Cisco Technology, Inc.

Alcatel

James Thomas Theodoras

Matthew Lee Heston

Hong Huynh

Saeed Seyed

Andrew J Thurston

Mohammad Reza Danesh Kadivar

Susheela N Narasimhan

Daniel Lee Chaplin

Christophe Metivier

Mattew L Heston

Clinton D McKnight

Travis Legg

Techniques for supporting optical and electrical protocols, such as on the ports of a line card in a network device, are provided. A port on a line card supports optical and electrical connections. The PHY monitors a signal to determine if the transmission connection at the port has changed, such as from optical to electrical, or vice versa. If there has been a change, the PHY is directed to reset a port to correspond to the appropriate transmission connection. By resetting the port, the PHY changes the protocol that is utilized with the signals (e.g., NRZI or 3-Level MLT3).

Universal SFP support

In one embodiment, the present disclosure refers to an apparatus comprising a bracket having a base configured to receive and hold a first electronic element. The bracket comprises at least one flange extending from the base and at least one guide acting to align the bracket and first electronic element with a second electronic element. The bracket also comprises at least one fastener aligned with the at least one guide and acting to engage and hold the second electronic element.

Aligning bracket

According to one example embodiment, a form factor adapter module may include a small form factor (SFF) host connector, an X2 or XENPAK edge finger connector, and a serial to XAUI transceiver. The SFF host connector may be configured receive a small form factor pluggable (SFP or SFP+) module and to transmit and receive data according to a Serial Gigabit Media Independent Interface (SGMII) or Serializer-deserializer Framer Interface (SFI) protocol. The X2 or XENPAK edge finger connector may be configured to mate with an X2 or XENPAK edge finger socket and to transmit and receive data according to a Ten Gigabit Ethernet Attachment Unit Interface (XAUI) protocol. The serial to XAUI transceiver may be coupled to both the SFF host connector and the X2 or XENPAK edge finger connector. The serial to XAUI transceiver may be configured to convert data between the SGMII or SFI protocol and the XAUI protocol.

Form factor adapter module

A method, an apparatus, and a system where multiple lower bandwidth optic Ethernet (e.g. 1000Base-FX) signals can be interleaved or encoded onto a single fiber optic link by overclocking the physical layer elements in such a manner as to be transparent to the data link layer and other higher network layers in the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model (OSI Model) are provided. Such embodiments may provide increased port density over the existing fiber optic gigabit Ethernet (GbE) standards. In embodiments where multiple GbE signals are not channelized, overclocking the physical layer elements may provide increased bandwidth for a single link over existing fiber optic GbE standards.

Multiple fiber optic gigabit ethernet links channelized over single optical link

Optical transceiver modules with multiple channel connection with connectors on a motherboard of a line card for network devices, such as a switch, router, crossconnect and the like, are presented. The modules have staggered electronic boards which can engage the connectors which are laterally displaced on the motherboard. The connectors are also arranged so that one of them can engage an optical transceiver module in an SFP connection so that the motherboard connectors are compatible with multiple channel and single channel (SFP) connections.

Multiple channel optical transceiver modules with compatibility features

A method, an apparatus and a system for gigabit Ethernet (GbE) using only 2 pairs of wires for a single communications link are described. This network communication may be referred to as 2-pair 1000Base-T. GbE using only 2 wire pairs per link may offer increased port density over a conventional 1000Base-T link. As an alternative, 2-pair 1000Base-T may also provide increased link bandwidth over the existing 1000Base-T standard. When a given number of conventional links in a system are replaced by the same number of 2-pair 1000Base-T links, the system bandwidth may also be consequently increased. Transformers and power supplies may be combined with GbE utilizing only two wire pairs to provide power over Ethernet (PoE) solutions.

1000Base-T transmission over 2-pair

A transceiver module having transmit data lines looped back to receive data lines that emulates faults without requiring optical subassemblies inside the module or optical test equipment external to the module. That data lines can be buffered for transparent probing of signals. One or more values directing emulation of a fault are received, such as over a two wire serial interface, and the fault is emulated. The values can be values for electronic pins of the transceiver module, values for operation status of the transceiver module or values for characteristics of signals within the transceiver module.

Electrically looped back, fault emulating transceiver module

Techniques for multiple channel optical transceivers for use in network devices are provided. In general, a row of optical emitters are disposed adjacent to a row of optical detectors in order to provide increased bandwidth and reduced optical crosstalk. Each row can be electrically coupled to an associated transmitting electronic board or detecting electronic board to reduce electronic crosstalk. The configuration of the optical emitters and detectors allow enhanced flexibility in dressing out the optical fibers and routing them to other network devices.

Multiple channel optical transceiver modules

A system provides a zero interconnection height in a board-to-board interconnect while maintaining efficient space allocation for multiple axis connections by providing a floating connection in one plane thereby enabling a connection in another plane. A first circuit board having a first plurality of through-holes is aligned with a second circuit board having a second plurality of through-holes so that the first plurality of through-holes is matched with the second plurality of through-holes. An interconnection height of zero is provided between the first circuit board and the second circuit board. At least one pass-through socket, which includes pass-through socket through-holes, is aligned with the combination of the first circuit board and second circuit board. One or more pins disposed on a pin header are inserted through the pass-through socket, the first circuit board, and the second circuit board.

High density, zero-height, free floating interconnect system

An optical transceiver and method therefore provides a cooled laser diode configured to run in either a low power mode or a standard mode. A method for a thermo-electric cooler includes coupling the thermo-electric cooler to a laser diode, operating the thermo-electric cooler in one of a low power mode and a standard mode, and switching between the low power mode and the standard mode. The laser diode is configured to transmit signals in the low power mode and the standard mode. The low power mode maintains the laser diode at a temperature within a predetermined range of temperatures. The standard mode maintains the laser diode at a temperature that corresponds to a predetermined wavelength of light output from the laser diode. In one embodiment, the low power mode is a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) mode and the standard mode is a Dense Wavelength Divison Multipexing (DWDM) mode. The optical transceiver includes a temperature circuit, a thermo-electric cooler coupled to the temperature circuit, and a laser diode coupled to the thermo-electric cooler. The thermo-electric cooler is responsive to inputs from the temperature circuit, the inputs identifying one of at least a first mode and a second mode, wherein a choice of mode is a function of a performance requirement. The optical transceiver includes a temperature circuit that includes a switch configured to alter the thermo-electric cooler between the first mode and the second mode.

Thermo-electric cooler circuit and method for DWDM/TDM mode selection

A method and apparatus for synchronizing clocks is provided that is flexible and compensates for process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations and other timing differences between two devices. The present invention includes producing an up-converted clock from a system clock, the up-converted clock having a frequency that is a multiple of the frequency of the system clock, producing an aligned clock from a data-aligned clock from a first device and a counter clock from a second device, producing a de-jittered clock, selecting a first reference clock to send to the first device from the up-converted clock, the aligned clock and the de-jittered clock, and selecting a second reference clock to send to the second device from the up-converted clock, the aligned clock and the de-jittered clock.

Method and apparatus for selecting a first clock and second clock for first and second devices respectively from an up-converted clock and an aligned clock for synchronization

A method and circuit board assembly provide a zero interconnection height in a board-to-board interconnect while maintaining efficient space allocation for multiple axis connections by providing a floating connection in one plane thereby enabling a connection in another plane. A method for interconnecting includes aligning a first circuit board having a first plurality of through-holes with a second circuit board having a second plurality of through-holes by matching the first plurality of through-holes with the second plurality of through-holes, the aligning providing an interconnection height of zero between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, aligning at least one pass-through socket with the aligned combination of the first circuit board and second circuit board, the at least one pass-through socket including pass-through socket through-holes, and inserting one or more pins disposed on a pin header through the at least one pass-through socket, the first circuit board and the second circuit board. The method further includes floating one of the first circuit board and the second circuit board prior to inserting the pin header, the floating enabling the first circuit board to interconnect with the second circuit board with a connector aligned along an axis different from the pin header.

Method and apparatus for coupling circuit boards

The present invention comprises a dense wavelength division multiplexing system which uses an automatic level control feedback circuit or loop ( ) to maintain one of a plurality of selectable output power levels. In addition, to prevent the sidelobes of the individual channels from interfering with one another when power to the channel is increased, an optical bandpass filter ( ) is placed in the optical feedback path of the ALC loop ( ). Furthermore, if the frequency or wavelength drifts from the desired output wavelength, the output wavelength is tuned by cooling or heating the laser using a thermoelectric cooler ( ) which is part of a thermoelectric cooler loop ( ) that uses a calibration table to adjust for temperature/wavelength errors.

Wavelength compensated ALC loop

A method for testing a signal path for mark ratio tolerance includes generating a varying test pattern by selecting between a first pattern and a second pattern according to a defined sequence; and sending the varying test pattern over the signal path. An apparatus disposed in a communication system includes a selection circuit for generating a varying test pattern to send over the signal path, the selection circuit generating the varying test pattern by selecting between a first pattern and a second pattern according to a select sequence signal, and a sequencer coupled to the selection circuit, the sequencer providing the select sequence signal to the selection circuit, the sequencer generating the select sequence signal according to a mode value. The mark ratio tolerance of a system can be tested, varying the data density of one portion of the signal path while maintaining a constant data density on another portion of the signal path.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

James Thomas Theodoras