SERIAL NETWORKING FIBER OPTIC INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM NETWORK CONFIGURATION

• US 20110063998A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anuvu IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Lumexis Corporation
• Inventors: Beuman, Timotheus Antonius, Curtis, Allen, Petrisor, Gregory C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/028 Dynamic adaptation of the update intervals, e.g. event-triggered updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 Adaptations for optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0092 Ring

Abstract

Serial networking dedicated fiber optic inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, methods therefor and components thereof, that exhibit improved configuration and failover attributes through implementation of novel network configuration protocols. In some aspects of the invention, such an IFE system comprises a plurality of head end line replaceable units (HE-LRUs) and a plurality of serial networking line replaceable units (SN-LRUs), wherein each of the SN-LRUs individually detects that a closed system network has been formed between the plurality of HE-LRUs and the plurality of SN-LRUs based on a plurality of packets sourced by at least one of the HE-LRUs and received on a plurality of ports of each of the SN-LRUs, and wherein in response to detecting that the closed system network has been formed one of the SN-LRUs blocks one of its ports based on further detecting that the SN-LRU is a middle SN-LRU.

Claims

1. An inflight entertainment (IFE) system, comprising:

a plurality of head end line replaceable units (HE-LRUs); and

a plurality of serial networking line replaceable units (SN-LRUs),

wherein each of the SN-LRUs individually detects that a closed system network has been formed between the plurality of HE-LRUs and the plurality of SN-LRUs based on a plurality of packets sourced by at least one of the HE-LRUs and received on a plurality of ports of each of the SN-LRUs, and

wherein in response to detecting that the closed system network has been formed one of the SN-LRUs blocks one of its ports based on further detecting that the one of the SN-LRUs is a middle SN-LRU.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs determines that it is a middle SN-LRU based on a comparison of hops to head end values contained in the plurality of packets.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs determines that it is a middle SN-LRU based on the comparison indicating a difference between the hops to head end values of no greater than one.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs clears a topology database on the one of the SN-LRUs in response to detecting that the closed system network has been formed and based on further detecting that it is a middle SN-LRU.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs transmits a topology change packet on an unblocked port of the one of the SN-LRUs in response to detecting that the closed system network has been formed and based on further detecting that it is a middle SN-LRU.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the HE-LRUs individually detects that a closed head end network has been formed between the plurality of HE-LRUs based on a packet transmitted by each HE-LRU on a first port and received by each HE-LRU, respectively, on a second port, wherein in response to detecting that the closed head end network has been formed one of the HE-LRUs blocks one of its first or second port based on further detecting that the one of the HE-LRUs is a designated break LRU.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one of the HE-LRUs clear a topology database on the one of the HE-LRUs in response to detecting that the closed head end network has been formed and based on further detecting that it is a designated break LRU.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the one of the HE-LRUs transmits a topology change packet on an unblocked one of its ports in response to detecting that the closed head end network has been formed and based on further detecting that it is a designated break LRU.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the HE-LRUs comprise servers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the SN-LRUs are video display units (VDUs).

11. A SN-LRU for an IFE system having a plurality of HE-LRUs and a plurality of SN-LRUs, said SN-LRU comprising:

a processor; and

a plurality of ports communicatively coupled with the processor,

wherein under control of the processor the SN-LRU selectively blocks one of the ports based on a comparison of a first hops to head end value contained in a first packet sourced by a HE-LRU and received on a first one of the ports and a second hops to head end value contained in a second packet sourced by a HE-LRU and received on a second one of the ports.

12. The SN-LRU of claim 11, wherein the SN-LRU under control of the processor blocks one of the ports only if the comparison indicates that a difference between the hops to head end values is no greater than one.

13. The SN-LRU of claim 11, wherein the SN-LRU under control of the processor blocks the one of the ports over which the packet containing the higher hops to head end value was received.

14. The SN-LRU of claim 11, wherein the SN-LRU under control of the processor selectively clears a topology database on the SN-LRU based on the comparison.

15. The SN-LRU of claim 11, wherein the SN-LRU under control of the processor selectively transmits a topology change packet on an unblocked one of the ports based on the comparison.

16. The SN-LRU of claim 11, wherein the SN-LRU is a VDU.

17. A HE-LRU for an IFE system having a plurality of HE-LRUs and a plurality of SN-LRU, said HE-LRU comprising:

a processor; and

a plurality of ports communicatively coupled with the processor,

wherein under control of the processor the HE-LRU blocks one of the ports based on detecting that a packet transmitted on a first one of the ports has been received on a second one of the ports and based on further detecting that the HE-LRU is a designated break LRU.

18. The HE-LRU of claim 17, wherein the HE-LRU under control of the processor clears a topology database on the HE-LRU based on detecting that a packet transmitted on a first one of the ports has been received on a second one of the ports and based on further detecting that the HE-LRU is a designated break LRU.

19. The HE-LRU of claim 17, wherein the HE-LRU under control of the processor transmits a topology change packet on an unblocked one of the ports based on detecting that a packet transmitted on a first one of the ports has been received on a second one of the ports and based on further detecting that the HE-LRU is a designated break LRU.

20. The HE-LRU of claim 17, wherein the HE-LRU comprises a server.

21. A network configuration method performed by a SN-LRU of an IFE system having a plurality of HE-LRUs and a plurality of SN-LRUs, comprising the steps of:

receiving on a first port of the SN-LRU a first packet sourced by a HE-LRU and having a first hops to head end value;

receiving on a second port of the SN-LRU a second packet sourced by a HE-LRU and having a second hops to head end value;

comparing by the SN-LRU the first and second hops to head end values; and

selectively blocking by the SN-LRU one of the ports based on the comparison.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selectively blocking step comprises blocking one of the ports only if the comparison indicates that a difference between the first and second hops to head end values is no greater than one.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the selectively blocking step comprises blocking the one of the ports over which the packet containing the higher hops to head end value was received.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of selectively clearing a topology database on the SN-LRU based on the comparison.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of selectively transmitting a topology change packet on an unblocked one of the ports based on the comparison.

26. An IFE system, comprising:

a plurality of HE-LRUs; and

a plurality of SN-LRUs,

wherein each of the SN-LRUs individually detects that a closed system network has been formed between the plurality of HE-LRUs and the plurality of SN-LRUs based on a plurality of packets sourced by at least one of the HE-LRUs and received on a plurality of ports of each of the SN-LRUs, and

wherein in response to detecting that the closed system network has been formed one of the SN-LRUs provides a logical break point for the network based on historical break information.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the historical break information comprises an indication of a break on the one of the SN-LRUs from which a recovery has been made.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the historical break information comprises an indication of a break on another one of the SN-LRUs from which a recovery has been made.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the indication of a break on another one of the SN-LRUs from which a recovery has been made is received in at least one of the plurality of packets.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs provides the logical break point based on a determination that the one of the SN-LRUs is closer to being a middle SN-LRU than another SN-LRU that has recovered from a break.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the one of the SN-LRUs provides the logical break point based on a determination that the one of the SN-LRUs is as close to being a middle SN-LRU as another SN-LRU that has recovered from a break and has been designated to provide the logical break point in the event of a tie.

32. A network configuration method performed by a SN-LRU of an IFE system having a plurality of HE-LRUs and a plurality of SN-LRUs, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving on a first port of the SN-LRU a first packet sourced by a first HE-LRU;

receiving on a second port of the SN-LRU a second packet sourced by a second HE-LRU;

determining by the SN-LRU that a closed system network has been formed between the plurality of HE-LRUs based on the first and second packet;

determining by the SN-LRU that the SN-LRU provides a logical break point for the network based on historical break information; and

providing by the SN-LRU a logical break point for the network.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the historical break information comprises an indication of a break on the SN-LRU from which a recovery has been made.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the historical break information comprises an indication of a break on another SN-LRU from which a recovery has been made.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication of a break on another SN-LRU from which a recovery has been made is received in at least one of the first or second packet.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the second determining step comprises determining that the SN-LRU is closer to being a middle SN-LRU than another SN-LRU that has recovered from a break.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the second determining step comprises determining that the SN-LRU is as close to being a middle SN-LRU as another SN-LRU that has recovered from a break and has been designated to provide the logical break point in the event of a tie.