A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and apparatus to support capability negotiation in asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, enabling nodes with different logical channel rates to use the optimal rate during docking to achieve best performance. The method includes: a second node receiving a negotiation request from a first node, the negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node, the negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information indicating the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel, the logical channel including the first logical channel; and the second node sending a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] FlexLane is a high-reliability assurance technology based on the Ethernet physical layer, which can be used for interconnecting communication networks. When the physical layer detects a lane failure, FlexLane can quickly isolate the fault and achieve self-healing after the fault is recovered, thus providing high reliability assurance for the communication network.

[0003] Currently, in standard Ethernet mode, two interconnected nodes can negotiate FlexLane capabilities through a capability negotiation process, and then enter FlexLane mode after the capability negotiation process is completed. In FlexLane mode, when there is a large flow of transmission, all channels can be activated to operate, and when there is a small flow of transmission, some channels can be shut down to achieve energy saving.

[0004] In related technologies, after the two interconnected nodes go through the aforementioned capability negotiation process, the final negotiated speed used is a subset of the capabilities of the two nodes. However, when the two interconnected nodes are asymmetrically connected, after going through the aforementioned capability negotiation process, there may be situations where the high-speed platform is downgraded or the negotiation fails, resulting in performance degradation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for supporting capability negotiation in asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, and for supporting nodes with different logical channel rates to use the optimal rate during docking to achieve the best performance.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a second node interconnected with a first node. The first and second nodes can be located in two separate devices or in two modules or chips within the same device. The method includes: the second node receiving a negotiation request from the first node, the negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of a logical channel between the first and second nodes, the logical channel including a first logical channel of the first node; the negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information indicating the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel, i.e., the capability to convert a first logical channel of one rate to a second logical channel of another rate; and the second node sending a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and first capability information.

[0008] Optionally, the logical channel may also include a third logical channel of the second node. Both the first and third logical channels can be SubPHYs. For example, the first logical channel may be the SubPHY of the first node, the first rate may be the SubPHY rate of the first node, and the third logical channel may be the SubPHY of the second node. The SubPHY can be obtained by logically partitioning physical layer resources. Physical layer resources can be divided into multiple SubPHYs, and these multiple SubPHYs have a certain correspondence with multiple channels (lanes). Therefore, when negotiating to enter FlexLane mode, a suitable SubPHY rate can be selected through negotiation, thereby improving communication performance.

[0009] In the above technical solution, when negotiating the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node, the negotiation request sent by the first node to the second node includes the first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. When the second node receives the negotiation request, it can send a negotiation response to the first node according to the first rate and the first capability information. In this way, if the first rate cannot be successfully matched, the second node can continue to match according to the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. Thus, in asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, nodes that support different rates can use the optimal rate to communicate during docking to achieve the best performance.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel refers to the termination and regeneration capability of the first logical channel. For example, converting a first logical channel of one rate into a second logical channel of another rate means generating (or forming, producing) two logical channels of different rates, and terminating the logical channel of the first rate when generating the logical channel of the second rate.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate: rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or the first logical channel supporting the first rate is converted to a second logical channel supporting the second rate. For example, when the first logical channel is a SubPHY of the first node, the first capability information can also be referred to as the SubPHY termination and regeneration capability of the first node, that is, the capability to terminate one rate of the SubPHY and then generate a SubPHY with another rate. In the above possible implementations, when the first capability information indicates that the first logical channel supporting the first rate is converted to a second logical channel supporting the second rate, the second node can perform capability matching based on the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. This allows nodes supporting different rates to communicate at the optimal rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, improving communication performance.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate that a first logical channel supporting a first rate is converted to a second logical channel with a second rate; the logical channel further includes a third logical channel of the second node; the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information, including: if the first rate and the third rate of the second logical channel do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition; wherein, the matching condition includes: the rates are equal and less than or equal to the energy-saving granularity or the fault channel isolation granularity. Optionally, if the first rate and the third rate meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation. In the above possible implementation, the second node performs capability matching based on the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel, thereby enabling nodes supporting different rates to communicate at the optimal rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, improving communication performance.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, if the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition, the negotiation response is used to indicate successful negotiation. Optionally, if the second rate and the third rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node can continue to make a judgment or directly send a negotiation response indicating negotiation failure to the first node. In the above possible implementations, the second node can send a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation or negotiation failure to the first node based on whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the logical channel further includes a third logical channel of the second node; the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and first capability information, including: if the first capability information indicates that rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel. In the above possible implementation, the second node can also perform capability matching based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel, thereby enabling nodes supporting different rates to communicate at the optimal rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, improving communication performance.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capabilities of the first and third logical channels. This includes: if the second node supports converting a third logical channel at the third rate to a fourth logical channel at the fourth rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first and fourth rates meet a matching condition. In the above possible implementation, the second node can also perform capability matching based on the rate conversion capabilities of the first and third logical channels. This allows nodes supporting different rates to communicate at the optimal rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, thereby improving communication performance.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel. This includes: if the second node does not support rate conversion of the third logical channel, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate reduction capability of the first rate and the second node. The rate reduction capability of the second node includes: not supporting rate reduction, or supporting a reduction from the third rate to the fifth rate. For example, the rate reduction capability of the second node means directly generating a low-rate logical channel, and does not involve generating two logical channels with different rates. In the above possible implementation, the second node can also send a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node, thereby ensuring that nodes supporting different rates communicate at a certain rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node. This includes: if the second node supports reducing the rate from a third rate to a fifth rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet a matching condition; if the second node does not support rate reduction, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure. Optionally, the fifth rate is greater than or equal to the second node's SerDers rate; if the fifth rate is less than the second node's SerDers rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure. In the above possible implementation, the second node can also send a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node, thereby ensuring that nodes supporting different rates communicate at a certain rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet a matching condition. This includes: if the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation; if the first rate and the fifth rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure. The above possible implementations enable nodes supporting different rates to communicate at a certain rate during docking in both asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: acquiring second capability information of the second node, the second capability information being used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel. For example, the second capability information is used to indicate that rate conversion of the third logical channel is not supported, or that a third logical channel supporting a third rate is converted to a fourth logical channel supporting a fourth rate. Optionally, the processing module of the second node acquires the second capability information of the second node from the optical module of the second node.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second node includes an optical module for implementing the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel. In the above possible implementation, by integrating the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel into the optical module, the second node's SerDers can be fully utilized for transmission when the SerDers rate is high, without requiring any improvements to the processing module of the first node, and simultaneously improving the processing performance of the optical module.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the negotiation request includes a message field containing first rate and first capability information. In the above possible implementations, by including the first rate and first capability information in the message field, the utilization rate of the message field in the negotiation request can be improved, and the interaction between nodes can be reduced.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first node, wherein the first node is interconnected with a second node. The method includes: the first node sending a first negotiation request to the second node, the first negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of a logical channel between the first node and the second node, the logical channel including a first logical channel of the first node, the first negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information being used to indicate the rate switching capability of the first logical channel; and the first node receiving a first negotiation response, the first negotiation response being used to respond to the first negotiation request.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the rate conversion capability of the first logic channel refers to the termination regeneration capability of the first logic channel.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate: that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or that the first logical channel that supports the first rate is converted to the second logical channel at the second rate.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first negotiation response is used to indicate negotiation failure, and the method further includes: the first node supporting a reduction from a first rate to a sixth rate, the first node sending a second negotiation request to the second node, and the third negotiation request including the sixth rate and first capability information. Optionally, the sixth rate is greater than or equal to the first node's SerDers rate; if the sixth rate is less than the first node's SerDers rate, the negotiation fails.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: obtaining first capability information of the first node. For example, the processing module of the first node obtains the first capability information of the first node from the optical module of the first node.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first node includes an optical module for implementing the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first negotiation request includes a message field containing first rate and first capability information.

[0029] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, which serves as a second node interconnected with a first node. The communication device includes: a receiving unit for receiving a negotiation request from the first node, the negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of a logical channel between the first node and the second node, the logical channel including a first logical channel of the first node, the negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information being used to indicate the rate switching capability of the first logical channel; and a sending unit for sending a negotiation response to the first node according to the first rate and the first capability information.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the rate conversion capability of the first logic channel refers to the termination regeneration capability of the first logic channel.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate: that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or that the first logical channel that supports the first rate is converted to the second logical channel at the second rate.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate that the first logical channel supporting the first rate is the second logical channel of the second rate; the logical channel also includes the third logical channel of the second node; the sending unit is further used to: if the first rate and the third rate of the third logical channel do not meet the matching condition, send a negotiation response to the first node according to whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition; wherein the matching condition includes: the rates are equal and less than or equal to the energy-saving granularity or the fault channel isolation granularity.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the negotiation response is used to indicate successful negotiation if the second rate and the third rate satisfy the matching condition.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the logical channel further includes a third logical channel of the second node; the sending unit is further configured to: send a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel when the first capability information indicates that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the sending unit is further configured to: send a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fourth rate meet a matching condition, provided that the second node supports the conversion of the third logical channel of the third rate to the fourth logical channel of the fourth rate.

[0036] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the sending unit is further configured to: send a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node, if the second node does not support the rate conversion of the third logical channel; wherein the rate reduction capability of the second node includes: not supporting rate reduction, or supporting reduction from the third rate to the fifth rate.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the sending unit is further configured to: send a negotiation response to the first node if the second node supports reducing the rate from the third rate to the fifth rate, depending on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching condition; and if the second node does not support the rate reduction, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node to indicate that the negotiation has failed.

[0038] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the sending unit is further configured to: send a negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation when the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching condition; and send a negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure when the first rate and the fifth rate do not meet the matching condition.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the device further includes: a processing unit for acquiring second capability information of the second node, the second capability information being used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the negotiation request includes a message field containing first rate and first capability information.

[0041] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which interconnects with a second node as a first node. The device includes: a sending unit for sending a first negotiation request to the second node, the first negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of a logical channel between the first node and the second node, the logical channel including a first logical channel of the first node, the first negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information being used to indicate the rate switching capability of the first logical channel; and a receiving unit for receiving a first negotiation response, the first negotiation response being used to respond to the first negotiation request.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the rate conversion capability of the first logic channel refers to the termination regeneration capability of the first logic channel.

[0043] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first capability information is used to indicate: that rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or that the first logical channel is supported in converting from a first rate to a second rate.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first negotiation response is used to indicate negotiation failure; the sending unit is further used to send a second negotiation request to the second node when the first node supports a reduction from the first rate to the sixth rate, the second negotiation request including the sixth rate and the first capability information.

[0045] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the device further includes: a processing unit for acquiring first capability information of the first node.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first negotiation request includes a message field containing first rate and first capability information.

[0047] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, which serves as a second node. The communication device includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor and the communication interface being configured to support the communication device in performing a communication method provided by the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which serves as a first node. The communication device includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor and the communication interface being configured to support the communication device in performing a communication method as provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0049] In another aspect of this application, a communication system is provided, comprising a first node and a second node; wherein the second node includes a communication device provided by a third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, for executing a communication method provided by a first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; and the first node includes a communication device provided by a fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, for executing a communication method provided by a second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0050] In another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform a communication method as provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0051] In another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the communication method provided by the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] In another aspect of this application, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the communication method provided by the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] In another aspect of this application, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the communication method provided by the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0054] In another aspect of this application, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method provided by the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or to perform the method provided by the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] In another aspect of this application, a chip is provided, comprising: an input interface, an output interface, a processor, and a memory. The input interface, the output interface, the processor, and the memory are connected through an internal connection path. The processor is used to execute code in the memory. When the code is executed, the processor is used to perform the method provided by the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or to perform the method provided by the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0056] It is understood that the beneficial effects achieved by any of the communication devices, communication systems, computer-readable storage media and computer program products provided above can be referred to in accordance with the beneficial effects of the communication methods provided above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an architecture based on Ethernet interface communication provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an Ethernet interface based on a SubPHY architecture provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another Ethernet interface based on SubPHY architecture provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a SubPHY architecture provided in this application embodiment;

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating a node entering FlexLane mode, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a link type provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 7A A schematic diagram illustrating the capabilities of a node provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 7B A schematic diagram illustrating the capabilities of another node provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AI cluster network provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a protocol frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 12 A schematic diagram illustrating capability negotiation provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 13 A schematic diagram illustrating another capability negotiation method provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 14 A schematic diagram illustrating yet another capability negotiation method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 15 A schematic diagram illustrating another capability negotiation method provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 16 A schematic diagram illustrating yet another capability negotiation method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 17 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a first node according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of another first node provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second node provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of another second node structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0078] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a, b, and c; where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0079] The embodiments of this application use terms such as "first" and "second" to distinguish objects with similar names, functions, or roles. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or order of execution. In this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being used as an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0080] Before introducing the embodiments of this application, the application scenarios involved in this application will be described first.

[0081] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of an architecture for communication based on an Ethernet interface, which can also be called an Ethernet interface. In a communication network, two nodes with Ethernet interfaces that are interconnected can communicate based on the Ethernet interface. Optionally, each node may include a processing module, or both a processing module and an optical module. For example, a first node includes a first Ethernet interface, and a second node includes a second Ethernet interface. The first Ethernet interface and the second Ethernet interface can be connected via cables, optical modules, or optical fibers.

[0082] Optionally, the first node and the second node can be two devices, two modules or chips within the same device, or two modules or chips from different devices. In one possible example, the first node or the second node can include, but is not limited to, switches, routers, servers, computing devices, virtual devices, virtual modules, network interface cards (NICs), leaf nodes within a data center, or spine nodes within a data center. In another possible example, the first node or the second node can include pluggable optical modules or non-pluggable optical modules. In yet another possible embodiment, the optical modules of the first node or the second node can support: short-range (SR) transmission, data rate (DR) transmission, long-range (LR) transmission, long-range multimode (LRM) transmission, extended-range (ER) transmission, or zero-replacement-range (ZR) transmission. Optionally, the optical modules of the first or second node may support rates including but not limited to: 100G Base-R, 200G Base-R, 400G Base-R, 800G Base-R, 1.6T Base-R, etc.

[0083] The processing module in the aforementioned nodes (e.g., the first node or the second node) can be located within a device, or it can be referred to as the processing module being located in a host. The optical module in the aforementioned nodes may or may not be located within a device. When the optical module is located within a device, the aforementioned node can be referred to as a device; when the optical module is not located within a device, for example, when the optical module is connected to the device via a pluggable connection, the processing module in the aforementioned node can be referred to as a device.

[0084] In one possible embodiment, the processing module includes a media access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer. The PHY layer may include a physical coding sublayer (PCS) and a physical media attachment sublayer (PMA). The MAC layer and the PHY layer can be integrated together or configured independently. As an example, the MAC layer and the PHY layer can be integrated into a single chip, which can be a standalone chip (or PHY chip) or a main chip.

[0085] Optionally, the Ethernet interface may further include a reconciliation sublayer (RS), which is located between the MAC layer and the PHY layer. The MAC layer and the RS layer can be represented as MAC / RS. In practical applications, the RS layer can be integrated with the MAC layer, or it can be integrated with the PHY layer. This application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0086] In another possible embodiment, the optical module may include a PMA and a physical medium dependent (PMD) sublayer. The PMA of the optical module and the PMA of the PHY layer can be connected via a serializer / deserializer (SerDers), which can also be referred to as a serial port.

[0087] In the aforementioned Ethernet interface, the PCS of the PHY layer can include multiple virtual lanes (VLs), and the SERDEs connected to the PMA of the PHY layer can have multiple physical lanes (PLs). The PMA of the PHY layer can convert the data from these multiple VLs and distribute it to these multiple PLs. There can be a correspondence between these multiple VLs and multiple PLs; for example, one PL can correspond to one or more VLs. The aforementioned VLs can also be referred to as logical lanes.

[0088] In Ethernet-based communication, the transmitting Ethernet interface can frame user data through the MAC layer and perform operations such as encoding, scrambling, distribution, lane synchronization, deskew and reordering, transcoding, and forward error correction (FEC) on the data output from the MAC layer through the PHY layer. The receiving Ethernet interface can perform operations such as alignment lock (AM lock), alignment and reordering, forward error correction, reverse transcoding, distribution, lane synchronization, descrambling, and decoding on the received data through the PHY layer and perform deframing on the data output from the PHY layer through the MAC layer.

[0089] In practical applications, the types of Ethernet interfaces mentioned above can include various types, such as 100G Base-R, 200G Base-R, 400G Base-R, 800G Base-R, and 1.6T Base-R. The specific structures and processing procedures of different types of Ethernet interfaces will also differ, which will not be described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0090] The SubPHY is a concept proposed based on the PHY layer. It logically divides the resources of the PHY layer into multiple resource blocks, each corresponding to a SubPHY, thus allowing the PHY layer to be divided into multiple SubPHYs. Based on the correspondence between PL and VL, VLs can be organized according to the PL, ensuring a strict correspondence between the SubPHY and the PL. In practical applications, the SubPHY can be considered the operation and management entity of the PCS, but it takes effect in the PL.

[0091] For example, Figure 2A schematic diagram of an Ethernet interface based on a SubPHY architecture is shown. This Ethernet interface includes four SubPHYs, which share the resources of the PHY chip and the optical module within the interface. The PHY chip includes a MAC layer, RS, PCS / FEC, and PMA (SerDers). The optical module includes a PMA (SerDers) and an optical digital signal processor (oDSP) / PMD. In PCS / FEC, PCS represents the PCS in the physical layer, FEC represents the FEC operation or function within the PCS, PMA (SerDers) indicates that the PMA is connected via SerDers, and oDSP / PMD indicates that the PMD function is implemented through the oDSP.

[0092] For example, in combination Figure 2 ,like Figure 3 The PHY chip can include four FECs and PMAs, with each of the four SubPHYs corresponding to one of the four FECs and PMAs, and each of the four FECs and PMAs corresponding to one of the four channels. Each SubPHY can transmit data in its corresponding FEC and PMA using either codewords (CWs) or symbols.

[0093] Using SubPHY offers several advantages: rapid energy saving through switching PLs, fault isolation through rapid fault location of PLs, fault type detection based on SubPHY channels, and improved burst error tolerance of PLs. Specifically, when rapidly locating faulty PLs using SubPHY, the location time can be less than 1µs, i.e., location performance <1µs. Table 1 below shows the location times for different Ethernet interface rates and different SubPHY rates. Furthermore, by flexibly configuring the correspondence between SubPHY and PL, the burst error tolerance of PLs can be infinitely improved. For example, if the burst error tolerance of a SubPHY is 300 bits, and it supports 1 to N SubPHYs multiplexing one PL, then the burst error tolerance is 1 to N × 300 bits.

[0094] Table 1

[0095] Ethernet interface speed (Gbps) SubPHY rate (Gbps) Positioning time (µs) 100 50 0.3084 200 50 0.3084 400 100 0.3084 800 100 0.3084

[0096] For example, Figure 4A schematic diagram of a SubPHY architecture is shown. In the transmission direction, the SubPHY may include a scrambler and an FEC encoding unit; in the reception direction, it may include an FEC decoding unit and a de-scrambler. For SubPHYs with different rates, the architecture may also include different numbers of FEC encoding and decoding units; furthermore, the architecture may also include other units, such as a symbol distribution unit, a symbol collection unit, and / or a distribution unit, etc., which are not described in detail in this embodiment.

[0097] Both the codeword output by the scrambler and the codeword output by the FEC decoding unit can include a marker block (AM), a padding portion (pad, pp), and data (data, da). The lengths of the marker block, padding portion, and data in this codeword will vary depending on the SubPHY rate. For example, for a 50G SubPHY, the codeword output by the scrambler can be 1024 bits, with the marker block being 240 bits long and the padding portion being 17 bits long. For a 100G SubPHY, the codeword length can be 2048 bits, the marker block length 480 bits, and the padding portion length 137 bits. For a 200G SubPHY, the codeword length can be 4096 bits, the marker block length 960 bits, and the padding portion length 168 bits.

[0098] FlexLane is a flexible channel technology that utilizes the sbuPHY architecture and multiple PLs, allowing for the flexible opening and closing of one or more channels based on data traffic volume. For example, using... Figure 2 Taking the 4×100G Ethernet interface shown as an example, this Ethernet interface includes 4 SubPHYs, and these 4 SubPHYs correspond to 4 channels. Then: Figure 2 As shown in (a), during peak data traffic, all channels can be activated, i.e., all four SubPHYs can be enabled; Figure 2 As shown in (b), during periods of low data traffic, some channels can be shut down to save energy, such as shutting down three channels, i.e., shutting down three SubPHYs. The FlexLane technology described above can effectively solve the connectivity problem between small streams and packets within a large square wave flow.

[0099] FlexLane employs a three-layer framework, comprising a negotiation layer, a switching layer, and a monitoring layer. The negotiation layer, considering versatility and compatibility with standard Ethernet, can reside above the MAC layer. The switching layer can be configured within the PCS (Process Control System) based on application requirements. The primary function of the negotiation layer is to initiate the FlexLane capability negotiation process, which can include high energy efficiency (hEE) and fault lane isolation (FLIs) capabilities.

[0100] Optional, such as Figure 5 As shown, when the two interconnected nodes are powered on, they perform initialization. After the link status is OK, the two nodes enter the standard Ethernet mode. Then, the two nodes can negotiate the FlexLane capability through the capability negotiation process to determine whether the two nodes support the FlexLane capability. If both nodes support the FlexLane capability, they will enter the FlexLane mode to work after the negotiation is completed.

[0101] The interconnection link between the two nodes can be of various types, such as symmetrical isomorphic connection, symmetrical heterogeneous connection, asymmetrical isomorphic connection, and asymmetrical heterogeneous connection. This type of interconnection link can also be referred to as the link type or link connection type. Examples of these various link types are given below.

[0102] Type I: The link type between the first node and the second node is a symmetrical isomorphic connection, meaning that the first node and the second node support the same SubPHY rate and the same lane-side rate. This lane-side rate includes the SerDers rate of the first node and the SerDers rate of the second node. For example, ... Figure 6 As shown in (a), both the first node and the second node include a processing module, which includes a MAC, a PCS, and a PMA. The processing modules of the first node and the second node are connected via SerDers.

[0103] Type II: The link between the first and second nodes is a symmetrical heterogeneous connection, meaning that the first and second nodes support the same SubPHY rate but different channel-side rates. These channel-side rates include the SerDers rate of the first node, the optical channel rate, and the SerDers rate of the second node. For example, such as... Figure 6As shown in (b), both the first node and the second node include a processing module and an optical module connected via SerDers. The processing module includes a MAC, a PCS, and a PMA. The optical module of the first node includes a digital signal processor (DSP), a driver (DRV), and a laser diode (LD). The optical module of the second node includes a photo detector (PD), a transimpedance amplifier (TIA), and a DSP. The first node and the second node are connected via an optical line.

[0104] The third type involves an asymmetric isomorphic connection between the first and second nodes. This means that the first and second nodes support different SubPHY rates but have the same channel-side rate. This channel-side rate includes the SerDers rate of the first node, the optical channel rate, and the SerDers rate of the second node. For example,... Figure 6 As shown in (c), both the first node and the second node include a processing module and an optical module connected via SerDers. The processing module includes a MAC, a PCS, and a PMA. The optical module of the first node includes a DRV and an LD. The optical module of the second node includes a PD and a TIA. The first node and the second node are connected via optical lines.

[0105] The fourth type involves an asymmetric heterogeneous connection between the first and second nodes. This means the first and second nodes support different SubPHY rates and different channel-side rates. These channel-side rates include the SerDers rate of the first node, the optical channel rate, and the SerDers rate of the second node. For example,... Figure 6 As shown in (d), both the first node and the second node include a processing module and an optical module connected via SerDers. The processing module includes a MAC, a PCS, and a PMA. The optical module of the first node includes a DSP, a DRV, and an LD. The optical module of the second node includes a PD and a TIA. The first node and the second node are connected via optical lines.

[0106] The first type of link mentioned above mainly consists of electrical interconnect interfaces, such as chip interconnects, device interconnects, and board interconnects. The second type of link mainly consists of optical interconnect interfaces, with the optical module containing a DSP, providing short- and medium-distance interconnect capabilities. The third type of link is generally a direct-drive optical link, with the optical module containing a DSP, used for short-distance optical interconnects. The fourth type of link is an optical interconnect interface, where the transmitting optical module contains a DSP, while the receiving optical module does not, providing short- and medium-distance interconnect capabilities.

[0107] For the various link types mentioned above, both the first and second nodes can negotiate according to the following process, which is illustrated below using the negotiation process initiated by the first node as an example. This process includes: ① The negotiation layer of the first node sends a negotiation request message for hEE or FLIs capability to the second node to confirm whether the second node supports hEE or FLIs capability; ② The second node receives the hEE or FLIs capability negotiation request message and confirms that the first node supports hEE and FLIs capability; ③ If the second node supports hEE or FLIs capability, the negotiation layer of the second node responds to the first node with a hEE or FLIs capability negotiation response message, switches to FlexLane mode, and then the second node can send code blocks, including insertion alignment (AM) code blocks; ④ The first node receives the hEE or FLIs capability negotiation response message, switches to FlexLane mode, and sends code blocks; ⑤ The first node completes AM code block locking and receives code blocks normally, entering the FlexLane active state; ⑥ The second node completes AM code block locking and receives code blocks normally, entering the FlexLane active state.

[0108] For example, such as Figure 7A As shown in (a), when the link type between the first node and the second node is type I, if the SubPHY rate of the first node and the SubPHY rate of the second node are both 200G, then both the first node and the second node will use 200G SubPHY after negotiating to enter FlexLane mode. Figure 7A As shown in (b), when the link type between the first node and the second node is type II, if the SubPHY rate of the first node and the SubPHY rate of the second node are both 200G, and the SerDers rate, optical channel rate, and SerDers rate of the first node and the second node are both 200G, then the first node and the second node will both use the 200G SubPHY after negotiation. Figure 7A As shown in (c), when the link type between the first node and the second node is type IV, if the SubPHY rate of the first node is 200G, the SubPHY rate of the second node is 100G, and the SerDers rate, optical channel rate, and SerDers rate of the first node and the second node are both 100G, then according to the above negotiation process: since the SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than the SubPHY rate of the second node, and the SubPHY rate of the first node after speed reduction is 100G, this speed-reduced SubPHY rate matches the SubPHY rate of the second node, so both the first node and the second node use 100G SubPHY after negotiation. Figure 7AAs shown in (d), when the link type between the first node and the second node is type IV, if the SubPHY rate of the first node is 200G and the SubPHY rate of the second node is 100G, and the SerDers rate and optical channel rate of the first node are both 200G and the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, then according to the above negotiation process: since the SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than the SubPHY rate of the second node, the first node needs to use the reduced SubPHY rate, but the reduced SubPHY rate of the first node is 100G, which is less than the SerDers rate of the first node, so the negotiation between the first node and the second node fails. Figure 7A The following explanation uses the optical modules in the first and second nodes, including DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx, as examples.

[0109] For example, such as Figure 7B As shown in (a), if the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the first node's SerDers rate is 200G, the second node's SerDers rate is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 100G, then according to the above negotiation process: since the first node's SubPHY rate is greater than the second node's SubPHY rate, the first node needs to use a reduced SubPHY rate. However, the reduced SubPHY rate of the first node is 100G, which is less than the first node's SerDers rate, thus the negotiation between the first and second nodes fails. Figure 7B As shown in (b), if the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 100G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 200G, then according to the above negotiation process: since the SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than the SubPHY rate of the second node, the first node needs to use the reduced SubPHY rate. However, the reduced SubPHY rate of the first node is 100G, which is less than the optical channel rate, so the negotiation between the first node and the second node fails.

[0110] In the above scheme, after the capability negotiation process, the speed negotiated by the two interconnected nodes is a subset of their respective capabilities. However, when the two interconnected nodes are asymmetrically connected, after the capability negotiation process, the high-speed platform may be downgraded, leading to performance degradation, or the negotiation may fail. Specifically, if the SubPHY rates of the two interconnected nodes are unequal, and the downgraded SubPHY rate of the high-speed node meets the SerDers and optical channel rates of both nodes, the two nodes can only communicate using the downgraded SubPHY rate. This results in the link resources between the first and second nodes not being fully utilized, causing a decrease in communication performance. If the SubPHY rates of the two interconnected nodes are different, and the downgraded SubPHY rate of the high-speed node cannot meet the SerDers or optical channel rates of both nodes, the negotiation will fail directly. This prevents the first and second nodes from entering FlexLane mode, forcing them to operate only in standard Ethernet mode, leading to higher system power consumption. For example, in the above... Figure 7A In the scenario shown in (c), when the SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than that of the second node, and the reduced SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than or equal to the SerDers rate and the optical channel rate on both sides, the first node can only communicate with the second node in FlexLane mode using the reduced SubPHY rate, resulting in a decrease in the communication performance between the first and second nodes. For example, in the above... Figure 7B In the scenarios shown in (a) and (b), when the SubPHY rate of the first node is greater than that of the second node, and the SubPHY rate of the first node after speeding up is less than the SerDers rate or optical channel rate on both sides, the negotiation between the first node and the second node fails, and thus the first node and the second node cannot enter the FlexLane mode to communicate.

[0111] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be used to support capability negotiation in asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, enabling nodes with different logical channel rates to use the optimal rate during docking to achieve the best performance. The technical solution provided in these embodiments can be applied to various communication networks or devices, including interconnected links between first and second nodes. The first and second nodes are interconnected via an Ethernet interface, which may include an electrical interface or an optical interface, etc.

[0112] Optionally, the first node and the second node can be different devices in the communication network, or different components of the same device. For example, either the first node or the second node can be a switch, router, or server. The following example illustrates the structure of this communication network as an artificial intelligence (AI) cluster network.

[0113] For example, Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an AI cluster network provided in an embodiment of this application. The AI ​​cluster network includes multiple sets of computing nodes, multiple switches, and multiple servers. The multiple servers and the multiple sets of computing nodes can communicate with each other through the multiple switches. Each set of computing nodes may include multiple computing nodes.

[0114] In one possible embodiment, each of the plurality of servers is connected to the plurality of switches, and the plurality of switches are connected one-to-one with the plurality of sets of computing nodes, with each switch connected to a plurality of computing nodes in a corresponding set of computing nodes. Figure 8 The following example illustrates the concept of multiple sets of computing nodes, each consisting of four computing nodes.

[0115] Optionally, the first node and the second node mentioned above can be a compute node and a server, respectively; or, the first node and the second node can be a server and a switch, respectively; or, the first node and the second node can be different chips within a compute node, etc. In one example, when the first node and the second node are different chips within a compute node, these different chips can include, but are not limited to, a network processing chip and a switching chip, etc.

[0116] After introducing the application scenarios and the architecture of the communication network involved in the embodiments of this application, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0117] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method can be used for capability negotiation between a first node and a second node. The link type between the first node and the second node can be any of the link types provided above. The method includes the following steps.

[0118] S201: The first node sends a first negotiation request to the second node. The first negotiation request is used to negotiate the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node. The first negotiation request includes a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel.

[0119] The logical channel between the first node and the second node includes a first logical channel of the first node and a third logical channel of the second node. For example, the first logical channel of the first node can be a SubPHY of the first node, and the third logical channel of the second node can be a SubPHY of the second node.

[0120] Furthermore, the first capability information used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel can refer to the rate conversion capability of the first node for the first logical channel. Optionally, the first capability information can indicate that rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported; or that the first logical channel supporting the first rate is converted to a second logical channel supporting the second rate. Further, the first capability information can also be used to indicate other rate conversions of the first logical channel. For example, the first capability information can indicate converting a 200G first logical channel to a 100G first logical channel, or converting a 400G first logical channel to a 200G first logical channel, etc.

[0121] For example, when the first logical channel is the SubPHY of the first node, the first capability information can also be called the SubPHY termination and regeneration capability of the first node, that is, the ability to terminate one rate of the SubPHY and then generate a SubPHY at another rate. For example, terminating a 200G SubPHY and generating a 100G SubPHY; or terminating a 400G SubPHY and generating a 200G SubPHY.

[0122] Optionally, the first node may include a processing module and an optical module, which are connected via SerDers. The first capability information of the first node may refer to the conversion capability of the optical module for the rate of the first logical channel. For example, taking the first logical channel as the SubPHY of the processing module in the first node, assuming that the SubPHY of the processing module is 200G, and the optical module supports converting the rate of the SubPHY from 200G to 100G, then the first capability information of the first node may be: 200G to 100G SubPHY termination and regeneration.

[0123] Optionally, the first capability information can be obtained by the processing module of the first node by querying the optical module of the first node. For example, the processing module of the first node can obtain it by querying the optical module of the first node during the negotiation process or before the negotiation process.

[0124] Furthermore, the first rate of the first logical channel can be any rate supported by the first logical channel. For example, if the first logical channel supports multiple rates, the first node can carry the same or different rates in different negotiation requests during the negotiation process. For instance, in the first negotiation request initiated by the first node, it can carry the maximum rate among the multiple rates (i.e., carry the maximum rate as the first rate in the negotiation request), and in subsequent negotiation requests initiated by the first node, it can carry other rates. For example, if the first logical channel supports 200G and 100G, then the first rate carried in the first negotiation request initiated by the first node can be 200G.

[0125] Optionally, the first negotiation request may also include the SerDers rate of the first node, that is, the first negotiation request sent by the first node to the second node may simultaneously carry the first rate, the first capability information, and the SerDers rate of the first node. The SerDers rate in this application may also be referred to as the serial port rate.

[0126] In one possible embodiment, the first negotiation request includes a message field (MSG_FIELD) containing the first rate and first capability information. Optionally, the first negotiation request can be carried in a standard Ethernet frame; for example, the first protocol request can be carried in an L2 layer protocol frame, where the first rate and first capability information are located in the message field of that protocol frame.

[0127] For example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the protocol frame may include: a preamble, a start frame delimiter (SFD), a reserve field, a message field MSG_FIELD, a padding field, and a frame check sequence (FCS). As an example, the lengths of these fields can be one or more bytes (B), for instance, the lengths of the fields could be 7B, 1B, 16B, 16B, 28B, and 4B respectively. The SFD can have a value of 0x3B, representing a FlexLane negotiation message; the reserve field and padding field can have values ​​of 0.

[0128] Optionally, the MSG_FIELD may include 0 to 127 bits, where bits 0 to 7 represent the message type MSG_TYPE, and bits 8 to 127 represent the value. In one implementation, bits 48 to 52 of MSG_FIELD can be used to identify the rate (and PL rate) of the first logical channel (e.g., SubPHY); bits 53 to 55 of MSG_FIELD can be used to identify first capability information, i.e., the SubPHY termination regeneration capability. For example, Table 2 below shows the SubPHY rate and PL rate corresponding to different values ​​of bits 48 to 52, and the capability information corresponding to different values ​​of bits 53 to 55.

[0129] Table 2

[0130]

[0131] The bit positions and meanings corresponding to different values ​​in the message fields shown in Table 2 above are only illustrative. In practical applications, the first rate and first capability information can also be carried in other fields or other positions in the message fields. Table 2 does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0132] S202: When the second node receives the first negotiation request, the second node sends the first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information.

[0133] The second logical channel of the second node is similar to the first logical channel of the first node. The first logical channel supports a first rate, and the second logical channel supports a third rate. The second node may include a processing module and an optical module, which are connected via SerDers. The third rate may be the SubPHY rate supported by the processing module.

[0134] In one possible embodiment, when the second node receives the first negotiation request, the second node may first determine whether the first rate and the third rate of the second logical channel meet the matching condition. If the first rate and the third rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information. Optionally, if the first rate and the third rate meet the matching condition, the second node may send a negotiation response to the first node indicating that the negotiation was successful.

[0135] Optionally, whether the first rate and the third rate satisfy the matching condition may include: if the first rate and the third rate are equal, and the first rate (or the third rate) is less than or equal to the energy-saving granularity or the fault channel isolation granularity, then the first rate and the third rate satisfy the matching condition; otherwise, the first rate and the third rate do not satisfy the matching condition, that is, the first rate and the third rate are not equal, or the first rate and the third rate are equal and the first rate (or the third rate) is greater than the energy-saving granularity or the fault channel isolation granularity. In one example, the energy-saving granularity can be the optimal energy-saving granularity. For ease of description, the following description will use the optimal energy-saving granularity in the matching condition as an example.

[0136] For example, the optimal energy-saving granularity or fault channel isolation granularity can be determined based on the SerDers rate of the first node, the SerDers rate of the second node, and the rate of the optical channel between the first and second nodes. For instance, the optimal energy-saving granularity or fault channel isolation granularity is equal to the least common multiple of the SerDers rate of the first node, the SerDers rate of the second node, and the rate of the optical channel.

[0137] The aforementioned first capability information has two scenarios. The first scenario is that the first logical channel that supports the first rate is converted to the second logical channel that supports the second rate. The second scenario is that the rate conversion that does not support the first logical channel is not supported. The following examples illustrate the process of the second node sending the first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information for each of these two scenarios.

[0138] In the first case, the first capability information is used to indicate that the first logical channel supporting the first rate is converted to the second logical channel supporting the second rate.

[0139] As a possible example, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and first capability information, including: the second node sending the first negotiation response to the first node based on whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition. Wherein, if the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition, the first negotiation response is used to indicate successful negotiation, that is, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation.

[0140] Optionally, if the second rate and the third rate do not meet the matching conditions, the second node may send a first negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure. That is, the first negotiation response is used to indicate negotiation failure. Alternatively, the decision may be made through the steps described below, such as continuing to make a decision based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel.

[0141] It is understood that whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching conditions is similar to the process of determining whether the first rate and the third rate meet the matching conditions, as described above. For details, please refer to the description above. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0142] In the second scenario, the first capability information is used to indicate that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported.

[0143] As a possible example, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information, including: if the first capability information indicates that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel.

[0144] The rate conversion capability of the third logical channel can refer to the rate conversion capability of the second node to the third logical channel. Optionally, when the third logical channel is the subPHY of the second node, the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel can also be called the subPHY termination and regeneration capability of the second node, that is, terminating one rate of the subPHY and generating a subPHY with another rate.

[0145] Optionally, the second node may include a processing module and an optical module, which can be connected via SerDers. The rate conversion capability of the third logical channel can refer to the rate conversion capability of the optical module for the third logical channel. For example, taking the third logical channel as the SubPHY of the processing module in the second node, assuming that the SubPHY of the processing module is 200G, and the optical module supports converting the SubPHY rate from 200G to 100G, then the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel can be: 200G to 100G SubPHY termination regeneration.

[0146] Optionally, the second node can acquire second capability information, which indicates the rate conversion capability of the second logical channel. For example, the second capability information can be obtained by the processing module of the second node by querying the optical module of the second node. Specifically, the processing module of the second node can obtain the information during or before the negotiation process by querying the optical module of the second node.

[0147] Furthermore, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel. The response can be described separately depending on whether the second node supports the rate conversion of the third logical channel.

[0148] In one possible example, if the second node supports the conversion of a second logical channel with a third rate to a fourth logical channel with a fourth rate, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fourth rate meet a matching condition. Specifically, if the first rate and the fourth rate meet the matching condition, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation; if the first rate and the fourth rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure.

[0149] It is understood that whether the first rate and the fourth rate meet the matching conditions is similar to the process of determining whether the first rate and the third rate meet the matching conditions, as described above. For details, please refer to the description above. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0150] In another possible example, if the second node does not support rate conversion for the third logical channel, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node. The rate reduction capability of the second node includes: not supporting rate reduction, or supporting a rate reduction from the third rate to the fifth rate. Specifically, if the second node does not support rate reduction, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure.

[0151] Optionally, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate reduction capability of the second node. This includes: the second node supporting a rate reduction from a third rate to a fifth rate, and the second node sending the first negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet a matching condition. Specifically, if the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching condition, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating successful negotiation; if the first rate and the fifth rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a first negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure. Optionally, the fifth rate is greater than or equal to the second node's SerDers rate; if the fifth rate is less than the second node's SerDers rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node indicating negotiation failure.

[0152] It is understood that whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching conditions is similar to the process of determining whether the first rate and the third rate meet the matching conditions, as described above. For details, please refer to the description above. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0153] In other words, when the second node receives the first negotiation request, it can first match the first rate of the first logical channel and the third rate of the second logical channel; if the match fails, it can then match the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel and the third rate; if the match still fails, it can then match the first rate and the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel; if the match still fails, it can finally match the first rate and the reduced rate of the third logical channel.

[0154] S203: The first node receives the first negotiation response.

[0155] In one possible embodiment, when the first negotiation response indicates successful negotiation, the first node and the second node can switch to FlexLane mode and select the rates of the first and third logical channels for communication. For example, if the first negotiation response indicating successful negotiation is sent by the second node when the second and third rates meet a matching condition, then in FlexLane mode, the first node uses the second rate and the second node uses the third rate for communication.

[0156] Furthermore, when the first negotiation response indicates negotiation failure, if the first logical channel of the first node supports a rate reduction from the first rate to the sixth rate, the first node sends a second negotiation request to the second node. The third negotiation request includes the sixth rate and the first capability information. Thus, when the second node receives the second negotiation request, it can send a second negotiation response to the first node in a manner similar to that described in S202 above. Optionally, the sixth rate is greater than or equal to the first node's SerDers rate; if the sixth rate is less than the first node's SerDers rate, the negotiation fails. The process of the second node sending the second negotiation response to the first node is detailed above and will not be repeated here.

[0157] That is, when the first node receives the first negotiation response indicating negotiation failure, the first node can update the first capability information and resend the second negotiation request to the second node, or it can make a judgment based on whether the first logical channel supports speed reduction, and resend the second negotiation request to the second node if the first logical channel supports speed reduction.

[0158] It is understandable that the rate conversion capability of the logical channels (e.g., the first or third logical channel) in this paper specifically refers to converting a logical channel of one rate into a logical channel of another rate, that is, generating (or forming, producing) two logical channels of different rates, and terminating the logical channel of the previous rate when generating the logical channel of the latter rate; while the rate reduction capability of the logical channels in this paper refers to directly generating a low-rate logical channel, and does not involve generating two logical channels of different rates.

[0159] Optionally, in the embodiments of this application, the first or second node includes a processing module and an optical module, and the processing module and the optical module are connected via SerDers for illustration. In practical applications, the first or second node may also include a processing module and an electrical module, and the processing module and the optical module are also connected via SerDers. When both the first and second nodes include electrical modules, the optical channel between the first and second nodes can be replaced by an electrical channel.

[0160] The following example illustrates the method provided in this application embodiment, using a SubPHY with the first logical channel as the first node and the second logical channel as the second node, where the rate conversion capability of the first logic channel and the rate conversion capability of the third logic channel are both SubPHY termination and regeneration capabilities.

[0161] For example, such as Figure 11As shown, the method includes: a first node sending a negotiation request, the negotiation request including the first node's SubPHY rate, SerDers rate, and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability; a second node receiving the negotiation request and determining whether the capability of the first node carried in the negotiation request matches its own capability; if the capability matches successfully, it determines whether the optimal energy-saving granularity or fault isolation granularity is met; if met, it sends a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation; if not, it sends a negotiation response indicating failed negotiation; if the capability does not match, it determines whether the second node supports SubPHY termination and regeneration capability; if the second node supports SubPHY termination and regeneration capability, it determines whether the optimal energy-saving granularity or fault isolation granularity is met; if met, it sends a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation; if not, it sends a negotiation response indicating failed negotiation; if the second node does not support SubPHY termination and regeneration capability... If the first node determines whether it supports low-speed SubPHY, it checks if the optimal energy-saving granularity or fault isolation granularity is met. If it is, it sends a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation; otherwise, it sends a negotiation response indicating failed negotiation. If the second node does not support low-speed SubPHY, it sends a negotiation response indicating failed negotiation. The first node receives the negotiation response and determines its type. If the response indicates successful negotiation, the negotiation is successful. If the response indicates failed negotiation, the first node determines whether it supports SubPHY termination regeneration capability. If it supports SubPHY termination regeneration capability, the first node re-initiates the negotiation request. If it does not support SubPHY termination regeneration capability, the first node determines whether it supports low-speed SubPHY. If it does not support low-speed SubPHY, the negotiation fails.

[0162] Optionally, the second node determines whether the capabilities of the first node carried in the negotiation request match its own capabilities. This can include: if the SubPHY rate of the first node is the same as that of the second node, then they match; if the SubPHY rate of the first node is different from that of the second node, then they do not match. Considering the first node's SubPHY termination and regeneration capabilities, if the regeneration SubPHY rate of the first node is the same as that of the second node, then they match; if the regeneration SubPHY rate of the first node is different from that of the second node, then they do not match. For example, if the first node supports 200G SubPHY and supports SubPHY termination and regeneration from 200G to 100G, and the second node supports 100G SubPHY, then the capabilities of the second node match those of the first node.

[0163] Optionally, the first node can also determine whether it supports SubPHY termination and regeneration capability when sending the negotiation request for the first time and include it in the negotiation request. After receiving the negotiation response indicating negotiation failure, it can directly determine whether it supports low-speed SubPHY.

[0164] It is understood that the above description uses the example of the first node initiating a negotiation request to the second node. In practical applications, the second node can also initiate a negotiation request to the first node in a similar manner. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here, and the above examples do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0165] In this embodiment of the application, for heterogeneous docking scenarios, a SubPHY termination and regeneration unit can be set in the link between the first node and the second node to realize the conversion of SubPHYs with different rates. This allows the first node and the second node, which support different rates, to communicate at the optimal rate during docking. The SubPHY termination and regeneration unit can be set in the processing module of the first node or the second node, or it can be set in the optical module of the first node or the second node, or it can be set independently between the processing module and the optical module. The following description uses the example of the SubPHY termination and regeneration unit being set in the optical module.

[0166] To facilitate understanding, the methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be illustrated below with several examples.

[0167] As a possible example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 200G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 200G. In this scenario, after the first node and the second node negotiate, the first node selects 200G SubPHY, and the second node selects 100G SubPHY.

[0168] Optionally, the optical modules of the first and second nodes may include a transmitting unit DSP-Tx and a receiving unit DSP-Rx. For example, the DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the first node may each include a clock and data recovery (CDR) unit and a symbol-to-symbol selection conversion SMUX-SMUX unit. The DSP-Rx and DSP-Tx of the second node may each include a CDR unit, a gearbox, a 200G SubPHY-200G SubPHY termination and regeneration unit, and a symbol-to-bit selection conversion SMUX-BMUX. After the first and second nodes have completed negotiation, taking the transmission of information from the first node to the second node as an example, the processing module of the first node uses a 200G SubPHY. This 200G SubPHY passes sequentially through the first node's SerDers, the first node's optical module, and the optical channel. In the second node's optical module, it is converted to 100G SubPHY through the SubPHY termination and regeneration unit, and the processing module of the second node receives the 100G SubPHY.

[0169] Specifically, the first node initiates capability negotiation with the second node. This negotiation process may include: the first node sending a negotiation request, which includes the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (200G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (not supported); the second node receiving the negotiation request and confirming the first node's capability; the second node determining that its SubPHY rate (200G) does not match the first node's SubPHY rate (100G) based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY; the second node's optical module supports SubPHY termination and regeneration from 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY, and this 200G SubPHY matches the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), so the second node sends a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the first node; the second node switches to FlexLane mode and selects 100G SubPHY; the first node receiving the negotiation response confirms successful capability negotiation, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 200G SubPHY.

[0170] Alternatively, the second node initiates capability negotiation with the first node. This negotiation process may include: the second node sending a first negotiation request, which includes the second node's SubPHY rate (100G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination regeneration capability (initially not supported by default); the first node receiving the first negotiation request and confirming the second node's capabilities; the first node determining, based on its maximum supported SubPHY rate (200G), that it does not match the second node's SubPHY rate (100G); the first node's optical module not supporting SubPHY termination regeneration, sending a first negotiation response indicating negotiation failure to the second node; the second node receiving this first negotiation failure response and retransmitting a second negotiation request, which includes the second node's SubPHY rate (100G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination regeneration capability (supporting 200G SubPHY-100G). SubPHY termination and regeneration); The first node receives the second negotiation request and confirms the capability of the second node; Based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY (200G), the first node determines that it matches the SubPHY termination and regeneration capability of the second node, sends a second negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the second node, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 200G SubPHY; The second node receives the second negotiation response, confirms successful negotiation, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 100G SubPHY.

[0171] Optionally, when the second node sends the negotiation request for the first time, it may also send the information that the second node supports the termination and regeneration of SubPHY from 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY to the first node. The above description uses the example that the second node did not send it for the first time. The above example does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0172] As another possible example, Figure 13 As shown, the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 200G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 100G. In this scenario, after the first node and the second node negotiate, the first node selects 200G SubPHY, and the second node selects 100G SubPHY.

[0173] Optionally, the optical modules of the first and second nodes may include a transmitting unit DSP-Tx and a receiving unit DSP-Rx. For example, both the DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the first node may include a CDR unit, a symbol-to-bit conversion SMUX-BMUX unit, a speed-up converter, and a SubPHY termination and regeneration unit for a 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY conversion. Both the DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the second node may include a CDR unit and a bit-to-bit conversion BMUX-BMUX unit. After negotiation between the first and second nodes, taking the transmission of information from the first node to the second node as an example, the processing module of the first node uses a 200G SubPHY. This 200G SubPHY, after passing through the SerDers of the first node, is converted to 100G SubPHY in the optical module of the first node through the SubPHY termination and regeneration unit. This 100G SubPHY then passes sequentially through the optical channel, the optical module of the second node, and the SerDers of the second node before the processing module of the second node receives the 100G SubPHY.

[0174] Specifically, the first node initiates capability negotiation with the second node. This negotiation process may include: the first node sending a first negotiation request, which includes the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (200G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (initially sent, not supported by default); the second node receiving the first negotiation request and confirming the first node's capabilities; the second node determining, based on its maximum supported SubPHY rate (100G), that it does not match the first node's SubPHY rate (200G); the second node's optical module supports 200G SubPHY-100G SubPHY termination and regeneration, which does not match the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), and sends a first negotiation response indicating negotiation failure to the first node; the first node receiving this first negotiation failure response resends a second negotiation request, which includes the second node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (200G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (supporting 200G SubPHY-100G). SubPHY termination and regeneration; the second node receives the second negotiation request and confirms the capability of the first node; the second node determines that its SubPHY termination and regeneration capability matches that of the first node based on the maximum rate supported by its local SubPHY (100G), sends a second negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the first node, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 100G SubPHY; the first node receives the second negotiation response, confirms successful negotiation, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 200G SubPHY.

[0175] Alternatively, the second node initiates capability negotiation with the first node. This negotiation process may include: the second node sending a negotiation request, which includes the second node's SubPHY rate (100G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (initially sent, not supported by default); the first node receiving the negotiation request and confirming the second node's capability; the first node determining that its SubPHY rate (100G) does not match the second node's SubPHY rate (200G) based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY; the first node's optical module supporting SubPHY termination and regeneration from 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY, determining that it matches the second node's SubPHY rate (100G), confirming successful negotiation, sending a negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the second node, switching to FlexLane mode, and selecting 200G SubPHY; the second node receiving the negotiation response indicating successful negotiation, confirming successful negotiation, switching to FlexLane mode, and selecting 100G SubPHY.

[0176] As another possible example, such as Figure 14 As shown, the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 100G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 200G. In this scenario, after the first node and the second node negotiate, the first node selects 200G SubPHY, and the second node selects 100G SubPHY.

[0177] Optionally, the optical modules of the first and second nodes may include a transmitting unit DSP-Tx and a receiving unit DSP-Rx. For example, both the DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the first node may include a CDR unit, a bit-to-forward error correction to symbol conversion BMUX-(FEC-I)-SMUX unit, a speed changer, and a 200G SubPHY-100G SubPHY termination and regeneration unit. The DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the second node may both include a CDR unit, a symbol-to-forward error correction to bit conversion SMUX-(FEC-I)-BMUX unit, and a speed changer. After the first node and the second node complete the negotiation, taking the transmission of information from the first node to the second node as an example, the processing module of the first node uses a 200G SubPHY. After passing through the SerDers of the first node, the 200G SubPHY is converted into a 100G SubPHY in the optical module of the first node through the SubPHY termination and regeneration unit. The 100G SubPHY passes through the optical channel, the optical module of the second node, and the SerDers of the second node in sequence, and then the processing module of the second node receives the 100G SubPHY.

[0178] Specifically, the first node initiates capability negotiation with the second node. This negotiation process may include: the first node sending a first negotiation request, which includes the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (supporting SubPHY termination and regeneration from 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY); the second node receiving the first negotiation request and confirming the first node's capability; the second node determining that its SubPHY termination and regeneration capability matches the second node's based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY (100G), sending a first negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the first node, switching to FlexLane mode, and selecting 100G SubPHY; the first node receiving the first negotiation response confirming successful negotiation, switching to FlexLane mode, and selecting 200G SubPHY.

[0179] As another possible example, such as Figure 15 As shown, the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 100G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 200G. In this scenario, after the first node and the second node negotiate, the first node selects 200G SubPHY, and the second node selects 100G SubPHY.

[0180] Optionally, the optical modules of the first and second nodes may include a transmitting unit DSP-Tx and a receiving unit DSP-Rx. For example, both the DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the first node may include a CDR unit, a bit-to-forward error correction to symbol conversion BMUX-(FEC-I)-SMUX unit, and a speed-shifting unit. The DSP-Tx and DSP-Rx of the second node may both include a CDR unit, a symbol-to-forward error correction to bit conversion SMUX-(FEC-I)-BMUX unit, a speed-shifting unit, and a 200G SubPHY-100G SubPHY termination and regeneration unit. After the first node and the second node complete the negotiation, taking the transmission of information from the first node to the second node as an example, the processing module of the first node uses a 200G SubPHY. After the 200G SubPHY passes through the SerDers of the first node, the optical module of the first node, and the optical channel, it is converted into a 100G SubPHY in the optical module of the second node through the SubPHY termination and regeneration unit. After the 100G SubPHY passes through the SerDers of the second node, the processing module of the second node receives the 100G SubPHY.

[0181] Specifically, the first node initiates capability negotiation with the second node. This negotiation process may include: the first node sending a first negotiation request, which includes the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (not supported); the second node receiving the first negotiation request and confirming the first node's capability; the second node determining that its SubPHY rate (200G) does not match the first node's maximum supported rate (100G) based on its own SubPHY; the second node's optical module supports SubPHY termination and regeneration from 200G SubPHY to 100G SubPHY, and this 200G SubPHY matches the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), and sends a first negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the first node; the second node switches to FlexLane mode and selects 100G SubPHY; the first node receiving the first negotiation response confirms successful capability negotiation, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 200G SubPHY.

[0182] As another possible example, such as Figure 16As shown, the first node supports 200G SubPHY, the second node supports 100G SubPHY, the SerDers rate of the first node is 100G, the SerDers rate of the second node is 100G, and the optical channel rate is 100G. In this scenario, after negotiation between the first and second nodes, both nodes select 100G SubPHY. Optionally, the optical modules of the first and second nodes may include a transmitting unit DSP-Tx and a receiving unit DSP-Rx.

[0183] Specifically, the first node initiates capability negotiation with the second node. This negotiation process may include: the first node sending a first negotiation request, which includes the first node's SubPHY rate (200G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (initially sent, not supported by default); the second node receiving the first negotiation request and confirming the first node's capabilities; the second node determining, based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY (100G), that it does not match the first node's SubPHY rate (200G); and the second node's optical module supporting 200G SubPHY-100G. If the SubPHY termination and regeneration of a SubPHY does not match the SubPHY rate (200G) of the first node, the SubPHY terminates and regenerates, and sends a first negotiation response indicating negotiation failure to the first node. Upon receiving the first negotiation response, the first node resends a second negotiation request, which includes the second node's reduced SubPHY rate (100G), SerDers rate (100G), and SubPHY termination and regeneration capability (not supported). The second node receives the second negotiation request and confirms the capability of the first node. Based on the maximum rate supported by its own SubPHY (100G), the second node determines that it matches the SubPHY termination and regeneration capability of the first node, sends a second negotiation response indicating successful negotiation to the first node, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 100G SubPHY. Upon receiving the second negotiation response, the second node confirms successful negotiation, switches to FlexLane mode, and selects 100G SubPHY.

[0184] The structures of the optical modules in the first and second nodes described in the above examples are merely illustrative and are mainly used to illustrate the location of the SubPHY termination regeneration unit in different scenarios. In practical applications, the optical module may also include other units or have other structures. The above examples do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0185] In this embodiment, when negotiating the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node, the negotiation request sent by the first node to the second node includes the first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. When the second node receives the negotiation request, it can send a negotiation response to the first node according to the first rate and the first capability information. In this way, if the first rate cannot be successfully matched, the second node can continue to match according to the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. Thus, in asymmetric and symmetric docking scenarios, nodes that support different rates can use the optimal rate to communicate during docking to achieve the best performance.

[0186] The above mainly describes the solution provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of the interaction between the first node and the second node. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the first node and the second node include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0187] This application embodiment can divide the first node and the second node into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0188] When using integrated units, Figure 17 This diagram illustrates the structure of a first node as described in the above embodiments. The first node can be one of the nodes mentioned above. Figure 9 , Figures 11 to 16The first node is any of the diagrams shown. The first node may include a sending unit 301, a receiving unit 302, and a processing unit 303. In one possible embodiment, the sending unit 301 may be used to support the first node in executing S201 of the above method embodiment; the receiving unit 302 may be used to support the first node in receiving the first negotiation response sent by the second node in the above method embodiment; the processing unit 303 may be used to support the first node in executing one or more steps such as generating a first negotiation request or parsing a first negotiation response in the above method embodiment, and / or other processes described herein. All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0189] Based on hardware implementation, the processing unit 303 in this embodiment can be the processor of the first node, the sending unit 301 can be the transmitter of the first node, and the receiving unit 302 can be the receiver of the first node. The transmitter can usually be integrated with the receiver as a transceiver. The specific transceiver can also be called a communication interface or interface circuit.

[0190] like Figure 18 The diagram shown illustrates another structural schematic of the first node involved in the above embodiments provided in this application. The first node can be one of the nodes described above. Figure 9 , Figures 11 to 16 The first node in any of the diagrams. The first node may include: processor 312, memory 311, communication interface 313 and bus 314, with processor 312, memory 311 and communication interface 313 connected via bus 314.

[0191] The processor 312 is used to control and manage the actions of the first node. In one possible embodiment, the processor 312 can be used to support the first node in executing one or more steps in the above method embodiments, such as generating a first negotiation request or parsing a first negotiation response, and / or other processes described herein. The communication interface 313 is used to support the first node in communication, such as supporting communication between the first node and a second node.

[0192] In this embodiment, processor 312 may include a central processing unit, a positioning accelerometer, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. The bus 314 may include an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

[0193] When using integrated units, Figure 19 This diagram illustrates the structure of a second node as described in the above embodiments. The second node can be one of the nodes mentioned above. Figure 9 , Figures 11 to 16 The second node is shown in any of the diagrams. The second node may include a receiving unit 401, a sending unit 402, and a processing unit 403. In one possible embodiment, the receiving unit 401 may be used to support the second node in receiving the first negotiation request in S201 of the above method embodiment; the sending unit 402 may be used to support the second node in executing S202 of the above method embodiment; the processing unit 403 may be used to support the second node in executing one or more of the steps in the above method embodiment, such as parsing the first negotiation request or generating a first negotiation response, and / or other processes described herein. All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0194] Based on hardware implementation, the processing unit 403 in this embodiment can be the processor of the second node, the receiving unit 401 can be the receiver of the second node, and the sending unit 402 can be the transmitter of the second node. The transmitter can usually be integrated with the receiver as a transceiver. The specific transceiver can also be called a communication interface or interface circuit.

[0195] like Figure 20 The diagram shown illustrates another structural schematic of the second node involved in the above embodiments provided in this application. The second node can be one of the nodes described above. Figure 9 , Figures 11 to 16 The second node in any of the diagrams. The second node may include: processor 412, memory 411, communication interface 413 and bus 414, with processor 412, memory 411 and communication interface 413 connected via bus 414.

[0196] The processor 412 is used to control and manage the actions of the second node. In one possible embodiment, the processor 412 can be used to support the second node in executing one or more of the steps in the above method embodiments, such as parsing the first negotiation request or generating the first negotiation response, and / or other processes described herein. The communication interface 413 is used to support the second node in communication, such as supporting communication between the second node and the first node.

[0197] In this embodiment, processor 412 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. The bus 414 may include an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

[0198] In another embodiment of this application, a communication system is provided, which includes an interconnected first node and a second node; wherein the first node can be the first node provided above, used to execute the steps of the first node in the method embodiment provided above; and the second node can be the second node provided above, used to execute the steps of the second node in the method embodiment provided above.

[0199] In another aspect of this application, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, such that a communication device on which the chip is installed performs the steps of the first node in the method embodiments provided above, or performs the steps of the second node in the method embodiments provided above.

[0200] In another aspect of this application, a chip is provided, comprising: an input interface, an output interface, a processor, and a memory. The input interface, the output interface, the processor, and the memory are connected through an internal connection path. The processor is used to execute code in the memory. When the code is executed, the processor is used to execute the steps of the first node in the method embodiment provided above, or to execute the steps of the second node in the method embodiment provided above.

[0201] It is understood that all relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced in the embodiments of the communication device, the embodiments of the multi-anchor device, and the embodiments of the communication system, and will not be repeated here.

[0202] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is merely a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0203] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0204] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. This readable storage medium may include various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, external hard drive, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiments of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product.

[0205] In another embodiment of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores computer-executable instructions that are executed by a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or a processor when executing the steps of the first node in the above method embodiment.

[0206] In another embodiment of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which stores computer-executable instructions that are executed by a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or a processor when executing the steps of the second node in the above method embodiment.

[0207] In another embodiment of this application, a computer program product is also provided, the computer program product including computer instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the steps of the first node in the above method embodiment.

[0208] In another embodiment of this application, a computer program product is also provided, the computer program product including computer instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the device to perform the steps of the second node in the above method embodiment.

[0209] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second node, which is interconnected with the first node, the method includes: The second node receives a negotiation request from the first node. The negotiation request is used to negotiate the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node. The logical channel includes a first logical channel of the first node. The negotiation request includes a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rate conversion capability of the first logic channel refers to the termination regeneration capability of the first logic channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first capability information is used to indicate that: rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or the first logical channel that supports the first rate is converted to a second logical channel with a second rate.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first capability information is used to indicate that the first logical channel supporting the first rate is a second logical channel of the second rate; the logical channel further includes a third logical channel of the second node; The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information, including: If the first rate and the third rate of the third logical channel do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the second rate and the third rate meet the matching condition. The matching conditions include: equal rates and less than or equal to the energy-saving granularity or fault channel isolation granularity.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the second rate and the third rate satisfy the matching condition, the negotiation response is used to indicate that the negotiation was successful.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The logical channel also includes a third logical channel for the second node; The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information, including: If the first capability information indicates that the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel, including: If the second node supports the conversion of the third logical channel at the third rate to the fourth logical channel at the fourth rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fourth rate meet the matching condition.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the rate conversion capability of the first rate and the third logical channel, including: If the second node does not support the rate conversion of the third logical channel, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the second node's rate reduction capability. The speed reduction capability of the second node includes: not supporting speed reduction, or supporting a speed reduction from the third rate to the fifth rate.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the second node's rate reduction capability, including: If the second node supports reducing the rate from the third rate to the fifth rate, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching conditions. If the second node does not support rate reduction, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node to indicate that the negotiation has failed.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second node sends a negotiation response to the first node based on whether the first rate and the fifth rate meet the matching condition, including: If the first rate and the fifth rate satisfy the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node to indicate that the negotiation was successful; If the first rate and the fifth rate do not meet the matching condition, the second node sends a negotiation response to the first node to indicate that the negotiation has failed.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6-10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the second capability information of the second node, which is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6-11, characterized in that, The second node includes an optical module, which is used to realize the rate conversion capability of the third logical channel.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The negotiation request includes a message field, in which the first rate and the first capability information are located.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first node, which is interconnected with a second node, the method includes: The first node sends a first negotiation request to the second node. The first negotiation request is used to negotiate the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node. The logical channel includes the first logical channel of the first node. The first negotiation request includes the first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. The first node receives a first negotiation response, which is used to respond to the first negotiation request.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The rate conversion capability of the first logic channel refers to the termination regeneration capability of the first logic channel.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first capability information is used to indicate whether the rate conversion of the first logical channel is not supported, or whether the rate conversion of the first logical channel from the first rate to the second rate is supported.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The first negotiation response is used to indicate negotiation failure, and the method further includes: When the first node supports reducing the rate from the first rate to the sixth rate, the first node sends a second negotiation request to the second node, the second negotiation request including the sixth rate and the first capability information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the first capability information of the first node.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14-18, characterized in that, The first node includes an optical module, which is used to realize the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14-19, characterized in that, The first negotiation request includes a message field, in which the first rate and the first capability information are located.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is interconnected with the first node as a second node, and the communication device includes: A receiving unit is configured to receive a negotiation request from the first node, the negotiation request being used to negotiate the rate of a logical channel between the first node and the second node, the logical channel including a first logical channel of the first node, the negotiation request including a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel, the first capability information being used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel; The sending unit is configured to send a negotiation response to the first node based on the first rate and the first capability information.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device serves as a first node interconnected with the second node, and the communication device includes: The sending unit is configured to send a first negotiation request to the second node. The first negotiation request is used to negotiate the rate of the logical channel between the first node and the second node. The logical channel includes a first logical channel of the first node. The first negotiation request includes a first rate and first capability information of the first logical channel. The first capability information is used to indicate the rate conversion capability of the first logical channel. A receiving unit is configured to receive a first negotiation response, which is used to respond to the first negotiation request.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor and the communication interface being configured to support the communication device in performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-20.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes an interconnected first node and a second node, the first node being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, and the second node being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 14-20.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed on the device, cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-20.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-20.

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