Systems and methods for using active optical cable segments

• US RE47,365 E1
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Kamlesh G., Stone, David, Coffey, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Minh Dieu
• Application Number:
  US15/600,121
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 713168, 726 4, 726 16
• CPC Class Codes: N/A

Abstract

First and second active optical modules that terminate first and second active optical cable segments, each of which having a respective active end and a respective passive end, can be authenticated by: reading information from active-end storage devices attached to the respective active ends of the first and second active optical modules; providing information read from the active-end storage devices to an aggregation point; reading information from passive-end storage devices attached to the respective passive ends of the first and second active optical cable segments; providing information read from passive-end storage devices to the aggregation point; and authenticating the first and second active optical modules using information provided to the aggregation point.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating at least one of first and second active optical modules that terminate first and second active optical cable segments, each of which having a respective active end and a respective passive end, the method comprising:

reading, by a first device, information from a respective active-end storage device included in the respective active optical module that terminates the first active optical cable segment, wherein the first device is connected to the first active optical cable segment via the respective active optical module that terminates the first active optical cable segment;

reading, by a second device, information from a respective active-end storage device included in the respective active optical module that terminates the second active optical cable segment, wherein the second device is connected to the second active optical cable segment via the respective active optical module that terminates the second active optical cable segment;

providing, from the first device to an aggregation point, at least some of the information read from the respective active-end storage device included in the respective active optical module that terminates the first active optical cable segment;

providing, from the second device to the aggregation point, at least some of the information read from the respective active-end storage device included in the respective active optical module that terminates the second active optical cable segment;

reading, at a first port that is not included in the first device or the second device, information from a respective passive-end storage device attached to the respective passive end of the first active optical cable segment, wherein the first active optical cable segment is connected to the first port;

reading, at a second port that is not included in the first device or the second device, information from a respective passive-end storage device attached to the respective passive end of the second active optical cable segment, wherein the second active optical cable segment is connected to the second port;

providing at least some of the information read from the passive-end storage devices to the aggregation point; and

authenticating at least one of the first and second active optical modules using at least some of the information provided to the aggregation point; and

wherein the first device and the second device are communicatively coupled to one another via a logical communication path that includes the first and second active optical cable segments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first port is included in a first passive optical interconnect and wherein the second port is included in a second passive optical interconnect.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second passive optical interconnect are communicatively coupled to one another using a trunk cable, wherein the method further comprises providing information about the trunk cable to the aggregation point.

4. A system for use with first and second active optical cable segments, each of the first and second active optical cable segments having a respective active end and a passive end, the system comprising:

first and second host devices, the first host device having a first authenticated port and the second host device having a second authenticated port;

wherein the first authenticated port is configured so that a respective electrical connector terminating the respective active end of the first active optical cable segment can be coupled to the first authenticated port, wherein the first authenticated port is also configured to provide access to a first active-end storage device associated with the active end of the first active optical cable segment when the first active optical cable segment is coupled to the first authenticated port; and

wherein the second authenticated port is configured so that a respective electrical connector terminating the respective active end of the second active optical cable segment can be coupled to the second authenticated port, wherein the second authenticated port is also configured to provide access to a second active-end storage device associated with the active end of the second active optical cable segment when the second active optical cable segment is coupled to the second authenticated port;

wherein the system further comprises first and second passive optical interconnects, the first passive optical interconnect comprising a first port and the second passive optical interconnect comprising a second port;

wherein the first port is configured so that a respective passive optical connector terminating the respective passive end of the first active optical cable segment can be coupled to the first port, wherein the first port is also configured to provide access to a first passive-end storage device associated with the passive end of the first active optical cable segment when the first active optical cable segment is coupled to the first port;

wherein the second port is configured so that a respective optical passive connector terminating the respective passive end of the second active optical cable segment can be coupled to the second port, wherein the second port is also configured to provide access to a second passive-end storage device associated with the passive end of the second active optical cable segment when the second active optical cable segment is coupled to the second port;

wherein the first and second ports are communicatively coupled to one another via one or more other cable segments; and

wherein an active optical communication path can be established between the first authenticated port and the second authenticated port using the first active optical cable segment, the second active optical cable segment, and one or more passive cable segments;

wherein the system further comprises an aggregation point that is communicatively coupled to the first and second host devices and the first and second passive optical interconnects;

wherein the aggregation point is configured to receive;

information read from the first and second active-end storage devices attached to the first and second active optical cable segments, respectively;

information read from the first and second passive-end storage devices attached to the first and second active optical cable segments, respectively; and

information about the one or more other cable segments used to establish the active optical communication path between the first and second authenticated ports; and

wherein the system further comprises an authentication entity that is communicatively coupled to the aggregation point and the first and second host devices, wherein information indicative of the active optical communication path is communicated from the aggregation point to the authentication entity in connection with authenticating the first and second active optical cable segments for use with the first and second authenticated ports.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the information read from the first and second active-end storage devices attached to the first and second active optical cable segments, respectively, includes encrypted authentication information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the first and second host devices is configured to do the following in connection with reading the encrypted authentication information from the first and second active-end storage devices, respectively:

write respective challenge data to the first or second active-end storage device, respectively;

read a respective encrypted response from the first or second active-end storage device, respectively, wherein the respective encrypted response is generated and stored in the first or second active-end storage device by the first or second active optical cable segment by encrypting the respective challenge data using a respective private key.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the host devices comprises one or more of:

switches, routers, gateways, access points, server computers, end-user computers, appliance computers, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and nodes of a storage area network (SAN).

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the passive optical interconnects comprise at least one of:

fiber patch panels, fiber distribution hubs (FDH), fiber splice panels, fiber trays, and fiber termination points.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein each active optical cable segment comprises:

one or more optical fibers;

an active optical module at the active end of the optical fibers;

a passive optical connector at the passive end of the optical fibers.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein each active optical module comprises:

an optical transceiver;

a controller;

the active-end storage device; and

an electrical connector.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the first and second passive optical interconnects comprise first and second fiber patch panels, respectively, including the first and second ports, respectively, wherein the first and second fiber patch panels are communicatively coupled to one another using an optical trunk cable, wherein the optical trunk cable communicatively couples the first port of the first fiber patch panel to the second port of the second fiber patch panel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the optical trunk cable comprises first and second multi-fiber connectors at ends thereof, wherein each multi-fiber connector comprises a respective trunk-cable storage device in which information about the optical trunk cable is stored.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the aggregation point is configured to receive information read from the first and second trunk-cable storage devices.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein respective identifiers for the first and second active optical cable segments communicated to the aggregation point differ from respective identifiers for the first and second active optical cable segments used by the authentication entity for the authenticating the first and second active optical cable segments.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the identifiers for the first and second active optical cable segments communicated to the aggregation point comprises a predetermined bit sequence based on a portion of a fixed part of the information stored in the respective first or second active-end storage device.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the active optical cable segments comprise at least one of an ETHERNET cable segment, a FIBRE CHANNEL cable segment, an INFINIBAND cable segment, a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) cable segment, and a SONET/SDH cable segment.

17. A system for use with a first active optical cable segment, the first active optical cable segment having an active end and a passive end, the system comprising:

a first active device, the first active device having a first active port, wherein the first active port is configured so that the active end of the first active optical cable segment can be coupled to the first active port, wherein the first active port is also configured to provide access to an active-end storage device associated with the active end of the first active optical cable segment when the first active optical cable segment is coupled to the first active port and wherein the first active device is configured to communicate over the first active optical cable segment using a first optical transceiver; and

an optical interconnect, the optical interconnect comprising an optical interconnect port, wherein the optical interconnect port is configured so that an optical connector terminating the passive end of the first active optical cable segment can be coupled to the optical interconnect port, wherein the optical interconnect port is also configured to provide access to a passive-end storage device associated with the passive end of the first active optical cable segment when the first active optical cable segment is coupled to the optical interconnect port;

wherein the system is configured to establish an active optical communication path between the first active port of the first active device and a second active port of a second active device using the first active optical cable segment, the optical interconnect, and a second active optical cable segment; and

wherein the system is configured to implement a policy at the first active device for the active optical communication path using information read from the active-end storage device attached to the first active optical cable segment and information read from the passive-end storage device attached to the first active optical cable segment.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a software entity configured to receive the information read from the active-end storage device attached to the first active optical cable segment and the information read from the passive-end storage device attached to the first active optical cable segment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the software entity is further configured to, at least in part, implement the policy at the first active device for the active optical communication path.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first active device comprises a switching device including a plurality of active ports including the first active port, the switching device switching signals between the plurality of active ports, wherein the policy is implemented at the switching device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the policy implemented at the switching device comprises authenticating the first active port.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the active optical communication path includes a multi-fiber cable.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the active optical communication path includes a trunk cable.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the first optical transceiver is a part of an active optical module that terminates the first active optical cable segment.

25. A method for use with first and second active optical cable segments connected to first and second optical transceivers, respectively, each active optical cable segment having a respective active end and a respective passive end, the method comprising:

reading, by a first device, information from a respective active-end storage device associated with the active end of the first active optical cable segment, wherein the first device communicates over the first active optical cable segment via the first optical transceiver connected to the first active optical cable segment;

reading, by a second device, information from a respective active-end storage device associated with the second active optical cable segment, wherein the second device communicates over the second active optical cable segment via the second optical transceiver connected to the second active optical cable segment;

providing, from the first device to an aggregation point, at least some of the information read from the respective active-end storage device associated with the first active optical cable segment;

providing, from the second device to the aggregation point, at least some of the information read from the respective active-end storage device associated with the second active optical cable segment;

reading, at a first port that is not included in the first device or the second device, information from a respective passive-end storage device attached to the respective passive end of the first active optical cable segment, wherein the first active optical cable segment is connected to the first port;

reading, at a second port that is not included in the first device or the second device, information from a respective passive-end storage device attached to the respective passive end of the second active optical cable segment, wherein the second active optical cable segment is connected to the second port, wherein the first device and the second device are communicatively coupled to one another via a logical communication path that includes the first and second active optical cable segments;

providing at least some of the information read from the passive-end storage devices to the aggregation point; and

implementing a policy at the first device, for the logical communication path that includes the first and second active optical cable segments, using at least some of information provided to the aggregation point.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first device comprises an active switching device that includes a plurality of ports, the active switching device switching signals between the plurality of ports of the active switching device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the policy comprises authenticating at least one of the first and second optical transceivers using at least some of the information provided to the aggregation point.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the logical communication path includes a multi-fiber cable.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the logical communication path includes a trunk cable.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the first and second optical transceivers are part of first and second active optical modules, respectively, that terminate the first and second active optical cable segments, respectively.