Dual-port network shunting and standard card compatible device

Abstract

The invention discloses a dual-port network shunting and standard network card compatible device, which comprises a first optical interface, a second optical interface, a first differential driver, a second differential driver, a first high-speed change-over switch, a second high-speed change-over switch and an Ethernet control chip, and the MCU sends a switching signal to the first high-speed change-over switch and the second high-speed change-over switch to switch between a normal function network card mode and a shunt network card mode. The network shunting card based on high-speed signal driving and switching is compatible with a normal function network card, the adopted high-speed change-over switch (MUX) can rapidly and accurately switch signal paths according to actual network requirements under intelligent control of the microcontroller unit (MCU), and seamless switching between a network shunting card mode and a normal function network card mode is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of network interface card (NIC) technology, and more particularly to a dual-port network traffic splitting and standard card compatible device. Background Technology

[0002] In network infrastructure, Bypass network interface cards (NICs) are core components for ensuring the continuity of critical business operations (such as financial transactions and industrial control). Their primary mission is to automatically switch links at the hardware layer when network devices (firewalls, IDS, etc.) fail, ensuring uninterrupted data transmission. The existing technology has the following problems: 1. Traditional optical switches have slow switching speeds (mechanical or MEMS) and suffer from high losses, short lifespans, and high costs; 2. Large switching delays, with optomechanical components experiencing switching delays of 10-50ms, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of data packets per second on 25G links; 3. Optical module insertion / removal lifespan is less than 1000 cycles, with insertion loss fluctuations exceeding ±0.8dB, leading to a surge in maintenance costs; 4. It relies on numerous complex hardware components to achieve its functions, resulting in numerous, large-volume components and difficult maintenance; 5. In the traditional bypass mode, the single loop (SFP+ / SFP28 with one optical port for input and another for output) makes incoming traffic data invisible and unable to reach the NIC main control for data analysis, network security analysis, performance optimization, and other tasks.

[0003] Therefore, existing technologies have shortcomings and need to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art, and to provide a dual-port network bypass card and a normal function network card with the functions of both.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: The present invention provides a dual-port network traffic splitting and standard card compatible device, including: a first optical interface, a second optical interface, a first differential driver, a second differential driver, a first high-speed switch, a second high-speed switch, and an Ethernet control chip; the MCU sends a switching signal to the first high-speed switch and the second high-speed switch to switch between normal function network card mode and traffic splitting network card mode; When switched to normal function network card mode, the first optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent by the first port of the Ethernet control chip passes through the first high-speed switch and is then sent to the first optical interface. The second optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent by the second port of the Ethernet control chip passes through the second high-speed switch and is then sent to the second optical interface. When switching to the split network interface card mode, the first optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip and the second high-speed switch. The second high-speed switch sends the received data to the second optical interface. The second optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip and the first high-speed switch. The first high-speed switch sends the received data to the first optical interface, directly realizing optoelectronic layer loopback detection.

[0006] Furthermore, the methods for setting the working mode are as follows: setting the working mode by default configuring the MCU through the hardware strap; or setting the working mode by sending a command to the MCU through the host computer; or setting the working mode by sending a signal to the MCU through the SDIO port of the Ethernet control chip.

[0007] Furthermore, both the first and second optical interfaces support 1G, 10G, and 25G speeds.

[0008] Furthermore, the differential driver compensates for link loss through programmable gain during operation.

[0009] The beneficial effects of the present invention by adopting the above scheme are as follows: (1) Based on the design of network shunt card and normal function network card compatible with high-speed signal driving and switching, the high-speed switching switch (MUX) adopted can quickly and accurately switch the signal path according to the actual network needs under the intelligent control of the microcontroller unit (MCU), so as to realize the seamless switching between network shunt card mode and normal function network card mode.

[0010] (2) Based on the design of intelligent control and flexible switching mechanism, this solution can be widely used in various complex and ever-changing network environments. It can operate stably and efficiently in both high-speed data exchange scenarios in data centers and diverse business needs scenarios in enterprise networks.

[0011] (3) Traditional optical switching schemes often rely on expensive optical switching equipment, which not only has high hardware costs, but also involves complex optical principles and optical path layouts, increasing the difficulty of system design and maintenance. In stark contrast, this technical solution is based on high-speed signal driving and switching, and utilizes mature electronic components and circuit designs, such as relatively affordable differential drivers and multiplexers, which greatly reduces hardware costs.

[0012] (4) At the same time, its implementation process is mainly based on the processing and control of electronic signals, without the need for complex optical adjustments and maintenance, making the implementation of the entire system simpler and more reliable. This low cost and ease of implementation give this solution a clear cost advantage and promotional value in market competition. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the solution of the present invention in normal network card mode.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of the network card mode in the solution of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0016] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the present invention provides a dual-port network traffic splitting and standard card compatibility device, including: a first optical interface SFP0, a second optical interface SFP1, a first differential driver, a second differential driver, a first high-speed switching switch MUX A, a second high-speed switching switch MUX B, and an Ethernet control chip; the MCU sends a switching signal to the first high-speed switching switch MUX A and the second high-speed switching switch MUX B to switch between normal function network card mode and traffic splitting network card mode.

[0017] Specifically, in this embodiment, both the first optical interface SFP0 and the second optical interface SFP1 support SFP+ and SFP28 packaged optical modules. SFP+ supports 1G / 10G rates, and SFP28 supports 25G rates. Switching between 1G / 10G / 25G rates is achieved by replacing the modules. The first optical interfaces SFP0 and SFP1 are the core hubs for physical layer signal conversion and the main carriers of rate and media flexibility. Their signals connect to the TX / RX differential signals of the Ethernet controller chip. In standard network card mode: the SFP+ / SFP28 optical modules convert the received optical signals into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the Ethernet controller chip via a high-speed switch. After processing, the signals are sent to the peer module by the differential driver. In monitoring offloading mode, the TX channel of the Ethernet controller chip is disabled. The TX signal from the SFP module loops back to the RX port of the other port through the MUX, directly achieving optoelectronic layer loopback detection.

[0018] In this solution, the first differential driver (1:2 differential driver) and the second differential driver (1:2 differential driver) undertake three core functions: signal link power amplification, integrity optimization, and mode switching management. In 25Gbps high-speed signal transmission, PCB traces, connectors, and optical module interfaces introduce insertion loss (typically >3dB), leading to signal amplitude attenuation. The differential driver compensates for link loss through programmable gain (20-24dB), ensuring that the signal amplitude at the optical module receiver meets protocol standards. Through dynamic gain control and equalization technology, it significantly improves the reliability and transmission distance of the 25Gbps high-speed link without increasing hardware complexity, serving as a key foundation for supporting the high-performance operation of dual-mode network cards.

[0019] In this scheme, the core function of the first high-speed switching switch MUX A and the second high-speed switching switch MUX B is to select one of the multiple input signals to transmit to the output terminal through a control signal, or to dynamically distribute the input signals among multiple output terminals. Under the control of the MCU, it switches to channel 0 or channel 1.

[0020] In this solution, the MCU's operating mode is set in the following ways: by configuring the MCU via the hardware strap; by sending a command to the MCU from the host computer; or by sending a signal to the MCU via the SDIO port of the Ethernet control chip.

[0021] In this scheme, when switching to normal function network card mode, the first optical interface SFP0 receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent by the first port of the Ethernet control chip is sent to the first optical interface SFP0 after passing through the first high-speed switch MUX A. The second optical interface SFP1 receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent by the second port of the Ethernet control chip is sent to the second optical interface SFP1 after passing through the second high-speed switch MUX B.

[0022] When switching to the split network interface card (NIC) mode, the first optical interface SFP0 receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver then sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip and the second high-speed switch MUX B. The second high-speed switch MUX B sends the received data to the second optical interface SFP1. The second optical interface SFP1 receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver then sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip and the first high-speed switch MUX A. The first high-speed switch MUX A sends the received data to the first optical interface SFP0, directly realizing optoelectronic layer loopback detection.

[0023] In summary, the beneficial effects of this solution are as follows: (1) Based on the design of a network off-line card and a normal function network card that are compatible with high-speed signal driving and switching, the high-speed switching switch (MUX) adopted, under the intelligent control of the microcontroller unit (MCU), can quickly and accurately switch the signal path according to the actual network requirements, so as to achieve seamless switching between the network off-line card mode and the normal function network card mode.

[0024] (2) Based on the design of intelligent control and flexible switching mechanism, this solution can be widely used in various complex and ever-changing network environments. It can operate stably and efficiently in both high-speed data exchange scenarios in data centers and diverse business needs scenarios in enterprise networks.

[0025] (3) Traditional optical switching schemes often rely on expensive optical switching equipment, which not only has high hardware costs, but also involves complex optical principles and optical path layouts, increasing the difficulty of system design and maintenance. In stark contrast, this technical solution is based on high-speed signal driving and switching, and utilizes mature electronic components and circuit designs, such as relatively affordable differential drivers and multiplexers, which greatly reduces hardware costs.

[0026] (4) At the same time, its implementation process is mainly based on the processing and control of electronic signals, without the need for complex optical adjustments and maintenance, making the implementation of the entire system simpler and more reliable. This low cost and ease of implementation give this solution a clear cost advantage and promotional value in market competition.

[0027] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dual-port network traffic splitting and standard network card compatible device, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a first optical interface, a second optical interface, a first differential driver, a second differential driver, a first high-speed switch, a second high-speed switch, and an Ethernet control chip. The MCU sends a switching signal to the first high-speed switching switch and the second high-speed switching switch to switch between normal function network card mode and traffic splitting network card mode; When switching to normal function network card mode, the first optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver then sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent from the first port of the Ethernet control chip passes through the first high-speed switch and is then sent to the first optical interface. The second optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver then sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip. The data sent from the second port of the Ethernet control chip passes through the second high-speed switch and is then sent to the second optical interface. When switching to traffic splitting network card mode, the first optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the first differential driver. The first differential driver then sends the received data to the first port of the Ethernet control chip and the second high-speed switch. The second high-speed switch sends the received data to the second optical interface. The second optical interface receives external data and sends the data to the second differential driver. The second differential driver then sends the received data to the second port of the Ethernet control chip and the first high-speed switch. The first high-speed switch sends the received data to the first optical interface, directly realizing optoelectronic layer loopback detection.

2. The dual-port network traffic splitting and standard network card compatibility device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The methods for setting the working mode are as follows: setting the working mode through the default configuration of the MCU via the hardware strap; setting the working mode by sending a command to the MCU via the host computer; or setting the working mode by sending a signal to the MCU via the SDIO port of the Ethernet control chip.

3. The dual-port network traffic splitting and standard network card compatibility device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Both the first and second optical interfaces support 1G, 10G and 25G speeds.

4. The dual-port network traffic splitting and standard network card compatibility device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The differential driver compensates for link loss through programmable gain during operation.

Images