System, method and apparatus for multi-lane auto-negotiation over reduced lane media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9900268-B2
Application number	US-201414222608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2014
Priority date	Feb 13, 2014
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for multi-lane auto-negotiation over reduced-lane media. Auto-negotiation over an M-lane communication interface can be coordinated with the auto-negotiation over an N-lane communication interface, wherein M>N. A recursive-type auto-negotiation process would begin with the M-lane communication interface and be prevented from completing until the auto-negotiation process over the N-lane communication interface completes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a physical layer device as part of a first auto-negotiation process, first auto-negotiation capability information from an M-lane communication device over an M-lane communication interface;
transmitting, by the physical layer device as part of a second auto-negotiation process, second auto-negotiation capability information over an N-lane communication interface to an N-lane communication device, the second auto-negotiation capability information transmitted over the N-lane communication interface being based on the first auto-negotiation capability information received over the M-lane communication interface, wherein M>N;
completing, by the physical layer device, the second auto-negotiation process with the N-lane communication device; and
after the completion of the second auto-negotiation process between the physical layer device and the N-lane communication device over the N-lane communication interface, transmitting, by the physical layer device, third auto-negotiation capability information to the M-lane communication device over the M-lane communication interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein N is equal to one.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein N is not equal to one.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising squelching transmission by the physical layer device to the M-lane communication device until the completion of the second auto-negotiation process.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising restarting the first auto-negotiation process responsive to the second auto-negotiation process being incomplete.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a null page or advertising zero capabilities to the M-lane communication device, responsive to the second auto-negotiation process with the N-lane communication device being incomplete.

7. A device, comprising:
an M-lane communication interface that is configured for communication with an M-lane communication device;
an N-lane communication interface that is configured for communication with an N-lane communication device, wherein M>N; and
a controller that is configured to control a first auto-negotiation process with the M-lane communication device over the M-lane communication interface and a second auto-negotiation process with the N-lane communication device over the N-lane communication interface, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit auto-negotiation information to the M-lane communication device over the M-lane communication interface, the transmitted auto-negotiation information over the M-lane communication interface including information based on a completion of the second auto-negotiation process with the N-lane communication device over the N-lane communication interface.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to prevent a completion of the first auto-negotiation process until after the second auto-negotiation process completes.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to restart the first auto-negotiation process responsive to the second auto-negotiation process being incomplete.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to transmit a null page or advertising zero capabilities to the M-lane communication device, responsive to the second auto-negotiation process with the N-lane communication device being incomplete.

11. The device of claim 7 , wherein the N-lane interface is a 40G interface.

12. The device of claim 7 , wherein the N-lane interface is a 100G interface.

13. The device of claim 7 , wherein the N-lane interface is a 400G interface.

14. A network device, comprising:
a first communication device that is configured for communication with an M-lane communication interface;
a second communication device that is configured for communication with the first communication device over the M-lane communication interface, and for communication with a third communication device over an N-lane communication interface, wherein M>N; and
a controller that is configured to control a first auto-negotiation process between the first communication device and the second communication device over the M-lane interface and a second auto-negotiation process between the second communication device and the third communication device over the N-lane communication interface, wherein the controller is further configured to control the transmission of auto-negotiation information from the second communication device to the first communication device over the M-lane communication interface, the transmitted auto-negotiation information over the M-lane communication interface including information based on a completion of the second auto-negotiation process between the second communication device and the third communication device over the N-lane communication interface.

15. The network device of claim 14 , wherein N is equal to one.

16. The network device of claim 14 , wherein N is not equal to one.

17. The network device of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to prevent a completion of the first auto-negotiation process until after the second auto-negotiation process completes.

18. The network device of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to restart the first auto-negotiation process responsive to the second auto-negotiation process being incomplete.

19. The network device of claim 14 , wherein the third communication device is in the network device.

20. The network device of claim 19 , wherein the third communication device has a P-lane communication interface for communication with a fourth communication device, wherein N>P.

Assignees

• Avago Technologies General Ip

Inventors

• Pillai Velu Chellam
• Telang Vivek Pundlik

Classifications

• H04L12/4013

  Management of data rate on the bus (systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality H04L1/0001) · CPC title

• H04L49/3054 Primary

  Auto-negotiation, e.g. access control between switch gigabit interface connector [GBIC] and link · CPC title

• H04L5/1446

  of transmission speed · CPC title