An ethernet switch supporting cable detection

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of switch, concretely is a kind of ethernet switch of supporting cable detection, including body and built-in main control module, cable detection module, display module and communication module;Cable detection module passes through the standard network port of switch, utilizes time domain reflection technology to launch detection signal to connected network cable and analyzes reflection signal, to obtain the on-off state of network cable each wire pair, length, attenuation, impedance, reflectivity, time delay deviation and other electrical characteristic parameters, and can automatically identify cable type, detection result can be carried out local viewing through the display module integrated in front panel, simultaneously can be uploaded to remote network management system through the communication module of supporting SNMP protocol;Main control module is responsible for coordinating each module work.The utility model will cable diagnosis function depth integration, solved the problem that existing switch cannot directly carry out physical layer fault diagnosis, rely on external equipment, operation is complicated and the problem of low efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of switch technology, specifically an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection. Background Technology

[0002] Ethernet switches, as core connection devices in local area networks (LANs), are widely used in enterprises, campuses, and data centers. In network construction and routine maintenance, physical layer cable failures are one of the most common problems. For example, cable short circuits, open circuits, abnormal impedance, and excessive bending can lead to performance degradation.

[0003] Currently, diagnosing such problems mainly relies on maintenance personnel using dedicated, external cable testers or certifiers. This method has significant drawbacks: firstly, maintenance personnel need to bring the equipment to the site and perform plug-and-play tests on each suspected cable, which is cumbersome and inefficient; Secondly, external testers are usually expensive and have limited functionality, which increases maintenance costs. Furthermore, testing often requires interrupting normal network communication, which affects business continuity.

[0004] In existing technologies, although some network devices attempt to integrate simple link connectivity indication functions (such as port indicator lights), they can only provide the most basic "connected" or "disconnected" status, and cannot accurately locate the fault point, nor can they assess the electrical performance quality of the cable (such as attenuation, impedance matching, etc.), thus providing limited help for diagnosing complex cabling faults.

[0005] In view of this, this application proposes an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection, so as to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection, comprising a switch body, wherein the switch body has a built-in main control module, a cable detection module, a display module and a communication module; The cable detection module is electrically connected to the standard network port of the switch body. It is used to send detection signals to the connected network cable through the network port and analyze the reflected signals based on the time domain reflection principle to obtain the electrical characteristic parameters of the network cable. The display module, located on the front panel of the switch body and connected to the main control module, is used to display the detection results of the cable detection module. The communication module, connected to the main control module, is used to send the detection results to the remote network management system; The main control module is connected to the cable detection module, display module, and communication module respectively, and is used to coordinate and control the workflow and data exchange of each module.

[0008] As a further embodiment of this invention, the cable detection module is integrated into a dedicated integrated circuit or field-programmable gate array in the switch body and works in conjunction with the switching chip.

[0009] As a further aspect of this utility model, the electrical characteristic parameters acquired by the cable detection module include at least one of the following: the on / off state of each wire pair of the network cable, cable length, signal attenuation, characteristic impedance, reflectivity, and transmission delay deviation between each wire pair.

[0010] As a further aspect of this invention, the cable detection module can also automatically identify and determine the type of the connected network cable based on the acquired electrical characteristic parameters.

[0011] As a further embodiment of this utility model: the display module is a liquid crystal display screen or a digital tube display screen, which is embedded next to the port status indicator light on the front panel of the switch body.

[0012] As a further aspect of this invention: the communication module supports the SNMP protocol, enabling the remote network management system to remotely initiate cable detection commands and receive detection result data.

[0013] As a further improvement of this utility model, the main control module is configured to respond to instructions issued by the user via a local button or a remote network management system, initiate a cable detection task for a specified port, and send the detection results to the display module and the communication module respectively.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: by integrating the cable testing function into the switch, users do not need to purchase, carry and store expensive external cable testers, which significantly reduces the purchase cost and maintenance complexity of operation and maintenance tools. By directly testing through the service ports of the switch, real-time "health checks" of on-network cables can be achieved without unplugging or plugging cables or interrupting normal network communication, which greatly improves operation and maintenance efficiency and ensures business continuity. By using TDR technology, we can not only determine cable continuity, but also accurately measure length, locate fault points, and analyze various key electrical parameters such as signal attenuation, characteristic impedance, and time delay deviation, providing accurate and comprehensive data support for rapid repair. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an architecture diagram of an Ethernet switch that supports cable detection.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cable testing process for an Ethernet switch that supports cable testing.

[0018] The components include: switch body 1, main control module 10, cable detection module 20, display module 30, and communication module 40. Detailed Implementation

[0019] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0020] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0021] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0022] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] Please see Figures 1-3 An Ethernet switch that supports cable detection includes a switch body 1, which has a built-in main control module 10, a cable detection module 20, a display module 30 and a communication module 40. The cable detection module 20 is electrically connected to the standard network port of the switch body 1. It is used to transmit detection signals to the connected network cable through the network port and analyze the reflected signals based on the time domain reflection principle to obtain the electrical characteristic parameters of the network cable. Specifically, the workflow based on the time-domain reflection principle is as follows: a high-speed electrical pulse or step signal of known shape is generated and injected into the network cable under test through the port. The signal propagates along the network cable, and when it encounters a point of impedance discontinuity (such as a break, short circuit, poor connection point, or cable end), some of the energy is reflected back. At the same time, the high-precision signal acquisition circuit inside the cable detection module 20 captures this reflected signal and calculates various electrical characteristic parameters by analyzing its amplitude, waveform, and time delay relative to the transmitted signal through a built-in dedicated algorithm. Preferably, the electrical characteristic parameters include, but are not limited to: Used to determine the continuity status of a cable, whether it is normally connected, completely open, or short-circuited between wires; calculate the cable length based on the time difference between signal transmission and reflected echo and the speed of signal propagation in the cable (NVP); evaluate the energy loss of the signal during transmission; reflect the signal attenuation parameter that reflects the transmission performance of the cable; measure the characteristic impedance of the cable to determine whether it deviates from the standard value; quantify the degree of impedance mismatch using reflectivity; and compare the transmission delay deviation between the signal transmission delay difference between each pair of wires in the network cable. In one embodiment of this utility model, the cable detection module 20 can compare the set of electrical characteristic parameters measured above with the built-in standard parameter database for different types of cables (such as Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A, etc.), automatically identify and determine the type of the connected network cable, and indicate it in the result display; Specifically, the cable detection module 20 is integrated into the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) of the switch body 1 to achieve optimal performance and cost; it can also be integrated into a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to provide design flexibility and scalability. It works in conjunction with the original switching chip of the switch, sharing port physical layer resources, but executes independent detection logic.

[0024] The display module 30 is disposed on the front panel of the switch body 1 and connected to the main control module 10, and is used to display the detection results of the cable detection module 20; Display module 30 provides an intuitive local human-computer interaction interface; Preferably, the display module 30 uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a digital tube display (LED), which is embedded next to the port status indicator lights on the front panel of the switch body 1, ensuring that maintenance personnel can directly associate the port with the corresponding cable test results. The display module 30 is used to display the test results of the cable test module 20 in real time. The content can range from simple status prompts (such as "OK", "Open", "Short") to more detailed parameter lists (such as "Port 1: Cat6, 45.2m, Impedance: 102Ω"), which facilitates on-site maintenance personnel to quickly diagnose faults without relying on any external equipment.

[0025] The communication module 40 is connected to the main control module 10 and is used to send the detection results to the remote network management system. Specifically, the communication module 40 supports SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), ensuring that network administrators can issue cable detection commands to switches (acting as SNMP agents) through the SNMP manager in the network management center and receive the returned structured detection result data. This enables centralized cable health monitoring, historical data recording, and fault alarms for distributed switches, greatly improving the efficiency and automation level of operation and maintenance management.

[0026] The main control module 10 is connected to the cable detection module 20, the display module 30 and the communication module 40 respectively, and is used to coordinate and control the workflow and data exchange of each module.

[0027] Specifically, the main control module 10 receives remote instructions from the local interface or through the communication module 40, parses them, and issues a detection task for a specific port to the cable detection module 20. After the detection is completed, it receives and processes the raw data from the cable detection module 20, converts it into readable detection results, and synchronously distributes them to the display module 30 for local display and to the communication module 40 for remote reporting. Secondly, the main control module 10 is also responsible for managing the resource scheduling of detection tasks and normal data exchange tasks, ensuring that the two do not interfere with each other, or using extremely short test slots during detection to minimize the impact on network performance.

[0028] In one embodiment of this utility model, inside the switch body 1, the main control module 10 serves as the system's central dispatch center. It is bidirectionally connected to the cable detection module 20, display module 30, communication module 40, and conventional switching chip via an internal data / control bus. The cable detection module 20 serves as a functional extension, tightly integrated into the hardware layer, and interacts directly with the physical network port. In terms of actual product form, the front panel of the switch body 1 has multiple network ports. Each port is equipped with a traditional link / activity status indicator light. An LCD screen is also added to this structure. The screen displays the basic status of each port in a cycle, or displays a detailed cable test report for that port after the user selects a specific port through the panel buttons. It should be noted that the main control module 10 has two triggering modes: Local triggering: When maintenance personnel are on-site at the equipment site, they can select the target port by pressing the function selection button on the front panel. The main control module 10 will then start the cable detection task for that port.

[0029] Remote triggering: The network administrator sends an SNMP Set request through the network management system (NMS). The command is received by the communication module 40 and passed to the main control module 10. After parsing, the main control module 10 also starts the detection of the specified port.

[0030] The detection process is completed independently by the cable detection module 20, and the result data is reported to the main control module 10. After the main control module 10 formats the data, it performs two actions in parallel: first, it drives the display module 30 to update the interface and present the detection results; second, it actively pushes or waits for queries to report the complete diagnostic report to the remote network management system through the communication module 40 in the form of SNMP Trap or Get-Response.

[0031] The working principle of this utility model is as follows: First stage: Triggering: When it is necessary to test the connection cable of a certain port, it can be triggered in two ways: Local trigger: When maintenance personnel are on-site at the switch, they select the target port by pressing the function button on the front panel, and the main control module 10 receives this local instruction.

[0032] Remote triggering: The network administrator sends a detection command for a specific port to the communication module 40 of the switch via the Network Management System (NMS) and the SNMP protocol. After receiving the command, the communication module 40 forwards it to the main control module 10. The main control module 10 parses the received command and confirms the target port that needs to be detected.

[0033] Second stage: Signal detection and data analysis; The main control module 10 then schedules the cable detection module 20 to start detection on the designated port. The cable detection module 20 generates a high-speed electrical pulse or step signal of known shape and injects it into the connected network cable through the physical layer circuit of the port.

[0034] The detection signal propagates along the network cable. When it encounters a point of impedance discontinuity (such as a break, short circuit, poor connection, or cable end), some of the energy is reflected. The high-precision acquisition circuit inside the cable detection module 20 simultaneously captures this reflected signal. Subsequently, the module's built-in dedicated algorithm analyzes the amplitude, waveform, and time delay of the reflected signal relative to the transmitted signal.

[0035] Based on the principle of time-domain reflection, the module calculates a series of electrical characteristic parameters of the cable, including its continuity, fault location, length, signal attenuation, characteristic impedance, reflectivity, and transmission delay deviation between each wire pair. Simultaneously, the module compares the measured parameter set with its built-in cable standard parameter database to automatically determine and identify the cable type. The third stage: Result processing and output. The cable detection module 20 reports the calculated raw detection data to the main control module 10. The main control module 10 integrates and formats this data, converting it into easily readable and displayable detection results. Afterward, the main control module 10 executes two output actions in parallel: Local display: The main control module 10 drives the display module 30 on the front panel to update the interface to present the detection results of the port. The results can be viewed in real time by the on-site personnel through concise status prompts.

[0036] Remote reporting: The main control module 10 sends the structured and complete detection report data to the remote network management system through the communication module 40 in the form of SNMPTrap (active reporting) or Get-Request (query return).

[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection, comprising a switch body (1), characterized in that, The switch body (1) has a built-in main control module (10), a cable detection module (20), a display module (30) and a communication module (40). The cable detection module (20) is electrically connected to the standard network port of the switch body (1) and is used to transmit detection signals to the connected network cable through the network port and analyze the reflected signals based on the time domain reflection principle to obtain the electrical characteristic parameters of the network cable. The display module (30) is disposed on the front panel of the switch body (1) and connected to the main control module (10) for displaying the detection results of the cable detection module (20); The communication module (40) is connected to the main control module (10) and is used to send the detection results to the remote network management system; The main control module (10) is connected to the cable detection module (20), the display module (30) and the communication module (40) respectively, and is used to coordinate and control the workflow and data exchange of each module.

2. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cable detection module (20) is integrated into the dedicated integrated circuit or field programmable gate array of the switch body (1) and works in conjunction with the switching chip.

3. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The electrical characteristic parameters acquired by the cable detection module (20) include at least one of the following: the on / off state of each wire pair of the network cable, cable length, signal attenuation, characteristic impedance, reflectivity, and transmission delay deviation between each wire pair.

4. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cable detection module (20) can also automatically identify and determine the type of the connected network cable based on the obtained electrical characteristic parameters.

5. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display module (30) is a liquid crystal display screen or a digital tube display screen, which is embedded next to the port status indicator light on the front panel of the switch body (1).

6. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication module (40) supports the SNMP protocol, enabling the remote network management system to remotely initiate cable detection commands and receive detection result data.

7. An Ethernet switch supporting cable detection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control module (10) is configured to initiate a cable detection task for a specified port in response to a user’s instruction via a local button or a remote network management system, and send the detection results to the display module (30) and the communication module (40) respectively.

Images