Method, device, exchange system, storage medium and program product for information transfer

Abstract

This paper discloses a method, device, switching system, storage medium, and program product for information transmission, belonging to the field of communication technology. As the amount of information to be transmitted in a network increases, this solution allocates time slots for information transmission via optical switches through devices in the switching system. This means that the time slot allocation function is implemented distributed across various uplink and downlink devices, eliminating the need for a centralized scheduler for the optical switches and reducing the difficulty of centralized time slot allocation. Furthermore, this solution uses electrical switches to transmit requests and responses between devices, achieving efficient transmission of internal requests and responses without occupying optical switches.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, device, switching system, storage medium and program product for information transmission. Background Technology

[0002] Information transmission within a switching system can be achieved through optical switching or electrical switching. Optical switching uses optical signals as the information transmission medium, such as optical signals emitted by an optical switch, while electrical switching uses electrical signals as the information transmission medium, such as electrical signals emitted by the opening and closing of an electrical switch.

[0003] Taking an optical switching system as an example, information transmission from the input side to the output side of the system is achieved through optical switching. An optical switching system includes multiple electrical components and multiple optical switches. Each electrical component is connected to these multiple optical switches, which are logically divided into input-side components and output-side components. Each input-side component acquires the target information to be transmitted (such as generating an internal request or receiving a message sent by a network node), and sends the target information to at least one optical switch, which then transmits the target information to an output-side component. Since optical switches typically cannot buffer information, each optical switch is equipped with a corresponding centralized scheduler to avoid traffic conflicts within the same optical switch. The centralized scheduler is used to pre-schedule the information that needs to be transmitted through the optical switches, i.e., to determine which input-side component's information should be transmitted to which output-side component in each time slot. Simply put, the centralized scheduler centrally allocates time slots. The input-side components then send information to the corresponding optical switches according to the time slot allocation results, thereby reducing traffic conflicts.

[0004] However, as more and more information needs to be transmitted in the network, the centralized scheduler needs to handle more and more requests, making centralized allocation of time slots increasingly difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method, device, switching system, storage medium, and program product for information transmission, which can reduce the difficulty of time slot allocation. The technical solution is as follows:

[0006] Firstly, a method for information transmission is provided, which is applied to a switching system including multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches; the method includes:

[0007] A first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via a first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request requests the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch. The first device and the at least one target device are among a plurality of devices; the first electrical switch is one of a plurality of electrical switches; and the first optical switch is one of a plurality of optical switches. The first device receives a first time slot allocation response from the at least one target device via the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation response indicates a first target time slot. The first device then transmits target information to a second device, which is one of the at least one target device, via the first optical switch in the first target time slot.

[0008] This solution allocates time slots for information transmission via optical switches using devices within the switching system. In other words, the time slot allocation function is distributed across various uplink and downlink devices, eliminating the need for a centralized scheduler on the optical switches and reducing the complexity of centralized time slot allocation. Specifically, the uplink device (i.e., the ingress device) determines which downlink devices (egress devices) to send time slot allocation requests to, while the downlink devices determine which ingress device to allocate a time slot to. Furthermore, this solution uses electrical switches to transmit requests and responses between devices, achieving efficient internal request and response transmission without occupying the optical switches.

[0009] Optionally, before the first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via the first electrical switch, the method further includes: the first device determining the at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each egress device among the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding egress device for transmitting information through the first optical switch. That is, the first device determines which egress device(s) to send a time slot allocation request to by recording the number of first time slots.

[0010] Optionally, each input device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one output device at a time, or each input device is configured to allow sending time slot allocation requests to multiple output devices at a time.

[0011] Optionally, the number of at least one target device is one. The first device determines at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each exit device among the plurality of devices, including: if only one exit device among the plurality of devices has a first time slot count greater than 0, the first device determines the exit device with a first time slot count greater than 0 as the target device; if at least two exit devices among the plurality of devices have a first time slot count greater than 0, the first device selects one exit device from the at least two exit devices as the target device based on the uplink scheduling strategy. That is, if each entry device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one exit device at a time, then if only one exit device has a first time slot count that has not yet been cleared, the first device directly sends a first time slot allocation request to that exit device. If at least two exit devices have a first time slot count that has not yet been cleared, the first device determines which target device to send the first time slot allocation request to based on the uplink scheduling strategy.

[0012] Optionally, the uplink scheduling strategy includes at least one of load conditions, information acquisition order, and information priority.

[0013] Optionally, after receiving a first time slot allocation response from at least one target device via a first electrical switch, the first device further includes reducing the number of first time slots corresponding to the target device. That is, if each input device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one output device at a time, the first device can reduce the corresponding number of first time slots without sending an acceptance response to the corresponding output device after receiving the first time slot allocation response.

[0014] Optionally, the number of at least one target device can be multiple; the first device determines at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the multiple devices, including: the first device determines multiple exit devices with a corresponding number of first time slots greater than 0 as multiple target devices. That is, if each entry device is configured to allow sending time slot allocation requests to multiple exit devices at once, the first device sends a first time slot allocation request to each exit device whose corresponding number of first time slots has not yet been cleared to zero.

[0015] Optionally, after the first device receives the first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch, the process further includes: the first device selecting one device from the plurality of target devices as the second device; the first device sending a first acceptance response to the second device through the first electrical switch; and the first device reducing the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device. That is, if each ingress device is configured to allow sending time slot allocation requests to multiple egress devices at once, the first device, after receiving the first time slot allocation response, needs to send an acceptance response to the corresponding egress device.

[0016] Optionally, the method further includes: a first device determining a target number of time slots based on the information to be transmitted, the target number of time slots being the number of time slots required for the information to be transmitted, the information to be transmitted including target information; and the first device increasing the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device based on the target number of time slots. That is, after the first device obtains the information to be transmitted, it needs to increase the corresponding number of first time slots first.

[0017] Optionally, the method further includes: if at least one of the plurality of devices corresponds to a second time slot with a number greater than 0, the first device determines a first entry device from the plurality of devices, the number of second time slots being the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding entry device for transmitting information through a second optical switch, the second optical switch being one of a plurality of optical switches; the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first entry device through the second optical switch, the second time slot allocation response indicating a second target time slot, the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in the second target time slot not exceeding the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the first device to the first entry device. That is, in addition to having an uplink time slot request scheduling function, the first device also has a downlink time slot allocation function.

[0018] Optionally, the method further includes: a first device receiving a first bandwidth allocation request sent by a first input device via a second electrical switch; the first bandwidth allocation request carrying a first data amount and indication information of the first input device, the first data amount being the amount of data the first input device requests the first device to receive; the first device allocating bandwidth to each input device among multiple devices based on the first data amount and the indication information of the first input device, and increasing the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device. That is, when the first device acts as a logical output device, it can also perform bandwidth allocation, thereby realizing a bandwidth-based downlink time slot allocation function.

[0019] Optionally, after the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first input device via the second electrical switch, the method further includes: the first device reducing the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device. That is, if each input device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one output device at a time, the first device can reduce the corresponding number of second time slots without waiting to receive a feedback acceptance response from the first input device.

[0020] Optionally, after the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first input device via the second electrical switch, the process further includes: the first device receiving a second acceptance response from the first input device via the second electrical switch; and the first device reducing the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device in response to the second acceptance response. That is, if each input device is configured to allow sending time slot allocation requests to multiple output devices at once, the first device can only reduce the corresponding number of second time slots after receiving the second acceptance response from the first input device.

[0021] Optionally, the multiple electrical switches correspond one-to-one with multiple optical switches, with each electrical switch used to transmit time slot allocation requests and responses for the corresponding optical switch. This improves the efficiency of time slot allocation and information transmission.

[0022] Optionally, the plurality of devices may be a plurality of electrical devices.

[0023] Secondly, a device is provided, the device having the function of implementing the information transmission method behavior described in the first aspect. The first device includes one or more modules for implementing the information transmission method provided in the first aspect.

[0024] That is, a device is provided, which is the first device among multiple devices included in a switching system, the switching system also including multiple electrical switches and multiple optical switches; the first device includes:

[0025] A first transmitting module is configured to send a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via a first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information via the first optical switch. The at least one target device is one of a plurality of devices, the first electrical switch is one of a plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of a plurality of optical switches.

[0026] The first receiving module is configured to receive a first time slot allocation response sent by at least one target device via a first electrical switch, wherein the first time slot allocation response is used to indicate a first target time slot;

[0027] An information transmission module is used to transmit target information to a second device in a first target time slot via a first optical switch, wherein the second device is one of the at least one target device.

[0028] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0029] The first determining module is used to determine the at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding exit device to transmit information through the first optical switch.

[0030] Optionally, the number of the at least one target device is one;

[0031] The first determination module is used for:

[0032] If, among the multiple devices, there is only one exit device with a first time slot number greater than 0, the first device will identify the exit device with a first time slot number greater than 0 as the target device.

[0033] If at least two outgoing devices have a number of first time slots greater than 0, the first device selects one outgoing device from the at least two outgoing devices as the target device based on the uplink scheduling strategy.

[0034] Optionally, the uplink scheduling strategy includes at least one of load conditions, information acquisition order, and information priority.

[0035] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0036] The first counting update module is used to reduce the number of first time slots corresponding to the target device.

[0037] Optionally, the number of the at least one target device may be multiple;

[0038] The first determination module is used for:

[0039] Multiple exit devices with a first time slot number greater than 0 among these multiple devices are identified as multiple target devices.

[0040] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0041] The second determining module is used to select one device from the plurality of target devices as the second device;

[0042] The second transmitting module is used to send a first receiving response to the second device through the first electrical switch;

[0043] The first counting update module is used to reduce the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device.

[0044] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0045] The third determining module is used to determine the target number of time slots based on the information to be transmitted. The target number of time slots is the number of time slots required for the information to be transmitted, and the information to be transmitted includes target information.

[0046] The first counting update module is used to increase the number of the first time slot corresponding to the second device based on the target number of time slots.

[0047] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0048] The fourth determining module is used to determine the first entry device from the plurality of devices when the number of second time slots corresponding to at least one entry device is greater than 0. The number of second time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding entry device for transmitting information through the second optical switch. The second optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches.

[0049] The third transmitting module is used to send a second time slot allocation response to the first input device through the second electrical switch. The second time slot allocation response indicates a second target time slot, and the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in the second target time slot does not exceed the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the first device to the first input device.

[0050] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0051] The second receiving module is used to receive a first bandwidth allocation request sent by the first input device through the second electrical switch. The first bandwidth allocation request carries a first data amount and indication information of the first input device. The first data amount is the amount of data that the first input device requests the first device to receive information.

[0052] A bandwidth allocation module is used to allocate bandwidth to each of the multiple devices based on a first data volume and an indication information of a first input device.

[0053] The second counting update module is used to increase the number of second time slots corresponding to the first entry device based on the first data volume and the indication information of the first entry device.

[0054] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0055] The second counting update module is used to reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first entry device after the third sending module performs the step of sending the second time slot allocation response to the first entry device.

[0056] Optionally, the first device further includes:

[0057] The third receiving module is used to receive the second receiving response sent by the first input device through the second electrical switch;

[0058] The second counting update module is used to reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device in response to the second receiving response.

[0059] Optionally, the plurality of electrical switches correspond one-to-one with the plurality of optical switches, and each electrical switch is used to transmit time slot allocation requests and time slot allocation responses for the corresponding optical switch.

[0060] Optionally, the plurality of devices may be a plurality of electrical devices.

[0061] Thirdly, a switching system is provided, which includes multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches;

[0062] The first device is used to transmit a first time slot allocation request to the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch. The first device and the at least one target device are devices among a plurality of devices. The first electrical switch is one of the plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches.

[0063] The first electrical switch is used to transmit a first time slot allocation request to the at least one target device, and to transmit a first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device to the first device, the first time slot allocation response being used to indicate a first target time slot;

[0064] The first device is also used to transmit target information to the first optical switch in the first target time slot;

[0065] A first optical switch is used to transmit target information to a second device, wherein the second device is one of the at least one target device.

[0066] Fourthly, a network device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program for executing the information transmission method provided in the first aspect, and storing data related to implementing the information transmission method provided in the first aspect. The processor is configured to execute the program stored in the memory. The network device may further include a communication bus for establishing a connection between the processor and the memory.

[0067] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the information transmission method described in the first aspect.

[0068] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the information transmission method described in the first aspect above.

[0069] The technical effects achieved by the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth aspects mentioned above are similar to those achieved by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0070] Figure 1 This is an architecture diagram of a switching system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 2 This is an architecture diagram of another switching system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a functional module in an electrical device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 6 This is one of the above-mentioned embodiments provided in this application. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the interface board in the network device shown;

[0076] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0077] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0078] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0079] To facilitate understanding, some terms and related technologies involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first.

[0080] A switching system, also known as a switching network, switching center, switching equipment, switch, network device, network node, etc., comprises devices and switches. In related technologies, information transmission between devices in a switching system relies on switches. In the embodiments of this application, the switching system can be an optical switching system or an electrical switching system.

[0081] Devices: Such as electrical devices capable of processing electrical signals, or devices capable of processing both optical and electrical signals. In some embodiments, devices are also referred to as electrical equipment, line cards, etc. In the embodiments of this application, each device has at least one port, each port can be simplex or full-duplex. A simplex port can be an input port with input-side functionality (uplink function) or an output port with output-side functionality (downlink function), while a full-duplex port can simultaneously serve as both an input port and an output port. Based on this, devices in a switching system can be logically divided into input-side devices and output-side devices. Input-side devices have uplink functionality, and output-side devices have downlink functionality. Simply put, any device has uplink and / or downlink functionality. Input-side devices are used to generate information or receive information sent by other network devices, and transmit the information to output-side devices through the switch. Output-side devices are used to receive information from the switch. Optionally, output-side devices are also used to send information out of the switching system, or, after processing information, the output-side device feeds back to the input-side device through the switch, or, after processing information, the output-side device performs operations, such as adjusting the flow rate.

[0082] It should be noted that devices with input-side functions can act as entry devices during information transmission, while devices with output-side functions can act as exit devices during information transmission. For example, a device may act as an entry device in one process and as an exit device in another.

[0083] Switches: such as optical switches and electrical switches. Optical switches transmit information via optical signals, while electrical switches transmit information via electrical signals. For example, electrical signals emitted by the opening and closing of an electrical switch, or electrical signals emitted by other types of electrical switches.

[0084] This section provides a brief introduction to the switching principle of optical switches. An optical switch includes multiple input ports and multiple output ports. Different input ports of the same optical switch connect to different devices, and different output ports also connect to different devices. For example, input port 1 and output port 1 of an optical switch are connected to device 1, input port 2 and output port 2 are connected to device 2, input port 3 and output port 3 are connected to device 3, and input port 4 and output port 4 are connected to device 4. Based on their working principle, optical switches typically have two implementation methods.

[0085] The first type is the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical switch. This type of switch works by determining the output port of the optical signal based on the wavelength of the light signal received at the input port. During the design and manufacturing process, the wavelengths corresponding to the interconnections between each input and output port must be predefined, and this setting is typically not change after manufacturing. For example, input port 1 of a WDM switch can send an optical signal of wavelength 2 to output port 2, an optical signal of wavelength 3 to output port 3, and an optical signal of wavelength 4 to output port 4; input port 2 can send an optical signal of wavelength 4 to output port 1, an optical signal of wavelength 2 to output port 3, and an optical signal of wavelength 3 to output port 4; input port 3 can send an optical signal of wavelength 3 to output port 1, an optical signal of wavelength 4 to output port 2, and an optical signal of wavelength 2 to output port 4; and input port 4 can send an optical signal of wavelength 2 to output port 1, an optical signal of wavelength 3 to output port 2, and an optical signal of wavelength 4 to output port 3.

[0086] The first type of optical switch automatically selects the output port based on the input port and the wavelength of the input optical signal during operation, without requiring additional control of the optical switch.

[0087] For devices that transmit information via the first type of optical switch, those with input-side functionality need to have the ability to quickly adjust the wavelength of the optical signal transmitted to the optical switch, that is, to adjust the wavelength of the optical signal to match the wavelengths corresponding to the input and output ports of the optical switch as needed. Furthermore, devices with output-side functionality need to have the ability to quickly recover optical signals of different wavelengths into electrical signals.

[0088] The second type is the space-division optical switch. This type of optical switch operates by switching the correspondence between input and output ports based on received electrical control signals. For example, if the optical switch receives electrical control signal 0, input port 1 establishes an optical path connection with output port 3, and input port 2 establishes an optical path connection with output port 4; if the optical switch receives electrical control signal 1, input port 1 establishes an optical path connection with output port 4, and input port 2 establishes an optical path connection with output port 3.

[0089] The electrical control signals received by the second type of optical switch are usually output by the control chip on the central control board of the switching system.

[0090] The uplink electrical switch used in conjunction with the second type of optical switch does not need to have the ability to quickly adjust the wavelength of the optical signal. Furthermore, the downlink electrical switch does not need to have the ability to quickly recover optical signals of different wavelengths into electrical signals.

[0091] Time slot: In a switching system, a time slot represents a defined time interval used for switching path configuration and data transmission.

[0092] It's important to note that the switch and the time slots are decoupled. Time slot settings generally consider two factors: first, the overall optical path configuration time. For example, in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) switch, this includes the time required for the uplink device (input-side device) to modulate the wavelength when outputting a variable wavelength, or the time from receiving the path control signal to the signal becoming fully effective. During this configuration time, the optical path cannot effectively transmit information. Second, bandwidth utilization. For instance, if the optical path configuration time is 10ns, to improve bandwidth utilization, the time slot size is typically set to 100ns, allowing up to 90% of the time to be used for effective information transmission. During optical switching, the uplink and downlink devices (input-side and output-side devices) need to be aware of the time slot size because they need to send data matching the time slot size. This may require applying for time slot usage permission, preparing the wavelength for the next time slot to switch, or restoring the optical signal to be received in the next time slot. However, optical switches are not sensitive to time slot size. They only need to automatically send the received optical signals to the corresponding output (i.e., downlink equipment) according to the wavelength, or configure the optical path connection relationship according to the received electrical control signals and wait to receive optical signals.

[0093] The switching system involved in the embodiments of this application will be described next. It should be noted that the system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0094] Figure 1 This is an architecture diagram of a switching system provided in an embodiment of this application. The switching system includes multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches. This switching system is also referred to as an optical switching system. Optionally, the multiple devices are electrical devices. Optionally, the multiple electrical switches correspond one-to-one with the multiple optical switches, or the number of the multiple electrical switches is greater than or less than the number of the multiple optical switches. Optionally, the multiple devices are connected to each electrical switch and also to each of the multiple optical switches.

[0095] Figure 1The switching system shown includes an electrical switching layer 1, an electrical switching layer 2, and an optical switching layer. Electrical switching layer 1 includes multiple electrical devices, from device 1 (ESW_1.1) to device N (ESW_1.N). Electrical switching layer 2 includes multiple electrical switches, from switch 1 (ESW_2.1) to switch M (ESW_2.M). The optical switching layer includes multiple optical switches, from optical switch 1 (OSW_1.1) to optical switch M (OSW_1.M).

[0096] In this embodiment, taking the acquisition of information to be transmitted by a first device as an example, the first device is used to send a time slot allocation request to at least one target device through an electrical switch, receive a time slot allocation response sent by at least one target device through an electrical switch, and transmit information to a second device through an optical switch. Here, the first device and the at least one target device are among a plurality of devices, and the second device is one of the at least one target device. In other words, the plurality of electrical switches are used to transmit requests (REQ) and responses (RESP) between devices, the plurality of optical switches are used to transmit information (Ifo), such as control information and data information, the plurality of devices have time slot allocation functions, and the plurality of devices are used to transmit information through the optical switch according to the time slot allocation results.

[0097] It should be noted that this solution can also be applied to electrical switching systems, which include multiple devices, multiple Type I electrical switches, and multiple Type II electrical switches. The Type I electrical switches are equivalent to the electrical switches in an optical switching system, and the Type II electrical switches are equivalent to the optical switches in an optical switching system.

[0098] Figure 2 This is an architecture diagram of another switching system provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 The switching system shown is to Figure 1 The multiple devices in the system are logically divided into multiple input-side devices and multiple output-side devices. Input-side devices are also called uplink devices, and output-side devices are also called downlink devices. Figure 2 The optical switching system includes uplink and downlink of electrical switching layer 1, an optical switching layer, and electrical switching layer 2. The uplink of electrical switching layer 1 includes multiple input-side devices (e.g., ESW_1.1_in to ESW_1.N_in), the downlink of electrical switching layer 1 includes multiple output-side devices (e.g., ESW_1.1_out to ESW_1.N_out), the optical switching layer includes multiple switches (e.g., OSW_1.1 to OSW_1.M), and electrical switching layer 2 includes multiple electrical switches (e.g., ESW_2.1 to ESW_2.M). It should be noted that... Figure 2Taking an example where each device has both input and output functions, the number of input devices is the same as the number of output devices. If a device has only one input function and one output function, the number of input devices and the number of output devices may be different.

[0099] The information transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described next.

[0100] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method is applied to a switching system, which includes multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches. Optionally, the multiple devices are multiple electrical devices. Please refer to... Figure 3 The method includes the following steps.

[0101] Step 301: The first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device through the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch.

[0102] Wherein, the first device and at least one target device are devices among the plurality of devices, the first electrical switch is one of the plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches.

[0103] In this embodiment, the electrical switch is used to transmit requests and responses between devices, and the devices have time slot allocation functions. Based on this, a first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via the first electrical switch, requesting the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch. In this embodiment, the first device is a logical input-side device, i.e., an entry device, and the target device is a logical output-side device, i.e., an exit device.

[0104] It should be noted that the first device can transmit information to any egress device through any of the plurality of optical switches. The first device records the number of time slots to be allocated by each egress device for transmitting information through each optical switch. For example, for the first optical switch, the first device records the number of first time slots corresponding to each egress device among the plurality of devices. The number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding egress device for transmitting information through the first optical switch. Based on this, the first device can determine which target device(s) to send the first time slot allocation request to by using the recorded number of first time slots corresponding to each egress device.

[0105] Optionally, before the first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device through the first electrical switch, the at least one target device is determined based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices.

[0106] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, each input device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one output device at a time, or each input device is configured to allow sending time slot allocation requests to multiple output devices at a time. Thus, the number of the at least one target device can be one or more.

[0107] Assuming there is only one target device, if only one of the multiple devices has a first time slot count greater than 0, the first device will identify the exit device with the greater than 0 first time slot count as the target device. If at least two of the multiple devices have a first time slot count greater than 0, the first device will select one of the at least two exit devices as the target device based on the uplink scheduling strategy. That is, if only one exit device has a first time slot count that is not yet zero, the first device will directly send a first time slot allocation request to that exit device. If at least two exit devices have a first time slot count that is not yet zero, the first device will determine which target device to send the first time slot allocation request to based on the uplink scheduling strategy. Optionally, in some embodiments, if at least two exit devices have a first time slot count that is not yet zero, the first device may randomly select one of the at least two exit devices as the target device.

[0108] Optionally, the uplink scheduling strategy mentioned above includes at least one of load conditions, information acquisition order, and information priority. The load conditions are determined based on one or more of the following: the total amount of data to be transmitted to each egress device, the number of first time slots corresponding to each egress device, etc. For example, assuming the uplink scheduling strategy includes load conditions, and the load conditions are determined based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each egress device, then the first device determines the egress device with the largest number of first time slots among the at least one egress device as the target device. Assuming the uplink scheduling strategy includes information acquisition order, then the first device determines the egress device corresponding to the earliest acquired information among the information to be transmitted as the target device. Assuming the uplink scheduling strategy includes information priority, then the first device determines the egress device corresponding to the information with the highest priority among the information to be transmitted as the target device. Assuming the uplink scheduling strategy includes both load conditions and information acquisition order, then the first device determines the target device by combining both load conditions and information acquisition order. Optionally, in some embodiments, the first device may also determine the target device using a round-robin method.

[0109] Assuming there are multiple target devices, the first device identifies multiple exit devices with a first time slot count greater than 0 as multiple target devices. That is, the first device sends a first time slot allocation request to each exit device whose corresponding first time slot count has not yet been cleared to zero.

[0110] Step 302: The first device receives a first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation response is used to indicate the first target time slot.

[0111] In this embodiment, after the first device sends a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via a first electrical switch, it can receive a first time slot allocation response from the at least one target device. The first time slot allocation response indicates a first target time slot. That is, all at least one target device may allocate the first target time slot for transmitting information via the first optical switch to the first device. Alternatively, if there are multiple at least one target device, the first device may receive a first time slot allocation response from some of the at least one target device. In other words, only some of the at least one target device allocates the first target time slot to the first device.

[0112] Optionally, the first time slot allocation response carries an identifier of the first target time slot, such as the time slot number of the first target time slot.

[0113] In this embodiment, after receiving a first time slot allocation request from a first device via a first electrical switch, the at least one target device selects an entry device from among the plurality of devices and allocates the first target time slot to the selected entry device. The selected entry device may or may not be the first device. The maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in the first target time slot does not exceed the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the target device to the selected entry device.

[0114] Optionally, for any one of the at least one target device, the target device selects an entry device from the plurality of devices based on the bandwidth allocated to each entry device among the plurality of devices. For example, the target device selects an entry device from the plurality of devices according to the proportion of bandwidth allocated to each entry device. For example, assuming the plurality of devices includes three entry devices, such as in_1, in_2, and in_3, and the bandwidth allocated by the target device to these three entry devices is in the ratio of 2:1:1, then the target device cyclically allocates time slots for transmitting information through the first optical switch in the order of in_1, in_2, in_3. Alternatively, the target device selects an entry device from the plurality of devices in a round-robin manner. For example, the target device cyclically allocates time slots for transmitting information through the first optical switch in the order of in_1, in_2, in_3. Alternatively, the target device selects an entry device in other ways, which is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0115] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, for any of the at least one target device, after receiving a bandwidth allocation request sent by any input device, the target device allocates bandwidth to each input device based on the bandwidth allocation request, thereby allocating time slots based on bandwidth. The bandwidth allocation request carries the amount of data that the input device requests the target device to receive and the input device's indication information.

[0116] Taking a first device as an entry device in an information transmission process, a second device as the target device, and a second device as the exit device in the same process as an example, after the first device obtains the information to be transmitted (including the target information), it sends a second bandwidth allocation request to the second device through a first electrical switch. This request carries a second data volume and an indication from the first device. The second data volume is the amount of data the first device requests the target device to receive. The second device receives the second bandwidth allocation request from the first device through the first electrical switch. Based on the second data volume and the indication from the first device, the second device allocates bandwidth to each entry device.

[0117] Furthermore, after acquiring the information to be transmitted, the first device determines the target number of time slots based on the information. Based on the target number of time slots, the first device increases the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device. After receiving the second bandwidth allocation request, the second device increases the number of third time slots corresponding to the first device based on the second data volume and the indication information from the first device. The number of third time slots represents the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding ingress device for transmitting information through the first optical switch. In simpler terms, the second device, acting as the egress device, records the number of third time slots corresponding to each ingress device. Thus, if at least one ingress device has a third time slot number greater than 0, the second device can select one ingress device from among the multiple devices and allocate the first target time slot to the selected ingress device.

[0118] It should be noted that the information acquired by the first device may be a message or other types of information. Taking a message as an example, after acquiring a message, the first device first determines at least one target optical switch from the plurality of optical switches based on the message. Subsequently, the message is transmitted through this at least one target optical switch. If there are multiple target optical switches, then one target optical switch is used to transmit a portion of the message. The aforementioned information to be transmitted is the information to be transmitted through the first optical switch, which is a target optical switch.

[0119] As described above, the first device, as an input device logically possessing input-side functionality, records the number of first time slots corresponding to each output device. It then requests time slots for information transmission through the first optical switch from at least one target device whose corresponding first time slot count is not yet zeroed. It should be noted that the first device also records the number of time slots to be allocated by each output device for information transmission through optical switches other than the first optical switch. In other words, the first device records multiple requested time slot counts for each optical switch, with one requested time slot count corresponding to one output device. Thus, as long as the first device records a number of requested time slots that is not yet zeroed, the first device continuously requests time slots for information transmission through the corresponding optical switch from the corresponding output device. In this embodiment, the number of requested time slots for the first optical switch recorded by the first device is referred to as the first time slot count.

[0120] For example, suppose the switching system includes two devices, ESW_1.1 and ESW_1.2, and three optical switches, OSW_1.1, OSW_1.2, and OSW_1.3. Both devices can serve as ingress and egress devices. If ESW_1.1 is the ingress device, it records the number of two requested time slots for OSW_1.1, namely counter1.1 and counter1.2, with each counter1.1 and counter1.2 corresponding to one egress device. ESW_1.1 also records counter2.1 and counter2.2 for OSW_1.2, with each counter2.1 and counter2.2 corresponding to one egress device. ESW_1.1 also records counter3.1 and counter3.2 for OSW_1.3, with each counter3.1 and counter3.2 corresponding to one egress device.

[0121] Similarly, the second device, acting as an exit device, records the number of third time slots corresponding to each entry device. Therefore, if at least one third time slot count is not yet zeroed, it allocates a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch to a certain entry device. It should be noted that the second device also records the number of time slots to be allocated to each entry device for transmitting information through each optical switch other than the first optical switch. In other words, the second device records multiple unallocated time slot counts for each optical switch, with one unallocated time slot count corresponding to one entry device. Thus, as long as the second device records an unallocated time slot count, it continuously allocates time slots for transmitting information through the corresponding optical switch to the entry device. In this embodiment, the unallocated time slot count for the first optical switch recorded by the second device is referred to as the third time slot count.

[0122] Step 303: The first device transmits target information to the second device in the first target time slot through the first optical switch, and the second device is one of the at least one target device.

[0123] When there is only one target device, after receiving the first time slot allocation response from the target device, the first device transmits the target information to the target device (i.e., the second device) in the first target time slot through the first optical switch. When there are multiple target devices, after receiving the first time slot allocation response from the target device, the first device selects one of the multiple target devices as the second device, and then transmits the target information to the second device in the first target time slot through the first optical switch, thereby avoiding traffic conflicts on the first optical switch.

[0124] As described above, in one implementation, each ingress device is configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one egress device at a time. In this way, after receiving the first time slot allocation response from the target device (i.e., the second device) via the first electrical switch, the first device reduces the number of first time slots corresponding to that target device. In another implementation, each ingress device is configured to send time slot allocation requests to multiple egress devices at a time. In this way, after receiving the first time slot allocation responses from the multiple target devices via the first electrical switch, the first device selects one of the multiple target devices as the second device. The first device then sends a first acceptance response to the second device via the first electrical switch and reduces the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device. That is, in the second implementation, after selecting the second device from the multiple target devices, the first device needs to send a first acceptance response to the second device to indicate that the first device accepts the first target time slot allocated by the second device, but does not accept the first target time slots allocated by other target devices besides the second device. Optionally, in the first implementation described above, after the first device receives the first time slot allocation response sent by the target device through the first electrical switch, it can also send an acceptance response to the target device to indicate that the first device has successfully received the first time slot allocation response.

[0125] Furthermore, before transmitting target information to the second device, the first device determines the target information from the information to be transmitted to the second device. Optionally, the first device determines the target information from the information to be transmitted to the second device based on the priority and / or acquisition order of the information to be transmitted. It should be noted that if the amount of data in the aforementioned information to be transmitted exceeds the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in a time slot, then the target information transmitted by the first optical switch is only a part of the information to be transmitted.

[0126] The above describes the process of the first device, acting as a logical entry device, requesting a time slot from a logical exit device, and transmitting information within the allocated time slot. Next, we will describe the process of the first device, acting as a logical exit device, allocating a time slot to a logical entry device.

[0127] In this embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of devices corresponds to a second time slot with a number greater than 0, the first device determines a first entry device from among the plurality of devices. The first device then sends a second time slot allocation response to the first entry device via a second optical switch. The number of second time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding entry device for transmitting information via the second optical switch. The second optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches. The second time slot allocation response indicates a second target time slot, and the maximum data amount allowed to be transmitted by the second target time slot does not exceed the maximum data amount allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the first device to the first entry device. That is, the first device allocates time slots based on bandwidth, and can only allocate one time slot to one entry device at a time.

[0128] Optionally, the implementation of the first device determining the first entry device from the plurality of devices is similar to the implementation of the target device selecting one entry device from the plurality of devices in step 302 above. For example, the first device determines the first entry device from the plurality of devices based on the bandwidth allocated to each entry device. Alternatively, the first device determines the first entry device from the plurality of devices in a polling manner. Or, the first device determines the first entry device in other ways, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0129] Optionally, the first device receives a first bandwidth allocation request sent by a first input device via a second electrical switch. The first bandwidth allocation request carries a first data volume and indication information of the first input device, whereby the first data volume is the amount of data the first input device requests the first device to receive. Based on the first data volume and the indication information of the first input device, the first device allocates bandwidth to each of the plurality of devices and increases the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device. That is, similar to the second device acting as an output device, when the first device acts as a logical output device, it also allocates bandwidth to each input device based on the bandwidth allocation request and increases the number of second time slots corresponding to the corresponding input device according to the amount of data the corresponding input device requests the first device to receive.

[0130] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the first device records multiple unallocated time slots for each optical switch. Thus, as long as the first device records an unallocated time slot count that has not yet been cleared, the first device continuously allocates time slots for transmitting information through the corresponding optical switch to the input device. In this embodiment, the unallocated time slot count for the second optical switch recorded by the first device is referred to as the second time slot count.

[0131] When each ingress device can be configured to send a time slot allocation request to only one egress device at a time, the first device, after sending a second time slot allocation response to the first ingress device via the second electrical switch, reduces the number of second time slots corresponding to the first ingress device. That is, in this case, after sending the second time slot allocation response, the first device defaults to the first ingress device accepting the allocated second target time slot. Of course, if in this case, the first ingress device sends a second accept response to the first device, the first device can also reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first ingress device immediately after sending the second time slot allocation response, or reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first ingress device after receiving the second accept response.

[0132] When each ingress device is configured to send time slot allocation requests to multiple egress devices simultaneously, the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first ingress device via the second electrical switch, and then receives a second acceptance response from the first ingress device via the second electrical switch. In response to the second acceptance response, the first device reduces the number of second time slots corresponding to the first ingress device. That is, in this case, the first device can only reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first ingress device after receiving the second acceptance response.

[0133] Optionally, the aforementioned multiple electrical switches correspond one-to-one with multiple optical switches, with each electrical switch used to transmit time slot allocation requests and responses for the corresponding optical switch. For example, the first electrical switch is used to transmit time slot allocation requests and responses for the first optical switch, and the second electrical switch is used to transmit time slot allocation requests and responses for the second optical switch. This helps to improve the overall performance of the switching system.

[0134] Next, taking the cooperation of various modules in the device to realize the time slot allocation function as an example, the information transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application will be explained again.

[0135] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a functional module in an electrical device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 The electrical components shown are those in the electrical switching layer 1 of the optical switching system. ESW_1.X_in represents the uplink function of component ESW_1.X. ESW_1.Y_out represents the downlink function of component ESW_1.Y. That is, ESW_1.X_in is the input-side electrical component, and ESW_1.Y_out is the output-side electrical component.

[0136] Taking the message to be transmitted as an example, we first introduce the process of ESW_1.X_in queuing and buffering the message and requesting bandwidth and time slots from ESW_1.Y_out, as well as the process of ESW_1.Y_out allocating bandwidth and time slots to ESW_1.X_in.

[0137] After receiving the individual packets (P) from the message, ESW_1.X_in enqueues the packets in the ingress queue management system (inQM) and stores them in the ingress buffer (inBuff). inQM updates the queue status to the ingress request processor (inREQ). inREQ determines which ingress slot request schedulers (scheduler-in, SCI) to send a bandwidth request and a slot number request (REQ). This slot number request indicates the target number of slots and the source queue information of the packets. Based on the target number of slots, the SCI increases the corresponding number of slots to be requested (e.g., counter1.1) and sends the bandwidth allocation request to the corresponding ingress slot request scheduler (scheduler-out, SCO) via the corresponding ESW2. It should be noted that SCI, ESW2, SCO, data transmission module (DT), and data receive module (DR) correspond one-to-one with optical switch (OSW1). For example, OSW1.a corresponds to SCI.a, ESW2.a, SCO.a, DT.a, and DR.a.

[0138] After receiving the bandwidth allocation request sent by the SCI via ESW2, the SCO forwards the request to the downlink bandwidth allocator (scheduler-bandwidth, SCH). Based on this request, the SCH allocates bandwidth (i.e., downlink egress bandwidth) to each input device and determines the target number of time slots. The SCH then sends the bandwidth allocation result and the target number of time slots to the corresponding SCO. The bandwidth allocation result can be sent as a credit. The SCO then increases the corresponding number of time slots to be allocated based on the target number of time slots.

[0139] In addition, based on the recorded number of requested time slots, the SCI, through input-side request scheduling, determines which egress devices(s) to send a time slot allocation request (REQ). The SCI then sends the time slot allocation request to the corresponding SCO via the corresponding ESW2. The SCO allocates one time slot (e.g., OSW1.a) for information transmission through an optical switch to one egress device at a time. If the SCO determines that the maximum data volume allowed to be transmitted in the allocated time slot does not exceed the maximum data volume allowed by the bandwidth allocated to that egress device, it sends a time slot allocation response (slot (S) permission) to the SCI corresponding to that optical switch via the corresponding ESW2, such as sending a credit carrying the identifier of the allocated time slot (e.g., time slot number) and the corresponding source queue information. Optionally, after input-side scheduling, the SCI decides whether to accept the credit sent by the SCO, i.e., whether to accept the time slot allocated by the SCO. After deciding to accept the credit sent by the SCO, the SCI sends an acceptance response (e.g., an acknowledgement, ACK) to the corresponding SCO via ESW2. In addition, for each time slot allocated by SCO that SCI accepts, the number of corresponding time slots to be requested decreases; for each time slot that SCO successfully allocates, the number of corresponding time slots to be allocated decreases.

[0140] The following describes the process by which ESW_1.X_in transmits information to ESW_1.Y_out in the allocated time slot.

[0141] The SCI sends the received credit to the inREQ, which then forwards the credit to the inQM and the ingress scheduler (inSC). The inSC schedules the dequeueing of packets buffered in the inBuff by the inQM. The inSC sends a read command (R cmd) to the inQM, which instructs the optical switch corresponding to the credit. Based on the received read command, the inQM reads the target information from the buffer and sends it to the corresponding DT. The DT then forwards the target information to the corresponding DR through the corresponding optical switch. The target information can be a single packet, a subset of packets, or a concatenation of multiple packets. That is, packets can be transmitted between the inBuff and eBuff in packet format or in cell format (a subset or concatenation of packets). After receiving the target information, the DR sends the target information to the egress queue management system (eQM). The eQM caches the target information in the egress buffer (eBuff). After the egress scheduler (eSC) performs downlink scheduling, it reads each data packet of the message from the eBuff and sends it out.

[0142] As described above, this solution distributes the time slot allocation function of the centralized scheduler (CS) in various uplink and downlink devices in the form of SCI and SCO, thereby solving the problem of CS being difficult to implement in large-scale networking scenarios to a certain extent. In a specific implementation, as described above... Figure 4 As shown, SCI and SCO are used to implement time slot allocation functionality. SCI implements uplink request scheduling, and SCO implements downlink time slot allocation. Optionally, SCI and SCO can employ time slot allocation algorithms such as the iSLIP algorithm or dual round robin matching (DRRM). This embodiment does not limit the specific algorithms used. The iSLIP algorithm is a time slot allocation algorithm for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) switches. For a detailed description, please refer to the article "The iSLIP Scheduling Algorithm for Input-Queued Switches". In the DRRM algorithm, an input device sends a time slot allocation request to only one output device at a time; therefore, the input device does not need to send an accept response to the output device. In the iSLIP algorithm, an input device can send time slot allocation requests to multiple output devices at a time; therefore, the input device needs to send an accept response to the output devices.

[0143] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the electrical switch in the interactive system is used to transmit requests and responses between devices, while the optical switch is used to transmit information, such as messages, between devices. In other embodiments, the electrical switch is used to transmit requests and responses between devices, as well as to transmit information with smaller data volumes, such as short messages, between devices, while the optical switch is used to transmit information with larger data volumes, such as longer messages, between devices. That is, information with smaller data volumes is preferentially transmitted through the electrical switch to reduce the occupancy of the optical switch.

[0144] In summary, as the amount of information to be transmitted in the network increases, this solution allocates time slots for information transmission via optical switches using devices within the switching system. This distributed time slot allocation function is implemented across all uplink and downlink devices, eliminating the need for a centralized scheduler for the optical switches and reducing the complexity of centralized time slot allocation. Furthermore, this solution uses electrical switches to transmit requests and responses between devices, ensuring efficient internal request and response transmission without occupying optical switches.

[0145] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. This network device can implement the switching system provided in any of the above embodiments. The network device 500 can be a switch, router, or other network device that forwards packets. In this embodiment, the network device 500 includes: a main control board 510, an interface board 530, a switching network board 520, and an interface board 540. The main control board 510 is used to perform functions such as system management, device maintenance, and protocol processing. The switching network board 520 is used to perform data exchange (i.e., information transmission) between the various interface boards (interface boards are also called line cards or service boards). The interface boards 530 and 540 are used to provide various service interfaces (e.g., POS interface, GE interface, ATM interface, etc.) and to realize information forwarding. The control plane consists of the various management and control units on the main control board 510 and the management and control units on the interface boards 530 and 540. The main control board 510 mainly has three types of functional units: system management and control unit, system clock unit, and system maintenance unit. The main control board 510, interface boards 530 and 540, and switching network board 520 communicate with each other via a system bus connected to the system backplane. The central processing unit 531 on the interface board 530 controls and manages the interface board and communicates with the central processing unit on the main control board. The forwarding table entry memory 534 on the interface board 530 stores forwarding table entries, and the network processor 532 forwards information (such as messages) by looking up the forwarding table entries stored in the forwarding table entry memory 534.

[0146] Additionally, interface boards 530 and 540 are also used to implement time slot allocation functions. Optionally, switching board 520 includes optical switches and electrical switches. The interfaces through which interface boards 530 and 540 communicate with switching board 520 include electrical interfaces and optical interfaces. Switching board 520 has multiple optical input ports and multiple optical output ports for transmitting information between multiple interface boards using optical signals. Switching board 520 also has multiple electrical input ports and multiple electrical output ports for transmitting requests and responses between multiple interface boards using electrical signals.

[0147] The physical interface card 533 of the interface board 530 is used to acquire information to be transmitted, such as receiving messages sent by the previous hop node. The specific implementation process will not be described in detail here.

[0148] The network processor 532 is used to process the acquired information. The specific functions of the network processor 532 will not be described in detail here.

[0149] Understandable, such as Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment includes multiple interface boards and employs a distributed forwarding mechanism. Under this mechanism, the operations on interface board 540 are basically similar to those on interface board 530 described above, and will not be repeated for simplicity. Furthermore, as mentioned above, Figure 5 The functions of the network processors 532 and 542 can be implemented using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0150] Furthermore, it should be noted that there may be one or more main control boards, which may include a primary main control board and a backup main control board. There may also be one or more interface boards; the more powerful the data processing capability of the device, the more interface boards it provides. Each interface board may also have one or more physical interface cards. There may also be one or more switching network boards; multiple boards can work together to achieve load sharing and redundancy backup. Data exchange between multiple interface boards is achieved through the switching network board, providing high-capacity data exchange and processing capabilities.

[0151] Figure 6 This is one of the above-mentioned embodiments provided in this application. Figure 5 The diagram shows the structure of an interface board in a network device. The network device containing this interface board 600 can implement the switching system in any of the above embodiments. The interface board 600 may include a physical interface card (PIC) 630, a network processor (NP) 66, a traffic management module (TM) 620, and a slot allocation module (SA) 650.

[0152] Among them, PIC630: physical interface card, is used to realize the physical layer docking function. The raw traffic enters the interface board of the network device through this card, and the processed packets are sent out from this PIC card.

[0153] The NP66 network processor is used to implement packet forwarding. Specifically, uplink packet processing includes: packet ingress interface processing, timestamp acquisition, uplink flow classification, forwarding table lookup, measurement information encapsulation, and packet replication; downlink packet processing includes: forwarding table lookup, downlink flow classification, timestamp acquisition, measurement information encapsulation, and outgress interface processing, etc.

[0154] The TM620 traffic management system is used to implement functions such as QoS, line-rate forwarding, large-capacity caching, and queue management. Specifically, uplink traffic management includes uplink QoS processing (such as congestion management and queue scheduling) and slicing; downlink traffic management includes packet assembly, multicast replication, and downlink QoS processing (such as congestion management and queue scheduling).

[0155] The SA650 time slot allocation module is used to implement functions such as uplink request scheduling and downlink time slot allocation. The uplink request scheduling function determines which interface boards(s) to send time slot allocation requests to. The downlink time slot allocation function determines which interface board(s) will have time slots used for transmitting information through a given optical switch allocated to it.

[0156] It is understandable that if a network device has multiple interface boards 600, these multiple interface boards 600 can communicate with each other via a switching network 640. Figure 5 The switching network 640 communicates with the switching network board 520. The switching network 640 includes an optical interface and an electrical interface. The optical interface is connected to the optical input port and optical output port of the switching network board 520, and the electrical interface is connected to the electrical input port and electrical output port of the switching network board 520.

[0157] It should be noted that, Figure 6 This illustration only shows a schematic processing flow or module within the interface board 600. In a specific implementation, the processing order of each module is not limited to this, and in practical applications, other modules or processing flows can be deployed as needed. The comparison of embodiments in this application is not intended to limit the scope of the application.

[0158] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. Device 700 can be implemented as part or all of a network device by software, hardware, or a combination of both. This network device can implement any of the switching systems described in the above embodiments. In this embodiment, device 700 is the first device 700 among multiple devices included in a switching system. The switching system also includes multiple electrical switches and multiple optical switches. See also... Figure 7 The first device 700 includes: a first transmitting module 701, a first receiving module 702, and an information transmission module 703.

[0159] The first transmitting module 701 is configured to send a first time slot allocation request to at least one target device via a first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information via the first optical switch. The at least one target device is one of a plurality of devices, the first electrical switch is one of a plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of a plurality of optical switches.

[0160] The first receiving module 702 is configured to receive a first time slot allocation response sent by at least one target device via a first electrical switch, wherein the first time slot allocation response is used to indicate a first target time slot;

[0161] The information transmission module 703 is used to transmit target information to a second device in a first target time slot through a first optical switch, wherein the second device is one of the at least one target device.

[0162] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0163] The first determining module is used to determine the at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding exit device to transmit information through the first optical switch.

[0164] Optionally, the number of the at least one target device is one;

[0165] The first determination module is used for:

[0166] If, among the multiple devices, there is only one exit device with a first time slot number greater than 0, the first device will identify the exit device with a first time slot number greater than 0 as the target device.

[0167] If at least two outgoing devices have a number of first time slots greater than 0, the first device selects one outgoing device from the at least two outgoing devices as the target device based on the uplink scheduling strategy.

[0168] Optionally, the uplink scheduling strategy includes at least one of load conditions, information acquisition order, and information priority.

[0169] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0170] The first counting update module is used to reduce the number of first time slots corresponding to the target device.

[0171] Optionally, the number of the at least one target device may be multiple;

[0172] The first determination module is used for:

[0173] Multiple exit devices with a first time slot number greater than 0 among these multiple devices are identified as multiple target devices.

[0174] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0175] The second determining module is used to select one device from the plurality of target devices as the second device;

[0176] The second transmitting module is used to send a first receiving response to the second device through the first electrical switch;

[0177] The first counting update module is used to reduce the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device.

[0178] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0179] The third determining module is used to determine the target number of time slots based on the information to be transmitted. The target number of time slots is the number of time slots required for the information to be transmitted, and the information to be transmitted includes target information.

[0180] The first counting update module is used to increase the number of the first time slot corresponding to the second device based on the target number of time slots.

[0181] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0182] The fourth determining module is used to determine the first entry device from the plurality of devices when the number of second time slots corresponding to at least one entry device is greater than 0. The number of second time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding entry device for transmitting information through the second optical switch. The second optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches.

[0183] The third transmitting module is used to send a second time slot allocation response to the first input device through the second electrical switch. The second time slot allocation response indicates a second target time slot, and the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in the second target time slot does not exceed the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the first device to the first input device.

[0184] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0185] The second receiving module is used to receive a first bandwidth allocation request sent by the first input device through the second electrical switch. The first bandwidth allocation request carries a first data amount and indication information of the first input device. The first data amount is the amount of data that the first input device requests the first device to receive information.

[0186] A bandwidth allocation module is used to allocate bandwidth to each of the multiple devices based on a first data volume and an indication information of a first input device.

[0187] The second counting update module is used to increase the number of second time slots corresponding to the first entry device based on the first data volume and the indication information of the first entry device.

[0188] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0189] The second counting update module is used to reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first entry device after the third sending module performs the step of sending the second time slot allocation response to the first entry device.

[0190] Optionally, the first device 700 further includes:

[0191] The third receiving module is used to receive the second receiving response sent by the first input device through the second electrical switch;

[0192] The second counting update module is used to reduce the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device in response to the second receiving response.

[0193] Optionally, the plurality of electrical switches correspond one-to-one with the plurality of optical switches, and each electrical switch is used to transmit time slot allocation requests and time slot allocation responses for the corresponding optical switch.

[0194] Optionally, the plurality of devices may be a plurality of electrical devices.

[0195] In this embodiment, as the amount of information to be transmitted in the network increases, this solution allocates time slots for information transmission via optical switches using devices in the switching system. This means the time slot allocation function is distributed across all uplink and downlink devices, eliminating the need for a centralized scheduler for the optical switches and reducing the difficulty of centralized time slot allocation. Furthermore, this solution uses electrical switches to transmit requests and responses between devices, achieving efficient transmission of internal requests and responses without occupying optical switches.

[0196] It should be noted that the first device provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules when transmitting information. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the first device provided in the above embodiments and the information transmission method embodiments belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process can be found in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0197] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)). It is worth noting that the computer-readable storage medium mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a non-volatile storage medium; in other words, it can be a non-transient storage medium.

[0198] It should be understood that "at least one" as mentioned herein refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first," "second," etc., are not necessarily different.

[0199] It should be noted that the information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.), data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.), and signals involved in the embodiments of this application are all authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use, and processing of related data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and standards of the relevant countries and regions. For example, the target information and messages involved in the embodiments of this application are all obtained under full authorization.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information, characterized in that, The switching system includes multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches; the method includes: The first device determines at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding exit device to transmit information through the first optical switch; The first device sends a first time slot allocation request to the at least one target device through the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch. The first device and the at least one target device are among the plurality of devices, the first electrical switch is one of the plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches. The first device receives a first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation response is used to indicate a first target time slot. The first device transmits target information to the second device in the first target time slot through the first optical switch, and the second device is one of the at least one target device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the at least one target device is one; The first device determines the at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, including: If only one of the plurality of devices has a first time slot with a number greater than 0, the first device will identify the exit device with a first time slot with a number greater than 0 as the target device. If at least two outgoing devices have a number of first time slots greater than 0, the first device selects one outgoing device from the at least two outgoing devices as the target device based on the uplink scheduling strategy.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The uplink scheduling strategy includes at least one of load conditions, information acquisition order, and information priority.

4. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, After the first device receives the first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch, it further includes: The first device reduces the number of first time slots corresponding to the target device.

5. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the at least one target device is multiple; The first device determines the at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, including: The first device identifies multiple exit devices with a corresponding first time slot number greater than 0 among the multiple devices as multiple target devices.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, After the first device receives the first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch, it further includes: The first device selects one device from the plurality of target devices as the second device; The first device sends a first acceptance response to the second device through the first electrical switch; The first device reduces the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device determines the target number of time slots based on the information to be transmitted, wherein the target number of time slots is the number of time slots required for the information to be transmitted, and the information to be transmitted includes the target information; The first device increases the number of first time slots corresponding to the second device based on the target number of time slots.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: If at least one of the plurality of devices has a second time slot number greater than 0 corresponding to an entry device, the first device determines the first entry device from the plurality of devices, the second time slot number is the number of time slots to be allocated to the corresponding entry device for transmitting information through the second optical switch, and the second optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches; The first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first entry device through the second electrical switch. The second time slot allocation response indicates a second target time slot. The maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted in the second target time slot does not exceed the maximum amount of data allowed to be transmitted by the bandwidth allocated by the first device to the first entry device.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device receives a first bandwidth allocation request sent by the first entry device through the second electrical switch. The first bandwidth allocation request carries a first data amount and indication information of the first entry device. The first data amount is the amount of data that the first entry device requests the first device to receive. Based on the first data volume and the indication information of the first entry device, the first device allocates bandwidth to each entry device among the plurality of devices and increases the number of second time slots corresponding to the first entry device.

10. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, After the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first input device via the second electrical switch, the process further includes: The first device reduces the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device.

11. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, After the first device sends a second time slot allocation response to the first input device via the second electrical switch, the process further includes: The first device receives a second acceptance response sent by the first input device via the second electrical switch; In response to the second receive response, the first device reduces the number of second time slots corresponding to the first input device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The plurality of electrical switches correspond one-to-one with the plurality of optical switches, and each electrical switch is used to transmit time slot allocation requests and time slot allocation responses for the corresponding optical switch.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The multiple devices are multiple electrical devices.

14. A device, characterized in that, The device is the first device among multiple devices included in the switching system, which also includes multiple electrical switches and multiple optical switches. The first device includes: The first determining module is used to determine at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding exit device to transmit information through the first optical switch; A first transmitting module is configured to send a first time slot allocation request to the at least one target device via a first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information via the first optical switch. The at least one target device is one of a plurality of devices, the first electrical switch is one of the plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches. The first receiving module is configured to receive a first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device through the first electrical switch, wherein the first time slot allocation response is used to indicate a first target time slot; An information transmission module is used to transmit target information to a second device in the first target time slot via a first optical switch, wherein the second device is one of the at least one target device.

15. A switching system, characterized in that, The switching system includes multiple devices, multiple electrical switches, and multiple optical switches; The first device is used to determine at least one target device based on the number of first time slots corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, wherein the number of first time slots is the number of time slots to be allocated by the corresponding exit device to transmit information through the first optical switch; A first time slot allocation request is transmitted to a first electrical switch. The first time slot allocation request is used to request the at least one target device to allocate a time slot for transmitting information through the first optical switch. The first device and the at least one target device are devices among a plurality of devices. The first electrical switch is one of the plurality of electrical switches, and the first optical switch is one of the plurality of optical switches. The first electrical switch is used to transmit the first time slot allocation request to the at least one target device, and to transmit the first time slot allocation response sent by the at least one target device to the first device, wherein the first time slot allocation response is used to indicate the first target time slot; The first device is also used to transmit target information to the first optical switch in the first target time slot; The first optical switch is used to transmit the target information to a second device, which is one of the at least one target device.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1-13.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1-13.

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