A switching fabric and cluster router

Abstract

The application provides a switching frame and a cluster router, which are used to reduce the insertion loss, crosstalk and power consumption of the switching frame. The switching frame comprises a plurality of first switching network boards, each of which is provided with a first switching chip, a first optical module and a plurality of first signal transmission assemblies. The first switching chip comprises a plurality of links, and the links of the first switching chip are evenly distributed to the plurality of first optical modules. The first optical module comprises a plurality of links, and the links of the first optical module are evenly distributed to the plurality of first switching chips. The first signal transmission assembly comprises a first connector, a second connector and a first cable. The first connector is arranged close to the first switching chip, and the first end of the first connector is connected with part of the links of the first switching chip. The second connector is arranged close to the first optical module, and the first end of the second connector is connected with part of the links of the first optical module. The two ends of the first cable are respectively connected with the second end of the first connector and the second end of the second connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electronic equipment technology, and in particular to a switching chassis and cluster router. Background Technology

[0002] The new services of the 5G and cloud era bring 25% to 30% annual traffic growth to backbone networks. Physical cluster routers, with their high reliability, non-blocking forwarding, and large-capacity smooth expansion, offer a new solution to problems such as the single-machine capacity reaching its limit and the increasingly complex network structure faced by core network nodes during evolution. The core of cluster technology is the switching system. Physical multi-chassis clustering technology connects multiple service chassis through independent switching chassis, using these chassis to achieve data exchange between them. Within the switching chassis, the switching chips and optical modules of the switching network board are connected in a cross-split manner, resulting in excessively long traces between the diagonally positioned switching chips and optical modules. As transmission rates continue to increase, the insertion loss and power consumption of the switching network board also increase significantly. This problem has now become a key reason hindering the capacity upgrade of cluster routers. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a switching chassis and a cluster router to reduce the insertion loss, crosstalk, and power consumption of the switching chassis.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a switching frame, which may include multiple first switching network boards. Each first switching network board may be equipped with a first switching chip, a first optical module, and multiple sets of first signal transmission components. The first switching chip may include multiple links, and these links may be evenly distributed among the multiple first optical modules. Similarly, each first optical module may also include multiple links, and these links may be evenly distributed among the multiple first switching chips. The first signal transmission components are used to connect the links of the first switching chip to the links of the first optical modules. These components may include a first connector, a second connector, and a first cable. The first connector may be located near the first switching chip, and its first end may be connected to a portion of the links of the first switching chip. The second connector may be located near the first optical module, and its first end may be connected to a portion of the links of the first optical module. The two ends of the first cable are respectively connected to the second ends of the first and second connectors, thereby connecting the links of the first switching chip and the first optical module to achieve signal transmission between them.

[0005] In the above scheme, the link of the first switching chip and the link of the first optical module can be interconnected through the first signal transmission component. When the distance between the link of the first switching chip and the link of the first optical module is relatively far, the problems of insertion loss and excessive power consumption caused by using signal trace interconnection can be solved. In addition, the problems of signal delay, high power consumption and heat dissipation difficulties caused by using clock data recovery chip scheme can also be avoided.

[0006] In specific configurations, the links of the first switching chip may include a transmitting link and a receiving link, and the links of the first optical module may also include a transmitting link and a receiving link. In the same group of first signal transmission components, all terminals at the first end of the first connector can be used to connect to the transmitting link of the first switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the second connector can be used to connect to the receiving link of the first optical module. In this case, the first signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the transmitting direction. Alternatively, all terminals at the first end of the first connector can be used to connect to the receiving link of the first switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the second connector can be used to connect to the transmitting link of the first optical module. In this case, the first signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the receiving direction. That is, the first signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the same direction, thereby achieving physical transmission medium separation between the high-speed signals in the transmitting and receiving directions, and thus reducing crosstalk between the signals in the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0007] In some possible implementations, there can be multiple first switching chips and multiple first optical modules. Multiple first switching chips can be arranged in a row near the first side of the first switching network board, and multiple first optical modules can be arranged in a row near the second side of the first switching network board, with the first and second sides of the first switching network board facing each other. The first switching chip is generally rectangular, including a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side connected in sequence. The first side is the side of the first switching chip near the first side of the first switching network board, and the third side is the side of the first switching chip near the second side of the first switching network board. It can be understood that the first side is the side furthest from each first optical module. The links of the first switching chip are distributed on its four sides, and the first end of the first connector can specifically connect to a portion of the links on the first side of the first switching chip. That is, a portion of the links on the first side can be connected to the first optical modules through the aforementioned first signal transmission component, thereby avoiding the use of a clock data recovery chip solution, which helps improve the signal transmission quality of the first switching network board and reduce its production cost.

[0008] In some possible implementations, in the signal transmission direction of the first switching chip and the first optical module, i.e. the transmission direction, there is a high demand for low-loss transmission media. Therefore, the first end of the first connector can be connected to the transmission link on the first side of the first switching chip, and the second connector can be connected to the receiving link of the first optical module. This allows the first signal transmission component to be used for signal transmission in the transmission direction, which helps to reduce the insertion loss of the first switching network board.

[0009] In addition to the first side, the distance between the end of the second side closest to the first side and the first optical module is also relatively far. Therefore, the first end of the first connector is also used to connect to the link at the end of the second side closest to the first side. This allows the link at the end of the second side closest to the first side to connect to the first optical module through the first signal transmission component, thereby avoiding the need for a clock data recovery chip solution. This helps improve the signal transmission quality of the first switching network board and reduce its production cost. Similarly, the link at the end of the fourth side closest to the first side can also be connected to the first optical module through the first signal transmission component.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the first end of the first connector can be connected to the transmit link of the second side of the first switching chip near the first side, while the second connector can be connected to the receive link of the first optical module. This allows signal transmission in the transmit direction using the first signal transmission component, thereby reducing insertion loss of the first switching network board. Similarly, the transmit link of the fourth side near the first side can also be connected to the first optical module via the first signal transmission component.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first end of the first connector can also be connected to the receiving link of the first side of the first switching chip. In this case, the first end of the second connector can be used to connect to the transmitting link of the first optical module. That is, the receiving link of the first side of the first switching chip can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the first signal transmission component. Similarly, the receiving link of the second side near the first side can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the first signal transmission component, and the receiving link of the fourth side near the first side can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the first signal transmission component.

[0012] In some other possible implementations, the first switching network board may have multiple signal traces. The receiving link on the first side of the first switching chip can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module via signal traces. That is, in the receiving direction where the loss is relatively low, the first switching chip and the first optical module can be connected via signal traces. This design not only separates the physical transmission media of the high-speed channels in the transmitting and receiving directions, but also reduces the number of first signal transmission components while maintaining the overall low loss of the first switching network board, thereby helping to reduce the product cost of the first switching network board.

[0013] Similarly, the receiving link at the end of the second side closest to the first side can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module via signal traces; and the receiving link at the end of the fourth side closest to the first side can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module via signal traces, thereby helping to further reduce the product cost of the first switching network board.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the transmit link on the third side of the first switching chip can be connected to the receive link of the first optical module via a signal trace, and the receive link on the third side of the first switching chip can also be connected to the transmit link of the first optical module via a signal trace. In this case, the length of the signal trace connecting the first switching chip and the first optical module is relatively short, and therefore the insertion loss is relatively small.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the transmit link of the second side of the first switching chip near the third side can be connected to the receive link of the first optical module via signal traces, and the receive link of the second side of the first switching chip near the third side can also be connected to the transmit link of the first optical module via signal traces. Similarly, the transmit link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the third side can be connected to the receive link of the first optical module via signal traces, and the receive link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the third side can also be connected to the transmit link of the first optical module via signal traces. These signal traces are also relatively short, thus resulting in lower insertion loss.

[0016] In some possible real-time solutions, the first switching network board is equipped with multiple first traces. The link between the first end of the first connector and the first switching chip can be connected through the first traces. In specific settings, the length of the first trace does not exceed 10cm, so that the loss caused by the first trace is relatively small and the impact on the overall loss of the first switching network board is also small.

[0017] Similarly, the first switching network board is equipped with multiple second traces. The link between the first end of the second connector and the first optical module can be connected through the second traces. In specific settings, the length of the second trace does not exceed 10cm, so that the loss caused by the second trace is relatively small, and the impact on the overall loss of the first switching network board is also small.

[0018] In some possible real-time solutions, the first connector and the second connector can be closely attached to the surface of the first switching network board, and the height of the first connector and the height of the second connector do not exceed 4mm, so as to have little impact on the air inlet and outlet channels of the air-cooled heat dissipation module on the first switching network board, thereby enabling the first switching network board to maintain good heat dissipation performance.

[0019] Secondly, this application also provides a cluster router, which may include multiple service frames, optical fibers, and switching frames as described in any of the aforementioned possible embodiments. Each service frame may include multiple second switching network boards, each equipped with multiple second switching chips and multiple second optical modules. Each second switching chip and each second optical module includes multiple links. The links of the second switching chips are connected to the corresponding links of the second optical modules. The second optical modules can be connected to first optical modules via optical fibers. Data transmission between the service frames and the switching frames can be achieved using the photoelectric signal conversion function of the first and second optical modules. Because the loss and power consumption of the switching frames are reduced, the loss and power consumption of this cluster router are also relatively low.

[0020] In some possible real-time solutions, the second switching network board can also be equipped with multiple sets of second signal transmission components. These second signal transmission components may include a third connector, a fourth connector, and a second cable. The third connector is positioned close to the second switching chip, and its first end can connect to a portion of the link of the second switching chip. The fourth connector is positioned close to the second optical module, and its first end can connect to a portion of the link of the second optical module. The two ends of the second cable are connected to the second ends of the third and fourth connectors, respectively, thereby connecting the links of the second switching chip and the second optical module to achieve signal transmission between them. In this solution, the links of the second switching chip and the second optical module can be interconnected through the second signal transmission components. When the distance between the links of the second switching chip and the second optical module is relatively large, this solves the problems of insertion loss and excessive power consumption caused by using signal trace interconnection. It also avoids the signal delay, high power consumption, and heat dissipation difficulties caused by using clock data recovery chips.

[0021] In specific configurations, the links of the second switching chip can include both a transmitting link and a receiving link, and the links of the second optical module can also include both a transmitting link and a receiving link. In the same group of second signal transmission components, all terminals at the first end of the third connector can be used to connect to the transmitting link of the second switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the fourth connector can be used to connect to the receiving link of the second optical module. In this case, the second signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the transmitting direction. Alternatively, all terminals at the first end of the third connector can be used to connect to the receiving link of the second switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the fourth connector can be used to connect to the transmitting link of the second optical module. In this case, the second signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the receiving direction. That is, the second signal transmission component is only used to transmit signals in the same direction, thereby achieving physical transmission medium separation between the high-speed signals in the transmitting and receiving directions, and thus reducing crosstalk between the signals in the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0022] In some possible real-time solutions, the second switching network board is equipped with multiple third traces. The link between the first end of the third connector and the second switching chip can be connected through the third traces. In specific settings, the length of the second trace should not exceed 10cm, so that the loss caused by the second trace is relatively small and the impact on the overall loss of the second switching network board is also small.

[0023] Similarly, the second switching network board is equipped with multiple fourth traces. The link between the first end of the fourth connector and the second optical module can be connected through the fourth trace. In specific settings, the length of the fourth trace does not exceed 10cm, so that the loss caused by the fourth trace is relatively small, and the impact on the overall loss of the second switching network board is also small. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cluster router provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first switching network plate shown in the figure;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first switching network board provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second switching network board provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure label:

[0029] 100 - Service frame; 200 - Switching frame; 300 - Fiber optic cable; 110 - Line card; 120 - Second switching network board; 121 - Second switching chip;

[0030] 122 - Second optical module; 210 - First switching network board; 211 - First switching chip; 212 - First optical module;

[0031] 2101 - First side of the first switching network board; 2102 - Second side of the first switching network board; 10 - First signal transmission component;

[0032] 11-First connector; 12-Second connector; 13-First cable; 2111-High-speed link of the first switching chip;

[0033] 21101 - First side; 21102 - Second side; 21103 - Third side; 21104 - Fourth side;

[0034] 20 - Second signal transmission component; 21 - Third connector; 22 - Fourth connector; 23 - Second cable; 1201 - First daughterboard;

[0035] 1202 - Second sub-board. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The new services of the 5G and cloud era bring a 25% to 30% annual traffic increase to backbone networks. Physical cluster routers, with their high reliability, non-blocking forwarding, and large-capacity smooth expansion, offer a new solution to problems such as the single-machine capacity reaching its limit and the increasingly complex network structure faced by core network nodes during evolution. Clustering technology is an effective solution to scalability issues. It can meet the demands of rapid business growth and improved network performance and capacity with relatively low-cost front-ends, while maintaining ease of maintenance and without increasing network complexity, thereby reducing network construction and maintenance costs.

[0038] A cluster router connects two or more ordinary core routers in some way, enabling them to work collaboratively and process data in parallel, achieving smooth expansion of system capacity, and appearing as only a single logical router to the outside world. This approach is also known as router matrix or multi-chassis interconnection technology. By employing parallel packet switching (PPS) technology, multiple independent switching networks are cascaded to form a multi-level, multi-plane switching matrix system, thereby overcoming the limitations of single-chassis switching capacity, power consumption, and heat dissipation, and realizing a larger-capacity router switching system.

[0039] Currently, when expanding the capacity of communication equipment such as routers through inter-chassis cascading, a common approach is to use switching chassis to facilitate data exchange between different service chassis. (Reference) Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cluster router provided in an embodiment of this application. The cluster router may include service frames 100 and switching frames 200, which are connected via optical fiber 300. The number of service frames 100 can be m, and the number of switching frames 200 can be n. In this case, the cluster router is an n-to-m system, meaning that m service frames 100 are interconnected through n switching frames 200. In this embodiment, m can take values ​​such as 2, 4, 8, 16, etc., and n can take values ​​such as 1, 2, 4, etc. Figure 1 The number of service frames 100 and switching frames 200 shown in the illustration is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the specific structure of the cluster router in this application embodiment.

[0040] Service frame 100 may include multiple line cards 110 and multiple switching network boards 120, with each line card 110 connected to a different switching network board 120. In a specific implementation, service frame 100 may also include a backplane (not shown in the figure). The line cards 110 and switching network boards 120 can be connected to the backplane via board-to-board connectors, thereby enabling the connection between the line cards 110 and the switching network boards 120. The switching network board 120 may be equipped with multiple switching chips 121 and optical modules 122. The optical module 122 has an optical interface capable of transmitting and receiving optical signals. The optical module 122 can receive electrical signals transmitted by the switching chips 121, convert the electrical signals into optical signals, and output them through the optical interface; it can also receive optical signals input through the optical interface, convert the optical signals into electrical signals, and send them to the switching chips 121.

[0041] The switching frame 200 may include multiple switching network boards 210, each of which is equipped with multiple switching chips 211 and optical modules 212. For ease of description and distinction, the switching network board 210 in the switching frame 200 is referred to as the first switching network board 210, the switching network board 120 in the service frame 100 is referred to as the second switching network board 120, the switching chip 211 and optical module 212 on the first switching network board 210 are referred to as the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212, respectively, and the switching chip 121 and optical module 122 on the second switching network board 120 are referred to as the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122, respectively.

[0042] The first optical module 212 of the first switching network board 210 can be connected to the second optical modules 122 of multiple service frames 100. In specific implementation, the first optical module 212 also has an optical interface for sending and receiving optical signals, and the optical interface of the first optical module 212 can be connected to the optical interface of the second optical module 122 via optical fiber. Within the service frame 100, the electrical signal sent by the line card 110 can be transmitted through the backplane to the second switching chip 121 of the second switching network board 120. The second switching chip 121 can convert the received electrical signal into an optical signal through the second optical module 122, and then transmit it to the first optical module 212 through optical fiber. The first optical module 212 converts the optical signal back into an electrical signal and sends it to the corresponding first switching network board 210. Data exchange is performed within the first switching network board 210, and then the data is sent to other service frames 100 through the first optical module 212, thereby realizing data exchange between different service frames 100.

[0043] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first switching network plate is shown. (See also...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the number of both the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 can be multiple. For example, the number of first switching chips 211 can be A, and the number of first optical modules 212 can be B, where A and B are both integers greater than or equal to 2. Similarly, Figure 1 The number of the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 shown in the figure is only for illustrative purposes and does not limit the specific structure of the first switching network board 210 in the embodiments of this application.

[0044] In a specific design, multiple first switching chips 211 and multiple first optical modules 212 can be arranged in columns, and the multiple first switching chips 211 and multiple first optical modules 212 can be located on opposite sides of the first switching network board 210. For example, the column of multiple first switching chips 211 can be arranged close to the first side 2101 of the first switching network board 210, and the column of multiple first optical modules 212 can be arranged close to the second side 2012 of the first switching network board 210.

[0045] The first switching chip 211 may include C transmit links and C receive links, where C can be an integer greater than or equal to 100. Specifically, the C transmit links and C receive links may be distributed around the first switching chip 211. The first optical module 212 may include D transmit links and D receive links, where D can be an integer greater than or equal to 10. The first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 are cross-connected and evenly distributed. Specifically, the transmit and receive links of each first switching chip 211 can be evenly distributed to each first optical module 212, and the transmit and receive links of each first optical module 212 can also be evenly distributed to each first switching chip 211. The first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 satisfy the equal distribution constraint relationship D / A = C / B.

[0046] For example, the number A of first switching chips 211 can be 2, and the number C of transmitting and receiving links of each first switching chip 211 can be 192; the number B of first optical modules 212 can be 32, and the number D of transmitting and receiving links of each first optical module 212 can be 12. The 192 transmitting and receiving links of the first switching chip 211 are evenly distributed among the 32 first optical modules 212, with each first optical module 212 undertaking 6 transmitting links and 6 receiving links of each first switching chip 211; the 12 transmitting and receiving links of the first optical module 212 are evenly distributed among the 2 first switching chips 211, with each first switching chip 211 undertaking 6 transmitting links and 6 receiving links of each first optical module 212.

[0047] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 For the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212, which are relatively far apart, such as the first switching chip 211 in the upper left corner and the first optical module 212 in the lower right corner, when the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 are cross-connected evenly, the diagonal trace length between the link distributed to the left of the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 often exceeds 15 inches. When the transmission rate is upgraded to 56Gbps, the insertion loss and power consumption of the first switching network board 210 will increase significantly. This problem has become a key reason hindering the capacity upgrade of the cluster router. It should be noted that the directional terms such as "left" and "right" used in the first switching network board 210 of this application embodiment are mainly based on the first switching network board 210 being located in the attached... Figure 1 The description of the orientation of the first switching network board 210 does not constitute a limitation on the orientation of the first switching network board 210 in actual application scenarios.

[0048] In existing technologies, the traditional solution to insertion loss is to use lower-loss printed circuit boards (PCBs) and a larger number of clock data recovery (CDR) chips. CDR chips can act as relay nodes for long links; links that cannot be directly reached from the switching chip to the optical module can be relayed through the CDR chip, which receives the reconstructed signal and then forwards it to the first optical module. This approach introduces signal delay, and the higher the signal transmission rate, the more CDR chips are required, leading to a significant increase in product cost. Furthermore, an excessive number of CDR chips occupies more layout area on the PCB, further reducing the size of heat dissipation devices on the PCB. This makes implementing a comprehensive heat dissipation solution for the entire switching network extremely difficult, sometimes necessitating a switch from air cooling to liquid cooling. Liquid cooling not only further increases product cost but also makes upgrading existing cluster routers difficult in current data center environments, undermining the "large-capacity smooth expansion" characteristic of cluster routers and causing a gap in cluster router platform upgrades.

[0049] Another common solution to address insertion loss is to use optical modules with cables. One end of the cable connects to the tail of the optical module, with multiple high-speed channels in both the receiving and transmitting directions of each module located within the same cable. The other end of the cable connects to a board-to-board connector, which in turn connects to the PCB containing the switching chip. From there, traces on the PCB connect to the transmitting and receiving links on the switching chip. In practical applications, the insertion loss drive capability differs significantly between the receiving and transmitting directions for high-speed signal transmission between the switching chip and the optical module. Studies have shown that the difference in insertion loss drive capability between the "switching chip transmitting, optical module receiving direction" (referred to as the transmitting direction) and the "optical module transmitting, switching chip receiving direction" (referred to as the receiving direction) can reach 10dB. The transmitting direction requires a much higher level of low-loss transmission medium than the receiving direction.

[0050] In the above scheme, multiple high-speed channels in the receiving and transmitting directions are located in the same cable, and the physical transmission media in the transmitting and receiving directions are not separated. However, since the two have different requirements for low loss of transmission media, even if the lowest loss high-speed PCB board is used, it still cannot meet the loss requirements of the transmitting direction, while the loss margin in the receiving direction will be too large, resulting in waste of board material and increased product cost.

[0051] In view of this, the present application provides a first switching network board, which can interconnect a first switching chip and a first optical module by using a connector. Under the premise of reducing insertion loss, it can not only solve the problems of signal delay, high power consumption and heat dissipation caused by the CDR chip solution, but also realize the physical transmission medium separation of the high-speed channel in the transmitting direction and the receiving direction, thereby reducing crosstalk between the signals in the transmitting direction and the receiving direction, and reducing the overall cost of the product.

[0052] First refer to Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first switching network board provided in this application embodiment. Specifically, the first switching network board 210 in this application embodiment can be a multi-layer circuit board. In specific implementation, the number of layers of the first switching network board 210 can be designed according to actual needs. For example, the first switching network board 210 can include 8, 16, 24, or more sub-boards, and this application does not impose any limitations on this. In addition to the aforementioned first switching chip 211 and first optical module 212, the first switching network board 210 in this embodiment may also include a first signal transmission component 10, which may include a first connector 11, a second connector 12, and a first cable 13. The first connector 11 and the second connector 12 are respectively disposed on the first switching network board 210, and they can be located on the same sub-board or on different sub-boards, depending on the specific placement of the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212.

[0053] For example, the first connector 11 can be located near the first switching chip 211, and the second connector 12 can be located near the first optical module 212. The first connector 11 can be connected to the high-speed link 2111 of the first switching chip 211, and the second connector 12 can be connected to the high-speed link of the first optical module 212. The two ends of the first cable 13 can be connected to the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 respectively, thereby connecting the high-speed link of the first switching chip 211 and the high-speed link of the first optical module 212 to realize signal transmission between the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212.

[0054] In this embodiment of the application, the first switching chip 211 may include a first side 21101, a second side 21102, a third side 21103, and a fourth side 21104 connected in sequence. The first side 21101 may be the side of the first switching chip 211 that is close to the first side 2101 of the first switching network board 210, that is, the side of the first switching chip 211 that is away from the first optical module 212. The third side 21103 may be the side of the first switching chip 211 that is close to the second side 2102 of the first switching network board 210, that is, the side of the first switching chip 211 that is close to the first optical module 212. Understandably, the high-speed link 2111 on the first side 21101 of the first switching chip 211 is furthest from the first optical module 212. Next, the high-speed link 2111 on the second side 21102, closer to the first side 21101, is also furthest from the first optical module 212. Similarly, there is the high-speed link on the fourth side 21104, closer to the first side 21101. In a specific design, these high-speed links 2111 and the first optical module 212 can be connected through the aforementioned first signal transmission component 10, thereby avoiding the signal delay, high power consumption, and heat dissipation difficulties caused by using a CDR chip.

[0055] For example, each first switching chip 211 can be connected to each first optical module 212 through multiple sets of first signal transmission components 10, that is, multiple first connectors 11 can be provided at each first switching chip 211, for example Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment uses an example where each first switching chip 211 has four first connectors 11. Each first connector 11 of the first signal transmission components 10 can be connected to N high-speed links of the first switching chip 211, and all N high-speed links connected to each first connector 11 are either transmitting links or receiving links. For example, the value of N can be 8, 16, 24, etc.

[0056] Correspondingly, the second connector 12 of each group of first signal transmission components 10 can be connected to N high-speed links of one or more corresponding first optical modules 212, and all N high-speed links connected to the second connector 12 are receiving links or all are transmitting links. It is understood that each first cable 13 also contains N transmission links, and each first cable 13 can carry N high-speed signals between the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212. These N high-speed signals are all signals sent from the first switching chip 211 to the first optical module 212, or all signals sent from the first optical module 212 to the first switching chip 211. In other words, the first cable 13 in each group of first signal transmission components 10 is only used to transmit signals in the same direction, and there is no situation where signals are transmitted or received simultaneously in two directions. This achieves physical transmission medium separation between the high-speed signals in the transmitting and receiving directions, thereby reducing crosstalk between the signals in the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0057] In some embodiments, for the first switching chip 211, the transmitting link located on one side of the first side 21101 and the receiving link of the first optical module 212 can be connected through the first signal transmission component 10, and the receiving link located on one side of the first side 21101 and the transmitting link of the first optical module 212 can also be connected through the first signal transmission component 10; similarly, the transmitting link located on the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 and the receiving link of the first optical module 211 can be connected through the first signal transmission component 10, and the receiving link located on the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 and the transmitting link of the first optical module 212 can also be connected through the first signal transmission component 10. That is to say, in these high-speed links, the signal transmission medium in both the transmitting and receiving directions can be the first signal transmission component 10.

[0058] In other embodiments, considering the significant difference in insertion loss driving capability between the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 in the transmission and reception directions, the transmission link on one side of the first side 21101 and the reception link of the first optical module 212 can be connected through the first signal transmission component 10, while the reception link on one side of the first side 21101 and the transmission link of the first optical module 212 can be connected through signal traces on the first switching network board 210. Similarly, the transmission links on the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 and the reception link of the first optical module 212 can be connected through the first signal transmission component 10, while the reception links on the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 and the transmission link of the first optical module 212 can be connected through signal traces on the first switching network board 210. In other words, in the transmission direction where the loss is relatively high, the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 are connected through the first signal transmission component 10; in the reception direction where the loss is relatively low, the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 are connected through signal traces. This design not only separates the physical transmission media of the high-speed channels in the transmission and reception directions, but also reduces the number of first signal transmission components 10 while maintaining the overall low loss of the first switching network board 210, thereby helping to reduce the product cost of the first switching network board 210.

[0059] Taking the first signal transmission component 10 as the signal transmission medium in the transmitting direction and the signal transmission medium in the receiving direction as the signal trace as an example, in this embodiment, the first switching network board 210 can be provided with multiple first traces and multiple second traces. One end of the first trace is connected to the transmitting link on one side of the first side 21101 of the first switching chip 211, and the other end of the first trace can be connected to the terminal of the first end of the first connector 11 through a pad structure. One end of the second trace is connected to the receiving link of the first optical module 212, and the other end of the second trace can be connected to the terminal of the first end of the second connector 12 through a pad structure. The two ends of the first cable 13 are respectively connected to the terminals of the second end of the first connector 11 and the second end of the second connector 12. At this time, the signal transmission path between the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 is specifically: first switching chip 211 - first trace - first connector 11 - first cable 13 - second connector 12 - second trace - first optical module 212. Understandably, the transmission links on the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 can also be connected to the first connector 11 via the first trace, which will not be elaborated here.

[0060] To reduce the length of the first and second traces, in this embodiment, the first connector 11 can be specifically located on the first switching network board 210 near the first side 21101 of the first switching chip 211, or near the left side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 of the first switching chip 211. The second connector 12 can be located on the side of the first optical module 212 near the first switching chip 211. After connecting the first connectors 11 and second connectors 12 of each first signal transmission component 10 through the first cable 13, the multiple first cables 13 on the first switching network board 210 are distributed in a roughly diagonally intersecting manner, presenting an approximately "X" shaped structural layout.

[0061] refer to Figure 3 As shown, the numbers on the first connector 11 indicate the length of the first trace between the first connector 11 and the first switching chip 211, while the numbers on the second connector 12 indicate the length of the second trace between the second connector 12 and the first optical module 212. It can be seen that the lengths of the traces between each first connector 11 and the first switching chip 211, and between each second connector 12 and the first optical module 212, do not exceed 10cm. Therefore, the losses caused by the first and second traces are relatively small, and their impact on the overall loss of the first switching network board 210 is minimal.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 can be closely attached to the surface of the first switching network plate 210, and the height of both does not exceed 4mm. This has little impact on the air inlet and outlet channels of the air-cooled heat dissipation module on the first switching network plate 210. Therefore, the first switching network plate 210 can maintain good heat dissipation performance and has high operational reliability.

[0063] It should be noted that for the high-speed links at other locations on the first switching chip 211, namely the high-speed links distributed on the third side 21103, and the high-speed links on the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 near the third side 21103, the distance between these high-speed links and the first optical module 212 is relatively short. Therefore, they can be connected to the first optical module 212 through the signal traces on the first switching network board 210. In this case, the length of the signal traces connecting the first switching chip 211 and the first optical module 212 is relatively short, so the insertion loss is also relatively small, and the impact on the overall loss of the first switching network board 210 is minimal. In practical implementation, the transmitting link located on the third side 21103 can be connected to the receiving link of the first optical module 212 via signal traces, and the receiving link located on the third side 21103 can also be connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module 212 via signal traces; similarly, the transmitting links located on the right side of the second side 21102 and the fourth side 21104 can also be connected to the receiving link of the first optical module 212 via signal traces. That is to say, in these high-speed links, the signal transmission medium in both the transmitting and receiving directions can be signal traces.

[0064] Furthermore, in existing technologies, when the second switching network board within a service frame connects its second switching chip to the second optical module, a CDR chip is also used as a relay node. Therefore, the second switching network board also suffers from excessive insertion loss. Based on the same principle, the second switching chip and the second optical module can also be connected in a manner similar to the aforementioned embodiments to reduce the power consumption and cost of the second switching network board.

[0065] refer to Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second switching network board provided in an embodiment of this application. The second switching network board 120 in this embodiment can also be a multi-layer circuit board. In specific implementations, the number of sub-boards of the second switching network board 120 can be designed according to actual needs, and this application does not impose any limitations on this. The second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122 can be disposed on the same sub-board or on different sub-boards. In addition to the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122, the second switching network board 120 may include a second signal transmission component 20, which may include a third connector 21, a fourth connector 22, and a second cable 23. The third connector 21 and the fourth connector 22 are respectively disposed on the second switching network board 120. For example, the third connector 21 may be disposed near the second switching chip 121, and the fourth connector 22 may be disposed near the second optical module 122. The third connector 21 is connected to the second switching chip 121 via a high-speed link, and the fourth connector 22 is connected to the second optical module 122 via a high-speed link. The two ends of the second cable 23 can be connected to the third connector 21 and the fourth connector 22 respectively, thereby connecting the high-speed link of the second switching chip 121 with the high-speed link of the second optical module 122 to realize signal transmission between the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122.

[0066] In some embodiments, the second switching chip 121 may be disposed on the first sub-board 1201 of the second switching network board 120, for example, in the first region of the first sub-board 1201, and multiple second switching chips 121 may be arranged in a row in the first region. The second optical module 122 may be disposed on the second sub-board 1202 of the second switching network board 120, and the second optical modules 122 may also be arranged in a row on the second sub-board 1202. In specific implementations, the second sub-board 1202 and the first sub-board 1201 may partially overlap, and the projection of the second sub-board 1202 on the first sub-board 1201 is located outside the first region. In this case, the third connector 21 may also be disposed in the first region of the first sub-board 1201, and the fourth connector 22 may be disposed on the second sub-board 1202. The second cable 23 may be connected across the board between the third connector 21 and the fourth connector 22.

[0067] For example, each second switching chip 121 can be connected to the second optical module 122 through multiple sets of second signal transmission components 20, thus multiple third connectors 21 can be provided at each second switching chip 121. The third connectors 21 of each set of second signal transmission components 20 can be connected to M high-speed links of the second switching chip 121, and all M high-speed links connected to each third connector 21 are either transmitting links or receiving links. For example, the value of M can be 8, 16, 24, etc.

[0068] Correspondingly, the fourth connector 22 of each group of second transmission components 20 can be connected to M high-speed links of one or more corresponding second optical modules 122, and all M high-speed links connected to the fourth connector 22 are either receiving links or all are transmitting links. It is understood that each second cable 23 also contains M transmission links, and each second cable 23 can carry M high-speed signals between the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122. These M high-speed signals are either all signals sent from the second switching chip 121 to the second optical module 122, or all signals sent from the second optical module 122 to the second switching chip 121. In other words, the second cable 23 in each group of second signal transmission components 20 is only used to transmit signals in the same direction; there is no situation where signals are simultaneously transmitted or received in two directions. This achieves physical transmission medium separation between the high-speed signals in the transmitting and receiving directions, thereby reducing crosstalk between the signals in the transmitting and receiving directions.

[0069] In this embodiment, the transmitting link of the second switching chip 121 and the receiving link of the second optical module 122 can be connected via the second signal transmission component 20, and the receiving link of the second switching chip 121 and the transmitting link of the second optical module 122 can also be connected via the second signal transmission component 20. That is, between the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122, the signal transmission medium in both the transmitting and receiving directions can be the second signal transmission component 20. Figure 4 In the second signal transmission component 20 shown, the second cable 23 is indicated by a solid line as the transmission medium in the transmitting direction, and the second cable 23 is indicated by a dashed line as the transmission medium in the receiving direction.

[0070] In specific configuration, multiple third traces can be configured on the first daughterboard 1201. One end of each third trace is connected to the transmit link of the second switching chip 121, and the other end is connected to the terminal of the first end of the third connector 21 via a pad structure. Multiple fourth traces can be configured on the second daughterboard 1202. One end of each fourth trace is connected to the receive link of the second optical module 122, and the other end is connected to the terminal of the first end of the fourth connector 22 via a pad structure. The two ends of the second cable 23 are connected to the terminals of the second end of the third connector 21 and the second end of the fourth connector 22, respectively. It can be seen that, in the transmit direction, the signal transmission path between the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122 is: second switching chip 121 - third trace - third connector 21 - second cable 23 - fourth connector 22 - fourth trace - second optical module 122.

[0071] Understandably, the third trace can also connect the receiving link of the second switching chip 121 to the third connector 21. Similarly, the fourth trace can be used to connect the transmitting link of the second optical module 122 to the fourth connector 22. In this case, in the receiving direction, the signal transmission path between the second switching chip 121 and the second optical module 122 is specifically: second optical module 122 - fourth trace - fourth connector 22 - second cable 23 - third connector 21 - third trace - second switching chip 121.

[0072] To reduce the length of the third and fourth traces, in this embodiment, the third connector 21 can be specifically located on the first daughterboard 1201 near the second switching chip 121, and the fourth connector 22 can be located on the second daughterboard 1202 near the second optical module 122. In this embodiment, the trace lengths between each third connector 21 and the second switching chip 121, and between each fourth connector 22 and the second optical module 122, do not exceed 10cm. Therefore, the losses caused by the third and fourth traces are relatively small, and the impact on the overall loss of the second switching network board 120 is minimal. After connecting the third connectors 21 and fourth connectors 22 of each second signal transmission component 20 through the second cable 23, the multiple second cables 23 on the second switching network board 120 can be arranged in a roughly horizontal parallel manner.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the third connector 21 and the fourth connector 22 can be closely attached to the surface of the second switching network plate 120, and the height of both does not exceed 4mm. This has little impact on the air inlet and outlet channels of the air-cooled heat dissipation module on the second switching network plate 120. Therefore, the second switching network plate 120 can maintain good heat dissipation performance and has high operational reliability.

[0074] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology 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 switching frame, characterized in that, It includes multiple first switching network boards, each of which is equipped with a first switching chip, a first optical module, and multiple sets of first signal transmission components, wherein: The first switching chip includes multiple links, which can be evenly distributed to multiple first optical modules; The first optical module includes multiple links, and these links can be evenly distributed to multiple first switching chips. The first signal transmission component includes a first connector, a second connector, and a first cable. The first connector is located close to the first switching chip, and a first end of the first connector is partially connected to the first switching chip. The second connector is located close to the first optical module, and a first end of the second connector is partially connected to the first optical module. The two ends of the first cable are respectively connected to the second ends of the first connector and the second connector.

2. The switching frame as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The links of the first switching chip include a transmitting link and a receiving link, and the links of the first optical module include a transmitting link and a receiving link. In the same group of the first signal transmission components, all terminals on the first end of the first connector are used to connect to the transmitting link of the first switching chip, and all terminals on the first end of the second connector are used to connect to the receiving link of the first optical module; or, All terminals at the first end of the first connector are used to connect to the receiving link of the first switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the second connector are used to connect to the transmitting link of the first optical module.

3. The switching frame as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first switching network board includes a first side and a second side that are positioned opposite each other. The number of the first switching chip and the number of the first optical module are both multiple. The multiple first switching chips are arranged in a row near the first side of the first switching network board, and the multiple first optical modules are arranged in a row near the second side of the first switching network board. The first switching chip includes a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side connected in sequence. The first side is disposed near the first side of the first switching network board, and the third side is disposed near the second side of the first switching network board. The links of the first switching chip are distributed on each side, and the first end of the first connector is connected to a portion of the links on the first side of the first switching chip.

4. The exchange frame as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first end of the first connector is connected to the transmit link of the first side of the first switching chip, and the first end of the second connector is connected to the receive link of the first optical module.

5. The exchange frame as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first end of the first connector is connected to a portion of the second side of the first switching chip near the first side; and the first end of the first connector is connected to a portion of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the first side.

6. The exchange frame as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first end of the first connector is connected to the transmission link of the second side of the first switching chip near the first side; and the first end of the first connector is connected to the transmission link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the first side. The first end of the second connector is connected to the receiving link of the first optical module.

7. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first end of the first connector is connected to the receiving link of the first side of the first switching chip; the first end of the first connector is connected to the receiving link of the second side of the first switching chip near the end of the first side; and the first end of the first connector is connected to the receiving link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the end of the first side. The first end of the second connector is connected to the transmission link of the first optical module.

8. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first switching network board is equipped with multiple signal traces; The receiving link on the first side of the first switching chip is connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the signal trace; the receiving link on the second side of the first switching chip near the end of the first side is connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the signal trace; and the receiving link on the fourth side of the first switching chip near the end of the first side is connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the signal trace.

9. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first switching network board is equipped with multiple signal traces; The transmitting link on the third side of the first switching chip is connected to the receiving link of the first optical module through the signal trace; the receiving link on the third side of the first switching chip is connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the signal trace.

10. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first switching network board is equipped with multiple signal traces; The transmitting link of the second side of the first switching chip near the third side is connected to the receiving link of the first optical module through the signal trace; the receiving link of the second side of the first switching chip near the third side is connected to the transmitting link of the first optical module through the signal trace. Furthermore, the transmit link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the third side is connected to the receive link of the first optical module through the signal trace; the receive link of the fourth side of the first switching chip near the third side is connected to the transmit link of the first optical module through the signal trace.

11. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first switching network board is provided with multiple first traces, and the link between the first end of the first connector and the first switching chip is connected through the first traces. The length of the first trace is less than 10cm.

12. The switching frame as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first switching network board is provided with multiple second traces. The first end of the second connector is connected to the link of the first optical module through the second traces. The length of the second trace is less than 10cm.

13. A cluster router, characterized in that, The system includes multiple service frames, optical fibers, and a switching frame as described in any one of claims 1 to 12. Each service frame includes multiple second switching network boards, each second switching network board being equipped with multiple second switching chips and multiple second optical modules, wherein: The second switching chip and the second optical module each include multiple links. The links of the second switching chip are connected to the corresponding links of the second optical module. The second optical module and the first optical module are connected through the optical fiber.

14. The cluster router as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The second switching network board is also equipped with multiple sets of second signal transmission components; The second signal transmission component includes a third connector, a fourth connector, and a second cable. The third connector is located close to the second switching chip, and a first end of the third connector is connected to a portion of the link of the second switching chip. The fourth connector is positioned close to the second optical module, and the first end of the fourth connector is partially connected to the link of the second optical module; the two ends of the second cable are respectively connected to the second end of the third connector and the second end of the fourth connector.

15. The cluster router as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The links of the second switching chip include a transmitting link and a receiving link, and the links of the second optical module include a transmitting link and a receiving link; In the same group of second signal transmission components, all terminals on the first end of the third connector are used to connect to the transmitting link of the second switching chip, and all terminals on the first end of the fourth connector are used to connect to the receiving link of the second optical module; or, All terminals at the first end of the third connector are used to connect to the receiving link of the second switching chip, and all terminals at the first end of the fourth connector are used to connect to the transmitting link of the second optical module.

16. The cluster router as described in claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The second switching network board is provided with multiple third traces. The link between the first end of the third connector and the second switching chip is connected through the third traces. The length of the third trace is less than 10cm.

17. The cluster router as described in claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The second switching network board is provided with multiple fourth traces. The first end of the fourth connector is connected to the link of the second optical module through the fourth traces. The length of the fourth trace is less than 10cm.

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