182531A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ekkizogloy, Luke M., Daghighian, Henry M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

An optoelectronic device having an intelligent transmitter module (“ITM”) includes a mechanism for logging operational information regarding the ITM. The optoelectronic device includes a microcontroller and a persistent memory. The microcontroller is configured to identify the operational information, and write log information representing the operational information to the persistent memory. The operational information may include statistical data about operation, or may include measured parameters. Log entries may be made periodically and/or in response to events. The log may then be evaluated to determine the conditions under which the ITM has historically operated.

Claims

1. In an optoelectronic device having an intelligent transmitter module, a method of logging information regarding operational circumstances of the intelligent transmitter module, the method comprising:

executing microcode from system memory of an optoelectronic device, wherein the microcode is structured such that when executed by at least one processor of the optoelectronic device, it causes the optoelectronic device to perform the following;

an act of identifying operational information of an intelligent transmitter module of the optoelectronic device, the intelligent transmitter module including an optical transmitter, clock and data recovery, and a driver; and

an act of writing log information representative of the operational information in at least one storage location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage location comprises a host computing system to which the optoelectronic device is communicatively coupled.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage location comprises persistent memory within the optoelectronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the log information is retrieved from the persistent memory after failure of the intelligent transmitter module via an input/output interface external to the optoelectronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the log information is used to diagnose operational failures in the intelligent transmitter module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational information of an intelligent transmitter module represents one or more of:

a total operation time for the intelligent transmitter module, a number of times the intelligent transmitter module has been booted, an average operational time between boots, a total number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, an identification of one or more error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, a categorization of the number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module for a plurality of different error types, a supply voltage measurement, a laser wavelength approximation, a laser bias current measurement, a thermo electric cooler current measurement, a laser temperature measurement, an optical spectrum reshaper temperature measurement, a transmit power measurement, an acceleration measurement, a peak acceleration measurement, and an end of life calculation.

7. A method for an optoelectronic device to persistently log operational data regarding an intelligent transmitter module within the optoelectronic device, the method comprising:

identifying first operational information regarding an intelligent transmitter module within an optoelectronic device, the intelligent transmitter module comprising a clock and data recovery circuit, a driver circuit, and an optical transmitter;

after identifying the first operational information, writing first log information representing the first operational information to a persistent memory within the optoelectronic device;

identifying second operational information regarding the intelligent transmitter module; and

after identifying the second operational information, writing second log information representing the second operational information to the persistent memory within the optoelectronic device.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the method is performed by a microcontroller within the optoelectronic device, wherein the microcontroller and the persistent memory are integrated on the same chip.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first operational information represents one or more of a total operation time for the intelligent transmitter module, a number of times the intelligent transmitter module has been booted, an average operational time between boots, a total number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, an identification of one or more error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, and a categorization of the number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module for a plurality of different error types.

10. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the second operational information comprises one or more measured operational parameters of the intelligent transmitter module.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the second operational information further comprises an approximate time that at least one of the one or more measured operational parameters was measured.

12. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the one or more measured operational parameters of the intelligent transmitter module comprise one or more of a laser wavelength approximation, a laser temperature measurement, a supply voltage measurement, an intelligent transmitter module temperature measurement, an optical spectrum reshaper temperature measurement, a laser bias current measurement, a thermo electric cooler current measurement, a transmit power measurement, an acceleration measurement, and an end of life calculation for the intelligent transmitter module.

13. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the act of identifying first operational information is performed periodically with respect to the first operational information.

14. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the act of identifying first operational information comprises an act of identifying that an event indicative of the first operational information has occurred.

15. An optoelectronic device comprising the following:

an intelligent transmitter module including clock and data recovery, a driver, and an optical transmitter;

a microcontroller; and

a persistent memory configurable to store log information,

wherein the microcontroller is configured to identify operational information regarding the intelligent transmitter module, and write log information representing the operational information to the persistent memory within the optoelectronic device.

16. An optoelectronic device in accordance with claim 15, wherein the microcontroller is included within the intelligent transmitter module on a single chip with the clock and data recovery and driver and wherein the persistent memory is included within the intelligent transmitter module.

17. An optoelectronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the log information can be retrieved from the persistent memory via an input/output interface of the intelligent transmitter module, the input/output interface comprising one of a wired serial interface or a wireless interface.

18. An optoelectronic device in accordance with claim 15, wherein the operational information represents one or more of a total operational time for the intelligent transmitter module, a number of times the intelligent transmitter module has been booted, an average operational time between boots, a total number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, an identification of one or more error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module, a categorization of the number of error conditions encountered in the intelligent transmitter module for a plurality of different error types, a laser wavelength approximation, a laser temperature measurement, a supply voltage measurement, an intelligent transmitter module temperature measurement, an optical spectrum reshaper temperature measurement, a laser bias current measurement, a thermo electric cooler current measurement, a transmit power measurement, an acceleration measurement, and an end of life calculation for the intelligent transmitter module.

19. An optoelectronic device in accordance with claim 15, wherein the optoelectronic device is one of a 1G laser transceiver, a 2G laser transceiver, a 4G laser transceiver, an 8G laser transceiver, a 10G laser transceiver, or a laser transceiver suitable for communicating at data rates greater than 10G.

20. An optoelectronic device in accordance with claim 20, wherein the optoelectronic device is one of an XFP laser transceiver, an SFP laser transceiver, or an SFF laser transceiver.