Network switch with backup power supply

• US 8,386,846 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gigamon Incorporated (Elliott Capital Advisors LP)
• Original Assignee: Gigamon Incorporated (Elliott Capital Advisors LP)
• Inventors: Cheung, Thomas Kwok Yin
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, LOAN
• Application Number:
  US12/775,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 714/14, 307/112, 455/67.11
• US Class Current: 714/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/405 Physical details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane of ATM switches

Abstract

A network switch apparatus includes a housing, a first network port, a second network port, a first instrument port, an active component inside the housing, wherein the active component is configured to receive packets from the first network port, and pass at least some of the packets from the first network port to the first instrument port, a connector for supplying power from a power supply to the active component, and a backup power supply for supplying power to the active component when the active component does not receive power from the power supply.

Claims

1. A network switch apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a first network port;

a second network port;

a first instrument port;

an active component inside the housing, wherein the active component is configured to receive packets from the first network port, and pass at least some of the packets from the first network port to the first instrument port;

a connector for supplying power from a power supply to the active component; and

a backup power supply for supplying power to the active component when the active component does not receive power from the power supply;

wherein a cable length distance requirement associated with the network switch apparatus remains satisfied regardless of whether the active component receives the power from the power supply or not.

2. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the active component comprises a switch module that operates in accordance with a predetermined movement configuration.

3. The network switch apparatus of claim 2, wherein the movement configuration comprises a one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or a many-to-many configuration.

4. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring device configured to monitor a parameter, or lack thereof, that is associated with the power being delivered from the power supply to the active component, wherein the parameter comprises a voltage, a current, a resistance, or a magnitude of the power from the power supply.

5. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backup power supply comprises a battery.

6. The network switch apparatus of claim 5, wherein the battery is rechargeable, and is coupled to the power supply for charging the battery when the active component is not using the battery.

7. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backup power supply comprises a capacitor.

8. The network switch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the capacitor comprises a supercapacitor.

9. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backup power obviates a need to use a relay for directly coupling the first network port to the second network port when a failure of the power supply occurs.

10. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network port comprises a RJ45 connector, an optical connector, a SFP+ connector, or a CX4 connector.

11. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second instrument port, wherein the active component is configured to receive packets from the second network port, and pass at least some of the packets from the second network port to the second instrument port.

12. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second instrument port, wherein the first instrument port is configured for passing the at least some of the packets to a monitoring tool, and the second instrument port is configured for receiving the at least some of the packets from the monitoring tool after they have been processed by the monitoring tool.

13. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the packets comprise all of the packets from the first network port.

14. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least some of the packets comprise a first subset of the packets from the first network port, and the active component is configured to pass a second subset of the packets to the second network port.

15. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is a part of a tap.

16. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is a part of an inline bypass tap.

17. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power switch for causing the backup power supply to supply backup power to the active component when the active component does not receive any power from the power source.

30. The network switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein regardless of whether the active component receives the power from the power supply or not, the network switch apparatus satisfies a first condition d₁<

d_max, and a second condition d₂<

d_max, wherein d₁ is a first cable distance between a first node and the active component, and d₂ is a second cable distance between a second node and the active component, and d_max is a maximum allowable distance.

18. A network switch apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a first network port;

a second network port;

an inline port for communication with a pass-through device;

an additional inline port for communication with the pass-through device;

an active component inside the housing, wherein the active component is configured to receive packets from the first network port, pass the packets from the first network port to the inline port for processing by the pass-through device, receive the packets from the pass-through device through the additional inline port after the packets have been processed by the pass-through device, and pass the packets from the additional inline port to the second network port;

a connector for supplying power from a power supply to the active component; and

a backup power supply for supplying power to the active component when the active component does not receive power from the power supply;

wherein a cable length distance requirement associated with the network switch apparatus remains satisfied regardless of whether the active component receives the power from the power supply or not.

19. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pass-through device comprises an intrusion prevention system.

20. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the active component comprises a switch module that operates in accordance with a predetermined movement configuration.

21. The network switch apparatus of claim 20, wherein the movement configuration comprises a one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or a many-to-many configuration.

22. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a monitoring device configured to monitor a parameter, or lack thereof, that is associated with the power being delivered from the power supply to the active component, wherein the parameter comprises a voltage, a current, a resistance, or a magnitude of the power from the power supply.

23. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backup power supply comprises a battery.

24. The network switch apparatus of claim 23, wherein the battery is rechargeable, and is coupled to the power supply for charging the battery when the active component is not using the battery.

25. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backup power supply comprises a capacitor.

26. The network switch apparatus of claim 25, wherein the capacitor comprises a supercapacitor.

27. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backup power obviates a need to use a relay for directly coupling the first network port to the second network port when a failure of the power supply occurs.

28. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first network port comprises a RJ45 connector, an optical connector, a SFP+ connector, or a CX4 connector.

29. The network switch apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a power switch for coupling the backup power supply to the active component when the active component does not receive any power from the power source.