COMMUNICATION METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communication and discloses a communication method, an apparatus and a system, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The method includes obtaining a data stream, the data stream includes an AM group, the AM group includes a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs includes a first AM, the first AM includes a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion includes a part or all of a first information, the first information is used to indicate a specific function, and the first boundary portion is used to determine a position of the first AM in the data stream, and transmitting the data stream. The present application can provide a new method for transmitting information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to communications methods, apparatus and systems, storage media, and computer program products. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, the speed of a high-speed Ethernet interface is much faster than that of a single lane. To meet the speed of the high-speed Ethernet interface, multiple lanes are used to transmit in parallel the data stream sent through the high-speed Ethernet interface.

[0003] For example, it is assumed that the speed of the high-speed Ethernet interface is 400G / s and the speed of the single lane is 25G / s. In this case, 16 lanes are required to transmit in parallel the data stream sent through the high-speed Ethernet interface. Specifically, the data stream is split into 16 sub-data streams on the high-speed Ethernet interface, and the 16 sub-data streams are transmitted.

[0004] In the course of implementing this application, the inventors have found that the current technology has at least the following shortcomings:

[0005] The above solutions for transmitting parallel data streams have a number of drawbacks, for example they are not suitable for transmitting information that has relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability, so new methods for transmitting information are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, an apparatus and system, a storage medium, and a computer program product to provide a new way for transmitting information. The technical solutions are described below.

[0007] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, the method comprising obtaining a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker. ( AM ) the AM group includes a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs includes a first AM, the first AM includes a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion includes some or all of first information, the first information is used to indicate a particular function, and the first boundary portion is used to determine a position of the first AM within the data stream; and transmitting the data stream.

[0008] For each of the AMs in the AM group, the receiver of the data stream does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each of the AMs, and the pad information is useless information to the receiver. Therefore, when the data stream is transmitted, the pad information included in the first padding portion of the first AM in the AM group may be replaced with the first information or a part of the content of the first information, so that the first padding portion contains the first information or a part of the content of the first information. In this way, when receiving the data stream, the receiver obtains the first information in the AM group, and a new method of transmitting information is thereby implemented. Since the first information is transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM, the receiver performs a certain function based on the first information and does not have any effect on the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information, and the waste of bandwidth resource is reduced. Moreover, in the data stream, since the AMs are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, that is, the AMs in the data stream are transmitted periodically, the time of transmitting the AMs is stable. In this way, information with relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0009] In a possible implementation, there are a plurality of acquired data streams, each of which corresponds to one or more AMs in an AM group, and each of which includes one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams. The one or more AMs corresponding to the data streams are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals. Therefore, by including the first information in an AM in the AM group, information having relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability can be transmitted.

[0010] In another possible implementation, the first information is associated with the first data stream, the multiple data streams include the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream. Since the first information is associated with the first data stream, the first information is carried in the AM in the first data stream. In this way, a recipient can obtain the first information in the AM in the first data stream and then know that the first information is associated with the first data stream, thereby allowing the recipient to more easily identify and parse the first information.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the multiple data streams include M data streams, an AM in the M data streams includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the M data streams, where M is an integer greater than 0. In this way, the padding portion of the multiple AMs may be used to include the first information and may be used to transmit the first information having a relatively large amount of data, so that the bandwidth resources of the padding portion of the multiple AMs are appropriately used.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, m being an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information. The m first fields include m first sub-information and the m second fields include m second sub-information. The m first fields are fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields are fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M-1, j=1, 2,..., or N, N being the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive sub-information included in the first information.

[0013] That is, each AM of the data stream is used to include the first information in a specified order, and the specified order is such that for each j-th AM of the data stream, the j-th AM in the first data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information, the j-th AM in the second data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information, ... and the j-th AM in the M-th data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information. That is, the first information is included in a specified order. In this way, it is convenient for the receiver to obtain different parts of the content of the first information in different AMs and to combine the different parts of the content into the first information.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include the n-th field of the j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2,..., or m, and the first information includes M sub-information. That is, each AM of the data stream is used to include the first information in a specified order, and the specified order is such that for the j-th AM in the M data streams, i.e., the M j-th AM, the first field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive sub-information in the first information, the second field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive information in the first information,..., and the m-th field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive sub-information in the first information. That is, the first information is included in a specified order. In this way, it is convenient for the receiver to obtain different parts of the content of the first information in different AMs and to combine the different parts of the content into the first information.

[0015] In another possible implementation, the m fields in each padding portion of the AM include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad. Since the padding information included in UP and Pad is not used by the recipient, the padding information included in UP and / or Pad is replaced with first information, so that UP and / or Pad include the first information used to indicate a specific function, and resources are appropriately used to transmit information useful to the recipient.

[0016] In another possible implementation, an AM group is obtained. The AM group includes a first AM, and a first padding portion of the first AM includes the first information or a part of the first information. The AM group is inserted into a second data stream to obtain a data stream. In this way, it is ensured that the AM group includes the first information.

[0017] In another possible implementation, if an AM group is inserted into the data stream and the inserted AM group contains a first AM, the content carried in the first padding part of the first AM in the data stream is replaced with the first information or said part of the first information, in this way it is ensured that the AM group contains the first information.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the first AM further includes a first identification portion, which is used to indicate the data stream corresponding to the first AM. In this way, different data streams are distinguished by using the first identification portion.

[0019] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, the method comprising: receiving a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker; ( AM ) the AM group includes a first AM, the AM group includes a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs includes a first AM, the first AM includes a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion includes some or all of the first information, the first information is used to indicate a particular function, and the first boundary portion is used to determine a position of the first AM in the data stream; and obtaining the first information in the AM group.

[0020] For each of the AMs in the AM group, the receiver of the data stream does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each of the AMs, and the pad information is useless information to the receiver. Therefore, in the data stream, the pad information included in the first padding portion of the first AM in the AM group may be replaced with the first information or a part of the content of the first information, so that the first padding portion contains the first information or a part of the content of the first information. In this way, when the data stream is received, the first information in the AM group is obtained, and a new method of transmitting information is thereby implemented. Since the padding portion of the AM is used to contain the first information, a certain function is performed based on the first information after the data stream is received without any effect on the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information, and the waste of bandwidth resource is reduced. Moreover, in the data stream, the AMs are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, that is, the sender periodically transmits the AMs in the data stream, so that the time of transmitting the AMs is stable. In this way, information with relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0021] In a possible implementation, there are a plurality of received data streams, each of which corresponds to one or more AMs in an AM group, and each of which includes one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams. The one or more AMs corresponding to the data streams are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals. Therefore, by including the first information in an AM in the AM group, information having a relatively high requirement for time stability and reliability can be transmitted.

[0022] In another possible implementation, the first information is associated with the first data stream, the plurality of data streams includes the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream. Since the first information is associated with the first data stream, the first information is carried in the AM in the first data stream. In this manner, the first information in the AM in the first data stream is obtained, and then it can be known that the first information is associated with the first data stream to more easily identify and parse the first information.

[0023] In another possible implementation, the multiple data streams include M data streams, an AM in the M data streams includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the M data streams, where M is an integer greater than 0. In this way, the padding portion of the multiple AMs may be used to include the first information and may be used to transmit the first information having a relatively large amount of data, so that the bandwidth resources of the padding portion of the multiple AMs are appropriately used.

[0024] In another possible implementation, the padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, m being an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information. The m first fields include m first sub-information and the m second fields include m second sub-information. The m first fields are fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields are fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M-1, j=1, 2,..., or N, N being the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive sub-information included in the first information.

[0025] That is, each AM of the data stream is used to include the first information in a specified order, and the specified order is such that for each j-th AM of the data stream, the j-th AM in the first data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information, the j-th AM in the second data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information, ... and the j-th AM in the M-th data stream is used to include m consecutive sub-information in the first information. That is, the first information is included in a specified order. In this way, it is convenient for the receiver to obtain different parts of the content of the first information in different AMs and to combine the different parts of the content into the first information.

[0026] In another possible implementation, the M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include the n-th field of the j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2,..., or m, and the first information includes M sub-information. That is, each AM of the data stream is used to include the first information in a specified order, and the specified order is such that for the j-th AM in the M data streams, i.e., the M j-th AM, the first field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive sub-information in the first information, the second field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive information in the first information,..., and the m-th field of the M j-th AM is used to include the M consecutive sub-information in the first information. That is, the first information is included in a specified order. In this way, it is convenient for the receiver to obtain different parts of the content of the first information in different AMs and to combine the different parts of the content into the first information.

[0027] In another possible implementation, the m fields in each padding portion of the AM include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad. Since the padding information included in UP and Pad is not used by the recipient, the padding information included in UP and / or Pad is replaced with first information, so that UP and / or Pad include the first information used to indicate a specific function, and resources are appropriately used to transmit information useful to the recipient.

[0028] In another possible implementation, after the multiple data streams are sorted, the first information in the AM group in the multiple sorted data streams is obtained. Because the first information is obtained in the AM group in the sorted data stream, that is, the first information can be obtained before decoding, when transmitting the first information, the sender does not need to perform FEC encoding on the first information, and the computational resources used by the sender can be reduced.

[0029] In another possible implementation, when at least one first data block and at least one second data block are obtained by decoding a plurality of sorted data streams, the first information is obtained in at least one first data block and at least one second data block, where at least one first data block and at least one second data block jointly include the first information. Because the first information is obtained in the decoded data block, that is, the first information can be obtained after decoding, when transmitting the first information, the sender may perform FEC encoding on the first information, so that the first information with a relatively high security requirement can be transmitted.

[0030] In another possible implementation, the first information is obtained in an AM group in one data stream when at least one first data block and at least one second data block are interleaved to obtain a data stream. Because the first information is obtained in an AM group in the data stream obtained by interleaving, that is, the first information can be obtained after decoding, when sending the first information, the sender may perform FEC encoding on the first information, so that the first information with a relatively high security requirement can be transmitted.

[0031] In another possible implementation, the first AM further comprises a first identification portion, the first identification portion being used to indicate the data stream that comprises the first AM. In this way, different data streams are distinguished by using the first identification portion.

[0032] According to a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect. In particular, the device includes a unit configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device configured to perform the method according to the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect. In particular, the device includes a unit configured to perform the method according to the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0034] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the device comprising a processor and a computer program, the processor being configured to execute the computer program, such that the device completes a method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0035] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the device comprising a processor and a computer program, the processor being configured to execute the computer program, such that the device completes a method according to the second aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0036] According to a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, the computer program being loaded by a computer to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, possible implementations of the first aspect, or possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0037] According to an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium configured to store a computer program, the computer program being loaded by a processor to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, possible implementations of the first aspect, or possible implementations of the second aspect.

[0038] According to a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip including a processor. The processor is configured to execute computer instructions to perform a method according to any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, possible implementations of the first aspect, or possible implementations of the second aspect. The computer instructions may be in a memory within the processor or in an external memory.

[0039] According to a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communications system comprising an apparatus according to the third aspect and / or an element according to the fourth aspect, or comprising an apparatus according to the fifth aspect and / or an apparatus according to the sixth aspect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application; [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first device and a second device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an alignment marker (AM) set according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an AM set including eight AMs according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an AM set including 16 AMs according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of replacing the content of a padding portion with first information according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of replacing the content of the padding portion with the first information according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of at least one AM including first information according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of at least one AM including first information according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of at least one AM including first information according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 13] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating acquisition of first information according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 14] 11 is another schematic diagram of acquisition of first information according to the embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is another schematic diagram of acquisition of first information according to the embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 19]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] Embodiments of the present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0042] Please refer to Fig. 1. The embodiment of the present application provides a network architecture including a first device 101 and a second device 102, in which the first device 101 communicates with the second device 102. Specifically, the first device 101 communicates with the second device 102 by using an Ethernet interface, respectively.

[0043] Optionally, there are X physical channels between the first device 101 and the second device 102 to implement communication between the first device 101 and the second device 102, where X is an integer greater than 0. Obviously, there are other ways for communication between the first device 101 and the second device 102, which will not be described here. The X physical channels may be between one or more Ethernet interfaces of the first device 101 and one or more Ethernet interfaces of the second device 102.

[0044] Please refer to FIG. 2. For any one of the first device 101 and the second device 102, the device includes a reconciliation sublayer and an Ethernet physical layer. The Ethernet physical layer includes a physical coding sublayer (PCS), a physical medium attachment (PMA) layer, and a physical media dependent (PMD) layer. The PCS defines Z PCS lanes. The Z PCS lanes are in one-to-one correspondence with the Z alignment markers (AM), and the Z PCS lanes are virtual lanes. Z is an integer greater than 0, and Z is an integer multiple of X, for example, Z=2×X or 4×X.

[0045] For example, see Fig. 2. A first device 101 includes a first arbitration sublayer and an Ethernet physical layer, and the Ethernet physical layer of the first device 101 includes a first PCS, a first PMA layer, and a first PMD layer. A second device 102 includes a second arbitration sublayer and an Ethernet physical layer, and the Ethernet physical layer of the second device 102 includes a second PCS, a second PMA layer, and a first PMD layer. layer , and a second PMD layer, where the first PCS defines Z PCS lanes and the second PCS also defines Z PCS lanes, and the ordering among the Z PCS lanes in the first PCS is the same as the ordering among the Z PCS lanes in the second PCS.

[0046] The first device 101 may transmit a data stream to the second device 102. The process of transmitting the data stream may be as follows.

[0047] For a target data stream that needs to be transmitted in the first arbitration sublayer, the first device 101 inserts an AM set into the target data stream in the first PCS, where the AM set includes Z AMs. The data stream with the AM set inserted is divided into Z data streams. The Z data streams are in one-to-one correspondence with the Z AMs, each of the data streams includes an AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and each of the data streams corresponds to a PCS lane corresponding to a padding portion of the AM in each of the data streams, so that the Z data streams are also in one-to-one correspondence with the Z PCS lanes. The Z data streams are input in parallel to the first PMA layer, and the position of each of the data streams in the order corresponds to the position of the PCS lane in the order corresponding to each of the data streams. In the first PMA layer, the Z data streams are combined into X data streams, and the X data streams are input to the first PMD layer. In the first PMD layer, the X data streams are transmitted to the second device 102 through X physical channels. In addition to the above combining operations performed on the Z data streams, other operations may also be performed in the first PMA layer, which will not be described one by one here.

[0048] In the second PMD layer, the second device 102 receives X data streams on X physical channels and inputs the X data streams to the second PMA layer. In the second PMA layer, the Z data streams are restored based on the X data streams, and the Z data streams are input to the second PCS. In the second PCS, the AMs included in each data stream in the Z data streams are determined, the Z data streams are aligned based on the padding parts of the AMs included in each of the data streams, and the PCS lanes corresponding to each of the data streams are determined based on the AMs included in each of the data streams. The Z aligned data streams are sorted based on the PCS lanes corresponding to each of the data streams, where the positions of each of the data streams in the order are the same as the positions of the PCS lanes in the order corresponding to each of the data streams. The sorted Z data streams are combined into one data stream, the AM set is removed from the combined data stream, the target data stream is restored based on the data stream from which the AM set is removed, and the target data stream is input to the second arbitration sublayer.

[0049] See Figure 3. For each data stream in the Z data streams, one or more AMs are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, and each AM in the data stream belongs to a different AM set. For each AM in the data stream, the AM includes a boundary portion, an identification portion, and a padding portion. The boundary portion is used to determine the location of the AM in the data stream, the identification portion is used to indicate the PCS lane corresponding to the AM, and the padding portion is used to carry pad information.

[0050] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, for data stream 1, 21 , and A.M. 23 are distributed in data stream 1 at regular intervals, where AM11, AM 21 , and A.M. 23belong to AM Set 1, AM Set 2, and AM Set 3, respectively. AM12, AM22, and AM32 are distributed in data stream 2 at regular intervals, and AM12, AM22, and AM32 belong to AM Set 1, AM Set 2, and AM Set 3, respectively. AM1Z, AM2Z, and AM3Z are distributed in data stream Z at regular intervals, and AM1Z, AM2Z, and AM3Z belong to AM Set 1, AM Set 2, and AM Set 3, respectively.

[0051] Thus, for the second device 102 and each data stream in the Z data streams, in the second PCS, the second device 102 determines the location of each AM of the data stream by identifying the boundary portion included in each AM of the data stream to obtain each AM of the data stream. The time span for obtaining each AM of the data stream is relatively short, and there is a large amount of other data between two adjacent AMs in each data stream. Therefore, all AMs obtained within the time span belong to the same AM set, and in this case, the PCS lane corresponding to each data stream is determined based on the identifying portion included in each AM of the data stream.

[0052] Optionally, for each of the AMs in the AM set, the boundary portion of the AM includes the same bit pattern. The bit pattern is used to determine the location of the AM. Therefore, the second device 102 may determine an AM for each of the Z data streams based on the bit pattern included in the boundary portion of each of the AMs. The bit patterns included in the identification portions of the AMs are different from each other, and the bit patterns included in the identification portions of the AMs correspond to different PCS lanes. Therefore, the second device 102 determines the PCS lane corresponding to each of the data streams based on the bit pattern included in the identification portion of each of the AMs.

[0053] Please refer to the AM set shown in FIG. 4. The AM set includes 8 AMs, i.e., Z=8, and the AM set is a set of AMs corresponding to a 200GbE Ethernet interface. Alternatively, please refer to the AM set shown in FIG. 5. The AM set includes 16 AMs, i.e., Z=16, and the AM set is a set of AMs corresponding to a 400GbE Ethernet interface. Each boundary part of the AM includes six fields, i.e., common marker (CM) 0, CM1, CM2, CM3, CM4, and CM5. Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The CM0 of the AM includes the same bit pattern, the CM1 of the AM includes the same bit pattern, the CM2 of the AM includes the same bit pattern, the CM3 of the AM includes the same bit pattern, the CM4 of the AM includes the same bit pattern, and the CM5 of the AM includes the same bit pattern. In this way, the boundary parts of all the AMs are the same.

[0054] Each identification part of an AM includes six fields, namely, unique marker (UM) 0, UM1, UM2, UM3, UM4, and UM5. See Figures 4 and 5. The bit patterns included in UM0 of an AM are different from each other, the bit patterns included in UM1 of an AM are different from each other, the bit patterns included in UM2 of an AM are different from each other, the bit patterns included in UM3 of an AM are different from each other, the bit patterns included in UM4 of an AM are different from each other, and the bit patterns included in UM5 of an AM are different from each other. Thus, the identification parts of all AMs are different from each other.

[0055] For each AM, the padding portion of the AM includes three padding fields: unique pad (UP) 0, UP1, and UP2. The padding portion of the AM may further include Pad or may not include Pad. For example, see the eight AMs shown in FIG. 4. The first through seventh AMs each include Pad, and the eighth AM does not include Pad. See the sixteen AMs shown in FIG. 5. The first through fourteenth AMs each include Pad, and the fifteenth through sixteenth AMs do not include Pad.

[0056] Optionally, for each of the above AM sets, the size of the AM set is an integer multiple of the specified size. For example, the specified size may be 257 bits, i.e., the size of the AM set is an integer multiple of 257 bits, e.g., 8×257 bits or 16×257 bits.

[0057] The first device 101 performs different processing operations on the target data stream in the first PCS to obtain Z data streams. These processing operations are as follows:

[0058] See Fig. 2. For a target data stream from the first arbitration sublayer, the first device 101 performs encoding and rate matching on the target data stream, transcodes the processed data stream, scrambles the transcoded data stream, inserts an AM set into the scrambled data stream, pre-allocates the data stream with the AM set inserted to obtain first and second data blocks, performs FEC encoding on the first and second data blocks separately to obtain first and second code words, and allocates and interleaves the first and second code words to form Z data streams.

[0059] The second device 102 performs different processing operations on the Z data streams in the second PCS to obtain a target data stream. These processing operations are as follows:

[0060] See FIG. 2. In the case of Z data streams from the second PMA layer, the second device 102 performs alignment lock and deskew on the Z data streams. The alignment lock and deskew process may be as follows: the second device 102 identifies a boundary portion included in each AM of the data stream to obtain each AM of the data stream, and aligns the Z data streams based on the AM included in each data stream. In a scenario that does not include multiple PCS lanes, i.e., Z=1, no deskew operation is required, and the second device 102 identifies a boundary portion included in each AM of the data stream to obtain each AM of the data stream.

[0061] The second device 102 performs lane sorting on the aligned Z data streams. The lane sorting process may be as follows: the second device 102 determines a PCS lane corresponding to each of the data streams based on an identification portion included in the AM of each of the data streams, and sorts the Z data streams based on the PCS lane corresponding to each of the data streams. For the sorted Z data streams, the order among the Z data streams is the same as the order among the Z data streams in the first PCS.

[0062] Then, the second device 102 deinterleaves the sorted Z data streams to obtain the first and second codewords, and performs FEC decoding on the first and second codewords to obtain the first and second data blocks. After FEC decoding, interleaving is performed on the first and second data blocks to obtain one data stream, where the data stream includes the AM set. The AM set is removed from the data stream, the data stream from which the AM set is removed is descrambled, the descrambled data stream is decoded, and the decoded data stream is decoded and rate matched to restore the target data stream.

[0063] In some embodiments, in the process of the second device 102 performing FEC decoding on the first codeword and the second codeword, the second device 102 checks whether there is error information in the first codeword and the second codeword, and if error information is found, the error information may be corrected, or the error information is not corrected.

[0064] From the above process in which the second device 102 processes the Z data streams in the second PCS, it can be seen that the second device 102 does not use the pad information included in each padding portion of the AM. As a result, for the second device 102, the pad information included in each padding portion of the AM is useless information, which causes a waste of network resources. In order to properly use the network resources, the present application provides a new method for transmitting information. For detailed implementation of the method, please refer to the implementation of any one of the following embodiments.

[0065] Please refer to Fig. 6. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method 600. The method 600 is applied to the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The method 600 may be performed by the first device 101 of the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The method 600 includes the following steps:

[0066] Step 601: A first device obtains a data stream, the data stream including an AM group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, and the first information is used to indicate a specific function.

[0067] The first information includes one or more of an initialization vector of a physical layer encryption algorithm, port management information, time synchronization information, etc. The specific function includes one or more of a physical layer encryption function indicated by the initialization vector, a port management function indicated by the port management information, a time synchronization function indicated by the time synchronization information, etc.

[0068] Optionally, the particular function is a function that needs to be performed by a recipient of the first information, where the recipient needs to use the first information to perform one or more functions, in other words, the first information is not useless information.

[0069] Optionally, the first AM further includes a first boundary portion and / or a first identification portion, the first boundary portion being used to determine a location of the first AM within the data stream, and the first identification portion being used to identify a first data stream corresponding to the first AM and / or a PCS lane corresponding to the first AM.

[0070] The first padding portion includes m fields, where m is an integer greater than 0, and the m fields jointly include the content of the first information or a portion of the first information. The m fields may be all or a portion of the fields included in the first padding portion, and the m fields are fields previously agreed upon between the first device and the second device.

[0071] For example, the first padding portion includes three UPs. All or some of the three UPs include the first information or the content of a portion of the first information. Alternatively, the first padding portion may further include Pad. When the first padding portion includes Pad, the first padding portion includes four fields. The four fields include three UPs and Pad, and one or more of the four fields include the first information or the content of a portion of the first information.

[0072] Optionally, for the plurality of AMs in the AM group, there is at least one AM in the plurality of AMs, and the first AM is an AM in the at least one AM, and a padding portion of the at least one AM includes the first information.

[0073] In step 601, a first device may obtain a data stream in the following first or second manner, which will be described below.

[0074] In a first method, a first device obtains an AM group, and a padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group includes first information, and the first device inserts the AM group into a data stream.

[0075] Before the AM group is inserted into the data stream, at least one AM in the AM group already contains the first information, and the data stream is the data stream obtained after the first device performs scrambling with the first PCS.

[0076] See Fig. 2. In the first PCS of the first device, the first device performs encoding and rate matching on the target data stream from the first arbitration sublayer, transcodes the processed data stream, scrambles the transcoded data stream, inserts an AM group containing first information into the scrambled data stream, and then subsequently performs FEC pre-allocation, FEC encoding, allocation and interleaving on the data stream with the AM group inserted to obtain Z data streams, where Z is an integer greater than 0, that is, Z may be 1 or may be greater than 1.

[0077] The operation of the first device for obtaining the AM group may be as follows: the first device generates an AM group, and a padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group includes first information; The first device generates an AM group, wherein a padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group carries pad information, and the first device replaces the content carried in the padding portion of the at least one AM with the first information, such that the padding portion of the at least one AM includes the first information; or The AM group is stored in a first device, and a padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group carries pad information, and the first device locally retrieves the AM group and replaces the content carried in the padding portion of the at least one AM with the first information such that the padding portion of the at least one AM includes the first information.

[0078] In a second method, after inserting the AM group into the data stream, the first device replaces in the data stream the content carried in the padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group with first information such that the padding portion of the at least one AM includes the first information.

[0079] During implementation, for each AM in the at least one AM, for example for the first AM, the first device replaces in the data stream the content carried in the first padding portion of the first AM with the content of the first information or a portion of the first information.

[0080] See Figure 7. After scrambling the data stream with the first PCS of the first device, the first device inserts an AM group into the scrambled data stream, and replaces the content carried in the padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group with first information in the data stream. Then, FEC pre-allocation, FEC encoding, allocation and interleaving are performed on the replaced data stream to form Z data streams.

[0081] Alternatively, see Fig. 8. After scrambling the data stream with the first PCS of the first device, the first device inserts an AM group into the scrambled data stream, and performs FEC pre-allocation, FEC encoding, allocation and interleaving on the data stream with the AM group inserted to form Z data streams, in which the content carried in the padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group is replaced with first information.

[0082] From the above description, it can be seen that the AM group may include the first information before FEC encoding. In this way, the first information may be encoded during FEC encoding, so as to improve the security during the transmission of the first information. Alternatively, the AM group may include the first information after FEC encoding. In this way, FEC encoding does not need to be performed on the first information, thereby reducing the occupied computational resources.

[0083] Optionally, the at least one AM may include the first information in several ways, which are described below.

[0084] Method 1: The padding portion of each AM in the at least one AM includes a different portion of the first information, in other words, the padding portions of the at least one AM jointly include the first information.

[0085] For the padding portion of each AM, for example the first AM, all or part of a field within the first padding portion of the first AM includes the contents of a portion of the first information.

[0086] If at least one AM includes one AM, the AM is a first AM, in which case the first AM carries the entire first information, and the data amount of the first information is equal to or less than the size of the padding portion of the first AM.

[0087] Method 2: At least one AM may be divided into multiple groups. For each AM group, the AM group includes one or more AMs, and the one or more AMs jointly include the first information. In other words, at least one AM includes multiple first information that are the same.

[0088] For example, it is assumed that the at least one AM includes a first AM group and a second AM group. The first AM group includes one or more AMs. The padding portion of each AM in the first AM group includes a different portion of the first information. In other words, the padding portions of the AMs in the first AM group jointly include the first information. The second AM group includes one or more AMs. The padding portion of each AM in the second AM group includes a different portion of the first information. In other words, the padding portions of the AMs in the second AM group jointly include the first information. In this way, the at least one AM includes two of the same first information.

[0089] In the case of the first information having high security requirements, method 2 may be used, i.e. at least one AM is used to contain multiple identical first information. In this way, during the transmission of the data stream, even if the first information contained in an AM group is lost, the second device can still receive the first information contained in other AM groups, thereby improving the security during the transmission of the first information.

[0090] Method 1 and Method 2 are merely two examples for including the first information in at least one AM. In implementation, there may be other methods for including the first information in at least one AM. Details are not described here.

[0091] In one method, for each AM in the at least one AM, a padding portion of the AM includes at least one field, and all or a portion of a field in the at least one field is used to include content of the first information or a portion of the first information.

[0092] Optionally, the data streams obtained in step 601 include Z data streams. Each of the data streams corresponds to one or more AMs in the AM group, and each of the data streams includes one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams. For each of the data streams, each AM included in the data stream belongs to a different AM set inserted by the first device. Thus, the AM group includes one or more AM sets inserted by the first device.

[0093] For example, see Fig. 3. It is assumed that the AM group includes AM set 1 and AM set 2 inserted by the first device, and each data stream in the Z data streams corresponds to two AMs in the AM group, and each of the data streams includes two AMs corresponding to each of the data streams. For example, for data stream 1, data stream 1 corresponds to AM11 and AM21 in the AM group, and data stream 1 includes AM11 and AM21; for data stream 2, data stream 2 corresponds to AM12 and AM22 in the AM group, and data stream 2 includes AM12 and AM22; ..., for data stream Z, data stream Z corresponds to AM1Z and AM2Z in the AM group, and data stream Z includes AM1Z and AM2Z.

[0094] In step 601, the at least one AM may include the following two types of AM: The two types of AM are described below.

[0095] For the first type, the at least one AM includes an AM corresponding to a first data stream, where the first information is related to the first data stream, the Z data streams include the first data stream, and the first AM is an AM corresponding to the first data stream.

[0096] Optionally, the at least one AM is entirely within the first data stream.

[0097] For the first type of AM, at least one AM may include the first information in Method 1 or Method 2. Two methods of including detailed content of the first information are described below.

[0098] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 1, the padding portion of the at least one AM jointly includes the first information. For each AM in the at least one AM, m fields in the padding portion of the AM may be used to include content of a portion of the first information, where m is an integer greater than 0. The m fields may be all fields included in the padding portion, or may be a portion of the fields included in the padding portion.

[0099] The first information includes a plurality of sub-information. The m fields in the padding portion of the AM include m consecutive sub-information, and the m sub-information is the sub-information in the first information. In implementation, it is assumed that the number of AMs in the first data stream is N, where N is an integer greater than 0. That is, at least one AM includes N AMs, and the padding portion of the N AMs includes a total of N×m fields. The N×m fields include N×m consecutive sub-information, and the N×m sub-information is all the sub-information included in the first information, whereby at least one AM jointly includes the first information.

[0100] For example, see FIG. 9. It is assumed that the first information is related to data stream 1, i.e., the first data stream is data stream 1. The at least one AM includes AM11 and AM21 corresponding to data stream 1. It is assumed that m=3. In this case, three fields in the padding portion of AM11 are used to include sub-information 1, sub-information 2, and sag information 3, and three fields in the padding portion of AM21 are used to include sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6. The first information includes sub-information 1, sub-information 2, sub-information 3, sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6.

[0101] In this method, the operation of the first device replacing the content carried in the padding portion of at least one AM with the first information may be as follows: The first device separately replaces the content carried in the N×m fields with the N×m sub-information included in the first information. For example, FIG. 9 is still used as an example. At least one AM includes AM11 and AM21, m=3, and the padding portions of AM11 and AM21 include a total of six fields. The first device separately replaces the content carried in the six fields with sub-information 1, sub-information 2, sub-information 3, sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6 included in the first information.

[0102] Optionally, for the above replacement operation, the first device may replace the content carried in the padding portion of the at least one AM with the first information before inserting the AM group into the data stream, or replace the content carried in the padding portion of the at least one AM with the first information after inserting the AM group into the data stream.

[0103] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 2, the padding portion of the at least one AM includes multiple first information that are the same. The at least one AM includes multiple groups of AMs. For each AM group, the AM group includes one or more AMs, and the one or more AMs jointly include the first information.

[0104] For detailed content of the first information jointly included in one or more AMs, please refer to the detailed content of the first information jointly included in at least one AM in method 1 in the case of the first type of AM. Details will not be described again here.

[0105] For the second type, the Z data streams include M data streams, and the at least one AM includes an AM in the M data streams, i.e., an AM in the M data streams includes first information, and the first AM is an AM in the M data streams, where M is an integer greater than 0.

[0106] For the second type of AM, at least one AM may include the first information in Method 1 or Method 2. Two methods of including detailed content of the first information are described below.

[0107] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 1, the padding portion of the at least one AM jointly includes the first information. For each AM in the at least one AM, m fields in the padding portion of the AM may be used to include the content of a portion of the first information. The m fields may be all fields included in the padding portion, or may be a portion of the fields included in the padding portion.

[0108] M pieces Each data stream in the data streams includes N AMs, where N is an integer greater than 0. The padding portion of at least one AM includes M×N×m fields, the first information includes M×N×m sub-information, and the M×N×m fields separately include the M×N×m sub-information in the first information in the following method 1 or method 2. Method 1 and method 2 are described below.

[0109] Method 1: The m first fields include m pieces of first sub-information, and the m second fields include m pieces of second sub-information, where the m first fields are fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields are fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M-1, and j=1, 2,..., or N, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive pieces of sub-information included in the first information.

[0110] The jth AM in the i-th data stream and the jth AM in the (i-1)-th data stream belong to the same AM set.

[0111] For example, see FIG. 10. It is assumed that M=2 and m=3. That is, the at least one AM includes AMs in two data streams. The two data streams are data stream 1 and data stream 2, and the at least one AM includes AM11 and AM21 in data stream 1 and AM12 and AM22 in data stream 2. It is further assumed that the first information includes sub-information 1, sub-information 2, sub-information 3, sub-information 4, sub-information 5, sub-information 6, sub-information 7, sub-information 8, sub-information 9, sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12.

[0112] Thus, three fields in the padding portion of AM11 are used to contain sub-information 1, sub-information 2, and sub-information 3; three fields in the padding portion of AM12 are used to contain sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6; three fields in the padding portion of AM21 are used to contain sub-information 7, sub-information 8, and sub-information 9; and three fields in the padding portion of AM22 are used to contain sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12.

[0113] In this method, the operation of the first device to replace the content carried in the padding portion of at least one AM with the first information may be as follows.

[0114] For an AM among the at least one AM, the first device obtains m consecutive sub-information corresponding to the AM in the first information, and replaces the content carried in the m fields in the padding portion of the AM with the m sub-information. The first device repeats the replacement process, and the order of replacing the AMs is the jth AM in the first data stream, the jth AM in the second data stream, ..., and the jth AM in the Mth data stream, where the value of j is 1, 2, ..., or N, in that order.

[0115] During execution, the first device starts to obtain m consecutive sub-information in the first sub-information included in the first information, and for m fields included in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to the first data stream, replaces the content carried in the m fields with the m obtained sub-information, the m consecutive sub-information are obtained in the remaining sub-information included in the first information, and for m fields included in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to the second data stream, the content carried in the m fields is replaced with the m obtained sub-information, and so on. The m consecutive sub-information are obtained in the remaining sub-information included in the first information, and for m fields included in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to the M-th data stream, the content carried in the m fields is replaced with the m obtained sub-information.

[0116] m consecutive sub-information are obtained in the remaining sub-information included in the first information, and for m fields included in the padding part of the second AM corresponding to the first data stream, the content carried in the m fields is replaced with the m obtained sub-information. The above process is repeated until the last m sub-information included in the first information is obtained, and for m fields included in the padding part of the Nth AM corresponding to the Mth data stream, the content carried in the m fields is replaced with the m obtained sub-information.

[0117] For example, FIG. 10 is still used as an example. It is assumed that M is 2, and the M data streams include data stream 1 and data stream 2. At least one AM is AM11 and AM21 corresponding to the data streams. 21 and AM corresponding to data stream 2 12and AM22. The first device acquires sub-information 1, sub-information 2, and sub-information 3 in the first information, and for three fields included in the padding part of AM11, replaces the contents carried in the three fields with the acquired sub-information 1, sub-information 2, and sub-information 3. Sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6 are acquired in the remaining sub-information included in the first information. For three fields included in the padding part of AM21, the contents carried in the three fields are replaced with the selected sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6. Sub-information 7, sub-information 8, and sub-information 9 are acquired in the first information. For three fields included in the padding part of AM21, the contents carried in the three fields are replaced with the acquired sub-information 7, sub-information 8, and sub-information 9. Sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12 are acquired in the remaining sub-information included in the first information. For the three fields contained in the padding portion of AM22, the content carried in the three fields is replaced with the selected sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12.

[0118] Method 2: The M fields include M consecutive pieces of sub-information, the M fields include the n-th field of the j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, n=1, 2,..., or m, and the first information includes M pieces of sub-information.

[0119] The j-th AM of a data stream among the M data streams belongs to the same AM set.

[0120] For example, see FIG. 11. It is assumed that M=2 and m=3. That is, the at least one AM includes AMs in two data streams. The two data streams are data stream 1 and data stream 2, and the at least one AM includes AM11 and AM21 in data stream 1 and AM12 and AM22 in data stream 2. It is further assumed that the first information includes sub-information 1, sub-information 2, sub-information 3, sub-information 4, sub-information 5, sub-information 6, sub-information 7, sub-information 8, sub-information 9, sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12.

[0121] In this case, the first field in the padding portion of AM11 and the first field in the padding portion of AM12 are used to include sub-information 1 and sub-information 2, respectively. The second field in the padding portion of AM11 and the second field in the padding portion of AM12 are used to include sub-information 3 and sub-information 4, respectively. The third field in the padding portion of AM11 and the third field in the padding portion of AM12 are used to include sub-information 5 and sub-information 6, respectively. The first field in the padding portion of AM21 and the first field in the padding portion of AM22 are used to include sub-information 7 and sub-information 8, respectively. The second field in the padding portion of AM21 and the second field in the padding portion of AM22 are used to include sub-information 9 and sub-information 10, respectively. The third field in the padding portion of AM21 and the third field in the padding portion of AM22 are used to include sub-information 11 and sub-information 12, respectively.

[0122] In this method, the operation of the first device to replace the content carried in the padding portion of the at least one AM with the first information may be as follows.

[0123] The first device obtains M fields corresponding to the M sub-information in the first information, the M fields including the n-th field in the padding portion of the j-th AM in each of the data streams, where the value of j is 1, 2, ..., or N, and the value of n is 1, 2, ..., or m, and the first device replaces the content carried in the M fields with the M sub-information.

[0124] During implementation, M consecutive sub-information are obtained in the first sub-information included in the first information, and M fields are determined. The M fields include a first field in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and the content carried in the M fields is replaced with the M sub-information. The first device obtains M consecutive sub-information in the remaining sub-information included in the first information, and determines M fields. The M fields include a second field in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and the content carried in the M fields is replaced with the M sub-information, and so on. The first device obtains M consecutive sub-information in the remaining sub-information included in the first information, and determines M fields. The M fields include an m-th field in the padding portion of the first AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and the content carried in the M fields is replaced with the M sub-information.

[0125] The first device obtains M consecutive sub-information from the remaining sub-information included in the first information and determines M fields, the M fields including the first field in the padding portion of the second AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and the content carried in the M fields is replaced with the M sub-information. The above process is repeated until the last M sub-information included in the first information is obtained and M fields are determined, the M fields including the m-th field in the padding portion of the N-th AM corresponding to each of the data streams, and the content carried in the M fields is replaced with the M sub-information.

[0126] For example, FIG. 11 is still used as an example. It is assumed that M is 2, and the M data streams include data stream 1 and data stream 2. At least one AM is AM11 and AM21 corresponding to the data streams. 21 and AM corresponding to data stream 2 12 and AM22. The first device obtains sub-information 1 and sub-information 2 in the first information, and determines two fields, the two fields including a first field in the padding portion of AM11 and a first field in the padding portion of AM12, and the first device replaces the content carried in the two fields with sub-information 1 and sub-information 2. Sub-information 3 and sub-information 4 are obtained in the first information, and two fields are determined, the two fields including a second field in the padding portion of AM11 and a second field in the padding portion of AM12, and the content carried in the two fields is replaced with sub-information 3 and sub-information 4. Sub-information 5 and sub-information 6 are obtained in the first information, and two fields are determined, the two fields including a third field in the padding portion of AM11 and a third field in the padding portion of AM12, and the content carried in the two fields is replaced with sub-information 5 and sub-information 6. Sub-information 7 and sub-information 8 are obtained in the first information, two fields are determined, the two fields include a first field in the padding portion of AM21 and a first field in the padding portion of AM22, and the content carried in the two fields is replaced with sub-information 7 and sub-information 8. Sub-information 9 and sub-information 10 are obtained in the first information, two fields are determined, the two fields include a second field in the padding portion of AM21 and a second field in the padding portion of AM22, and the content carried in the two fields is replaced with sub-information 9 and sub-information 10. Sub-information 11 and sub-information 12 are obtained in the first information, two fields are determined, the two fields include a first field in the padding portion of AM21 and a first field in the padding portion of AM22, and the content carried in the two fields is replaced with sub-information 9 and sub-information 10. 21 The second field in the padding part of the AM 222, the content carried in the two fields is replaced by sub-information 11 and sub-information 12.

[0127] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 2, the at least one AM includes a plurality of first information that are the same. The at least one AM includes a plurality of groups of AMs. For each AM group, the AM group includes one or more AMs, and the one or more AMs jointly include the first information.

[0128] For detailed information about the first information jointly included in one or more AMs, please refer to the detailed information about the first information jointly included in at least one AM in method 1 in the case of the second type of AM. Details will not be described again here.

[0129] Step 602: The first device transmits a data stream to the second device.

[0130] Please refer to Figure 2, Figure 7, or Figure 8. In step 601, after the first device acquires the Z data streams, the first device aggregates the Z data streams into X data streams at a first PMA layer of the first device, and transmits the X data streams to the second device through the X physical channels between the first device and the second device at a first PMD layer of the first device.

[0131] In this embodiment of the present application, the second device does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each AM in the AM group, so that the pad information is useless information for the second device, and the padding portion of each AM is wasted. Therefore, the first device can use the padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group to include the first information, and then transmit a data stream including the AM group to the second device. In this way, the second device can receive the data stream and obtain the first information in the AM group, thereby implementing a new method for transmitting information. Since the padding portion of the AM is used to include the first information, there is no impact on the useful portion of the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information. Moreover, in each of the data streams, the AM is distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, i.e., the first device transmits the AM in the data stream periodically, so that the time of transmitting the AM is stable. In this way, information with a relatively high requirement for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0132] Please refer to Fig. 12. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method 700. The method 700 is applied to the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The method 700 may be performed by the second device 102 of the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The method 700 includes the following steps:

[0133] Step 701: A second device receives a data stream, the data stream including an AM group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, and the first information is used to indicate a specific function.

[0134] Optionally, the first AM further includes a first boundary portion and / or a first identification portion, the first boundary portion being used to determine a location of the first AM within the data stream, and the first identification portion being used to identify a first data stream corresponding to the first AM and / or a PCS lane corresponding to the first AM.

[0135] Optionally, for the plurality of AMs in the AM group, there is at least one AM in the plurality of AMs, and the first AM is an AM in the at least one AM, and a padding portion of the at least one AM includes the first information.

[0136] The padding portion of at least one AM includes detailed content of the first information. For details, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Figure 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0137] Please refer to Figure 13, Figure 14, or Figure 15. In step 701, at a second PMD layer of a second device, the second device receives X data streams through X physical channels between the first device and the second device. At a first PMA layer of the second device, the second device restores z data streams based on the X data streams.

[0138] Step 702: The second device obtains the first information in the AM group.

[0139] The at least one AM may include two types of AM, which are described below:

[0140] For the first type, the at least one AM includes an AM in the first data stream, where the first information is related to the first data stream, the Z data streams include the first data stream, and the first AM is an AM among the at least one AM. Thus, when acquiring the first data stream, the second device acquires the first information in the padding portion of the at least one AM in the first data stream.

[0141] The first data stream includes N AMs, ie, at least one AM includes N AMs.

[0142] Optionally, at least one AM may include the first information in the above manner 1 or manner 2. The implementation process in which the second device obtains the first information in two ways is described below.

[0143] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 1, the padding portion of the at least one AM jointly includes the first information, and the padding portion of the at least one AM includes a total of N×m fields, and the N×m fields include N×m consecutive sub-information. In step 702, the second device obtains the N×M consecutive sub-information in the N×m fields to obtain the first information.

[0144] For example, see Fig. 9. It is assumed that the first information is related to data stream 1, i.e. the first data stream is data stream 1. At least one AM includes AM11 and AM21 corresponding to data stream 1. The padding part of AM11 and the padding part of AM21 include six fields in total. The second device obtains sub-information 1, sub-information 2, sub-information 3, sub-information 4, sub-information 5, and sub-information 6 in the six fields to obtain the first information.

[0145] When the at least one AM includes the first information in method 2, the at least one AM includes a plurality of groups of AMs. For each AM group, the AM group includes one or more AMs, and the one or more AMs jointly include the first information. The second device obtains the first information in one or more groups of AMs in the plurality of groups of AMs.

[0146] For a detailed implementation process of the second device obtaining the first information in any group of AMs, please refer to the detailed implementation process of the second device obtaining the first information in the padding portion of at least one AM in method 1 for the first type of AM. The details will not be described again here.

[0147] For the second type, the Z data streams include M data streams, and the at least one AM includes an AM in the M data streams. In this way, when acquiring the Z data streams, the second device acquires the first information in the padding portion of the at least one AM in the Z data streams.

[0148] For M data streams, each of the data streams includes N AMs, and the padding portion of at least one AM includes a total of M×N AMs.

[0149] Optionally, at least one AM may include the first information in the above manner 1 or manner 2. The implementation process in which the second device obtains the first information in two ways is described below.

[0150] When at least one AM includes the first information in method 1, the padding portion of the at least one AM jointly includes the first information.

[0151] The first information includes M×N×m sub-information, and the padding portion of at least one AM includes M×N×m fields. N The M×N×m fields respectively include M×N×m sub-information in the first information in the above method 1 or method 2. The process in which the second device obtains the first information in the above method 1 or method 2 is described below.

[0152] When the M×N×m fields contain M×N×m pieces of sub-information in the first information in method 1, the second device obtains m consecutive pieces of sub-information in the padding portion of the j-th AM in the i-th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M and j=1, 2,..., or N. The second device repeats the above process until the entire first information is obtained.

[0153] During execution, the second device obtains m pieces of sub-information in a padding portion of the first AM in the first data stream, obtains m pieces of sub-information in the first AM in the second data stream, ..., obtains m pieces of sub-information in the first AM in the Mth data stream. The m pieces of sub-information are obtained in the second AM in the first data stream. The above process is repeated to obtain the first information until m pieces of sub-information are obtained in the Nth AM in the Mth data stream.

[0154] For example, see FIG. 10. It is assumed that M is 2, m is 3, and the M data streams are data stream 1 and data stream 2. At least one AM is AM11 corresponding to data stream 1 and AM21 corresponding to data stream 2. 21 and AM corresponding to data stream 2 12 and AM22. The second device includes: Data Stream 1 In the padding portion of AM11 in the Data Stream 2 In the padding portion of AM12 in the Data Stream 1 In the padding portion of AM21 in the Data Stream 2 In the padding portion of AM22 in the .alpha.-based frame, sub-information 10, sub-information 11, and sub-information 12 are obtained.

[0155] If the M×N×m fields include the M×N×m sub-information in the first information in method 2, the second device determines the M fields, where the M fields include the n-th field of the j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, j=1, 2,..., or N, and n=1, 2,..., or m, and the second device obtains M consecutive sub-information in the M fields. The above process is repeated until the entire first information is obtained.

[0156] For example, see FIG. 11. It is assumed that M=2 and m=3, the M data streams are data stream 1 and data stream 2, and at least one AM includes AM11 and AM21 in data stream 1 and AM12 and AM22 in data stream 2. The second device determines two fields, where the two fields include a first field in the padding portion of AM11 and a first field in the padding portion of AM12, and the second device obtains sub-information 1 and sub-information 2 in the two fields. Two fields are determined. The two fields include a second field in the padding portion of AM11 and a second field in the padding portion of AM12, and sub-information 3 and sub-information 4 are obtained in the two fields. Two fields are determined. The two fields include a third field in the padding portion of AM11 and a third field in the padding portion of AM12, and sub-information 5 and sub-information 6 are obtained in the two fields.

[0157] Two fields are determined. The two fields include a first field in the padding portion of AM21 and a first field in the padding portion of AM22, and sub-information 7 and sub-information 8 are obtained in two fields. Two fields are determined. The two fields include a second field in the padding portion of AM21 and a second field in the padding portion of AM22, and sub-information 9 and sub-information 10 are obtained in two fields. Two fields are determined. The two fields include a second field in the padding portion of AM21 and a second field in the padding portion of AM22, and sub-information 9 and sub-information 10 are obtained in two fields.21 The third field in the padding part of the AM 22 3 in the padding portion, sub-information 11 and sub-information 12 are obtained in two fields.

[0158] When the at least one AM includes the first information in method 2, the at least one AM includes a plurality of groups of AMs. For each AM group, the AM group includes one or more AMs, and the one or more AMs jointly include the first information. The second device obtains the first information in one or more groups of AMs in the plurality of groups of AMs.

[0159] For a detailed implementation process of the second device obtaining the first information in any group of AMs, please refer to the detailed implementation process of the second device obtaining the first information in the padding portion of at least one AM in method 1 for the second type of AM. The details will not be described again here.

[0160] In step 702, in the second PCS of the second device, the second device may obtain the first information in the AM group in three different cases: Each of the three different cases is described below.

[0161] See Figure 13. In the first case, after sorting the Z data streams, the second device obtains the first information in the AM group within the sorted Z data streams.

[0162] See Figure 13. In this case, the second device first performs alignment lock and deskew on the Z data streams from the second PMA layer to align the Z data streams and sort the Z aligned data stream lanes.

[0163] After performing lane sorting and before deinterleaving the sorted Z data streams, the second device obtains first information in the AM group in the sorted Z data streams. After obtaining the first information, the second device deinterleaves the sorted Z data streams to obtain at least one first codeword and at least one second codeword. FEC decoding is performed on the at least one first codeword and at least one second codeword to obtain at least one first data block and at least one second data block. After FEC decoding, interleaving is performed on the at least one first data block and at least one second data block to obtain one data stream. The data stream is an AM set The AM set is removed from the data stream, the data stream from which the AM set has been removed is descrambled, inverse transcoding is performed on the descrambled data stream, decoding and rate matching are performed on the inverse transcoded data stream, and the target data stream is restored. The target data stream is input to a second arbitration sublayer.

[0164] After sorting the aligned Z data stream lanes, the second device obtains an AM included in each data stream among the Z data streams, identifies the AM included in each of the data streams, and obtains first information in an AM group within the sorted Z data streams.

[0165] In the first case, the first information is obtained in the AM group in the sorted Z data streams, i.e., the first information is obtained before FEC decoding is performed. In this way, the first information does not need to be decoded, and the occupation of computational resources is reduced. Correspondingly, when transmitting the first information, the first device does not need to perform FEC encoding on the first information, and the occupation of computational resources of the first device is further reduced.

[0166] See Figure 14. In a second case, when the second device decodes the sorted Z data streams and obtains at least one first data block and at least one second data block, the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block jointly include the first information, and the first information is obtained in the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block.

[0167] In this case, see section 14. The second device first performs alignment lock and deskew on the Z data streams from the second PMA layer to align the Z data streams, sorts the aligned Z data stream lanes, deinterleaves the sorted Z data streams to obtain at least one first codeword and at least one second codeword, and performs FEC decoding on the at least one first codeword and the at least one second codeword to obtain at least one first data block and at least one second data block.

[0168] After obtaining at least one first data block and at least one second data block, and before performing interleaving after FEC decoding on the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block to obtain one data stream, the second device obtains first information on the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block. After obtaining the first information, the second device performs interleaving after FEC decoding on the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block to obtain one data stream. The second device removes the AM set from the data stream, descrambles the data stream from which the AM set has been removed, performs inverse transcoding on the descrambled data stream, and decodes and rate-matches the data stream from which the inverse transcoding has been performed to restore the target data stream. The target data stream is input to a second arbitration sublayer.

[0169] See Figure 15. In a third case, when the second device obtains a data stream based on the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block, the data stream includes an AM group, and the first information is obtained in the AM group in the data stream.

[0170] In this case, see section 15. The second device first performs alignment lock and deskew on the Z data streams from the second PMA layer to align the Z data streams, sorts the aligned Z data stream lanes, deinterleaves the sorted Z data streams to obtain at least one first codeword and at least one second codeword, and performs interleaving after FEC decoding on the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block to obtain one data stream.

[0171] Before obtaining the data stream and removing the AM group from the data stream, the second device obtains first information on the AM group in the data stream. After obtaining the first information, the second device removes the AM group from the data stream. The data stream from which the AM group has been removed is descrambled, inverse transcoding is performed on the descrambled data stream, and decoding and rate matching are performed on the data stream from which the inverse transcoding has been performed, thereby restoring the target data stream. The target data stream is input to a second arbitration sublayer.

[0172] In the second or third case, the first information is obtained in the AM group after FEC decoding is performed. Correspondingly, when sending the first information, the first device may perform FEC encoding on the first information, so as to improve the security during the transmission of the first information.

[0173] In this embodiment of the present application, the second device does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each AM in the AM group, so that the pad information is useless information for the second device, and the padding portion of each AM is wasted. Therefore, for the AM group included in the data stream received by the second device, the padding portion of at least one AM in the AM group is used to include the first information. In this way, the second device can receive the data stream and obtain the first information in the AM group, so that a new method for transmitting information is implemented. Since the padding portion of the AM group is used to include the first information, it does not have any effect on the useful part of the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information. Moreover, since in each of the data streams, the AM is distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, that is, the first device transmits the AM in the data stream periodically, so that the time of transmitting the AM is stable. In this way, information with a relatively high requirement for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0174] Please refer to Fig. 16. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 800. The communication device 800 may be disposed in a first device according to any one of the above embodiments, for example, in the first device 101 of the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, or in the first device of the method 600 shown in Fig. 6. The device comprises: A processing unit 801 configured to obtain a data stream, the data stream including alignment markers. ( AM ) a processing unit 801 including a group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of a first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, and the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM in the data stream; a transmitting unit 802 configured to transmit a data stream; Includes.

[0175] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 801 acquiring the data stream, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Figure 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0176] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the sending unit 802 sweeping the data stream, please refer to the relevant content of step 602 of the method 600 shown in Figure 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0177] Optionally, there are a plurality of acquired data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams.

[0178] Optionally, the first information is associated with a first data stream, the plurality of data streams comprises the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream comprises the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream.

[0179] Optionally, the multiple data streams include M data streams, an AM within the M data streams includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM within the M data streams, where M is an integer greater than 0.

[0180] Optionally, the padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, where m is an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information.

[0181] The m first fields include m pieces of first subinformation, and the m second fields include m pieces of second subinformation, where the m first fields are fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields are fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M-1, j=1, 2,..., or N, where N is the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first subinformation and the m second subinformation are 2m consecutive pieces of subinformation included in the first information.

[0182] Optionally, for detailed content about the m first fields including the m first sub-information and the m second fields including the m second sub-information, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Fig. 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0183] Optionally, the M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include the nth field of the jth AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2,..., or m, and the first information includes the M sub-information.

[0184] Optionally, for detailed content about the M fields including M consecutive sub-information, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Figure 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0185] Optionally, the m fields in each padding portion of AM include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad.

[0186] Optionally, the processing unit 801 further comprises: obtaining an AM group, the AM group including a first AM, a first padding portion of the first AM including first information or the portion of the first information; and inserting the AM group into the second data stream to obtain the data stream.

[0187] Optionally, the processing unit 801 further comprises: When an AM group is inserted into the data stream and the inserted AM group includes a first AM, the data stream is configured to replace content carried in a first padding portion of the first AM with the first information or said portion of the first information.

[0188] For a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 801 optionally replacing the content carried in the first padding portion with the first information or a part of the first information, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Fig. 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0189] Optionally, the first AM further includes a first identification portion, the first identification portion being used to indicate the data stream corresponding to the first AM.

[0190] In this embodiment of the present application, for each of the AMs in the AM group, the receiver of the data stream does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each of the AMs, and the pad information is useless information to the receiver. Therefore, when the data stream is transmitted, the processing unit may replace the pad information included in the first padding portion of the first AM in the AM group with the first information or a part of the content of the first information, so that the first padding portion contains the first information or a part of the content of the first information. In this way, when receiving the data stream, the receiver obtains the first information in the AM group, and thus a new method of transmitting information is implemented. Since the transmitting unit uses the padding portion of the AM to transmit the first information, the receiver performs a certain function based on the first information without any effect on the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information, and the waste of bandwidth resource is reduced. Moreover, since in the data stream, the AMs are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, that is, the transmitting unit periodically transmits the AMs in the data stream, so that the time of transmitting the AMs is stable. In this way, information with relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0191] Please refer to Fig. 17. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 900. The communication device 900 may be disposed in a second device according to any one of the above embodiments, for example, in the second device 102 of the network architecture 100 shown in Fig. 1 or 2, or in the second device of the method 700 shown in Fig. 12. The device comprises: A receiving unit 901 configured to receive a data stream, the data stream including alignment markers ( AM )a receiving unit 901 including a group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of a first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, and the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM in the data stream; A processing unit 902 configured to obtain first information in an AM group; Includes.

[0192] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the receiving unit 901 receiving the data stream, please refer to the relevant content of step 701 of the method 700 shown in Figure 12. The details will not be described again here.

[0193] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 902 obtaining the first information, please refer to the relevant content of step 702 of the method 700 shown in Figure 12. The details will not be described again here.

[0194] Optionally, there are a plurality of received data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams.

[0195] Optionally, the first information is associated with a first data stream, the plurality of data streams comprises the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream comprises the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream.

[0196] Optionally, the multiple data streams include M data streams, an AM within the M data streams includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM within the M data streams, where M is an integer greater than 0.

[0197] Optionally, the padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, where m is an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information. The m first fields include m pieces of first sub-information, and the m second fields include m pieces of second sub-information. The m first fields are fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields are fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2,..., or M-1, j=1, 2,..., or N, where N is the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive sub-information included in the first information.

[0198] Optionally, for detailed content about the m first fields including the m first sub-information and the m second fields including the m second sub-information, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Fig. 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0199] Optionally, the M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include the nth field of the jth AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2,..., or m, and the first information includes the M sub-information.

[0200] Optionally, for detailed content about the M fields including M consecutive sub-information, please refer to the relevant content of step 601 of the method 600 shown in Figure 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0201] Optionally, the m fields in each padding portion of AM include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad.

[0202] Optionally, there are multiple received data streams, and the processing unit 902 may: After the multiple data streams are sorted, the method is configured to obtain first information in the AM group in the multiple sorted data streams.

[0203] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 902 obtaining the first information in the AM group in the multiple sorted data streams, please refer to the relevant content of step 702 of the method 700 shown in Figure 12. The details will not be described again here.

[0204] Optionally, the processing unit 902 further comprises: and configured to obtain first information in the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block when the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block are obtained by decoding the plurality of sorted data streams, the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block jointly including the first information.

[0205] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 902 obtaining the first information in at least one first data block and at least one second data block, please refer to the relevant content of step 702 of the method 700 shown in Fig. 12. The details will not be described again here.

[0206] Optionally, the processing unit 902 further comprises: The device is configured to obtain first information in the AM group in one data stream when the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block are interleaved to obtain the data stream.

[0207] Optionally, for a detailed implementation process of the processing unit 902 obtaining the first information in the AM group in the data stream, please refer to the relevant content of step 702 of the method 700 shown in Figure 12. The details will not be described again here.

[0208] Optionally, the first AM further comprises a first identification portion, the first identification portion being used to indicate a data stream that comprises the first AM.

[0209] In this embodiment of the present application, for each of the AMs in the AM group, the receiver of the data stream does not use the pad information included in the padding portion of each of the AMs, and the pad information is useless information to the receiver. Therefore, in the data stream, the pad information included in the first padding portion of the first AM in the AM group may be replaced with the first information or a part of the content of the first information, so that the first padding portion contains the first information or a part of the content of the first information. In this way, when the data stream is received, the first information in the AM group is obtained, thereby implementing a new method of transmitting information. Since the padding portion of the AM is used to contain the first information, a certain function is performed based on the first information after the data stream is received without any effect on the data stream, so that the out-of-band bandwidth resource is appropriately used to transmit the first information, and the waste of bandwidth resource is reduced. Moreover, in the data stream, the AMs are distributed in the data stream at regular intervals, that is, the sender periodically transmits the AMs in the data stream, so that the time of transmitting the AMs is stable. In this way, information with relatively high requirements for time stability and reliability can be transmitted by using the padding portion of the AM.

[0210] 18 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1000 may be a first device according to any one of the above embodiments, such as the first device 101 of the network architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, or the first device of the method 600 shown in FIG. 6. The communication device 1000 includes at least one processor 1001, an internal connection 1002, and at least one network interface 1003.

[0211] The communication device 1000 is a device having a hardware structure.

[0212] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may be configured to implement functional modules in the apparatus 800 of Fig. 16. For example, a person skilled in the art can imagine that the processing unit 801 of the apparatus 800 of Fig. 16 may be implemented by at least one processor 1001 by invoking computer program code, and the sending unit 802 of the method 800 of Fig. 16 may be implemented by at least one network interface 1003.

[0213] The communication device 1000 may be further configured to perform the functions of the first device according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0214] The processor 1001 may be, for example, a general purpose central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor (NP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural-network processing unit (NPU), a data processing unit (DPU), a microprocessor, or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the solutions of the present application. 1001The PLD may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The PLD may be, for example, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor may implement or execute various logic blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the contents disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the processor may be a combination of processors that implement computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor.

[0215] The internal connection 1002 may include paths for transmitting information between the above components. The internal connection 1002 may be a board, a bus, etc. The bus may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the representation of FIG. 18, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0216] At least one network interface 1003 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks using any device such as a transceiver. The communication network may be Ethernet, a radio access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The network interface 1003 may include a wired communication interface, or may further include a wireless communication interface. Specifically, the network interface 1003 may be an Ethernet interface, a Fast Ethernet (FE) interface, a Gigabit Ethernet (GE) interface, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a cellular network communication interface, or a combination thereof. The Ethernet interface may be an optical interface, an electrical interface, or a combination thereof. In this embodiment of the present application, the network interface 1003 may be configured for communication between the communication device 1000 and other devices.

[0217] In a specific implementation, in one embodiment, the processor 1001 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 18. Each of the CPUs may be a single-core processor or may be a multi-core processor. A processor here may be one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0218] In a specific implementation, in one embodiment, communications device 1000 may include multiple processors, such as processor 1001 and processor 1007 of FIG. 18. Each of the processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or may be a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor, where a processor may be one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0219] In a specific implementation, in an embodiment, the communication device 1000 may further include an output device and an input device. The output device may communicate with the processor 1001 and display information in multiple ways. For example, the output device may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. When communicating with the processor 1001, the input device may receive user input in multiple ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device.

[0220] In a specific embodiment, the communication device 1000 of this embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first device of the above embodiments, for example, the embodiments corresponding to Figures 1 and 6. The processor 1001 of the communication device 1000 calls computer program code, so that the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 18 can perform all or part of the operations of the first device of the above embodiments.

[0221] 19 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 may be a second device according to any one of the above embodiments, such as the second device 102 of the network architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, or the second device of the method 700 shown in FIG. 12. The communication device 1100 includes at least one processor 1101, an internal connection 1102, and at least one network interface 1103.

[0222] The communication device 1100 is a device having a hardware structure.

[0223] In some embodiments, the communication device 1100 may be configured to implement functional modules in the apparatus 900 of Figure 17. For example, a person skilled in the art can imagine that the processing unit 902 of the apparatus 900 of Figure 17 may be implemented by at least one processor 1101 by invoking computer program code, and the receiving unit 901 of the method 900 of Figure 17 may be implemented by at least one network interface 1103.

[0224] The communication device 1100 may be further configured to perform the functionality of a second device according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0225] The processor 1101 may be, for example, a general purpose central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor (NP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural-network processing unit (NPU), a data processing unit (DPU), a microprocessor, or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the solutions of the present application.1101 The PLD may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The PLD may be, for example, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor may implement or execute various logic blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the contents disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the processor may be a combination of processors that implement computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor.

[0226] The internal connection 1102 may include paths for transmitting information between the above components. The internal connection 1102 may be a board, a bus, etc. The bus may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the representation of FIG. 19, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0227] At least one network interface 1103 is configured to communicate with other devices or communication networks using any device such as a transceiver. The communication network may be Ethernet, a radio access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The network interface 1103 may include a wired communication interface, or may further include a wireless communication interface. Specifically, the network interface 1103 may be an Ethernet interface, a Fast Ethernet (FE) interface, a Gigabit Ethernet (GE) interface, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a cellular network communication interface, or a combination thereof. The Ethernet interface may be an optical interface, an electrical interface, or a combination thereof. In this embodiment of the present application, the network interface 1103 may be configured for communication between the communication device 1100 and other devices.

[0228] In a specific implementation, in one embodiment, the processor 1101 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 19. Each of the CPUs may be a single-core processor or may be a multi-core processor. A processor in this case may be one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0229] In a specific implementation, in one embodiment, communications device 1100 may include multiple processors, such as processor 1101 and processor 1107 of FIG. 19. Each of the processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or may be a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor, where a processor may be one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0230] In a specific implementation, in an embodiment, the communication device 1100 may further include an output device and an input device. The output device may communicate with the processor 1101 and display information in multiple ways. For example, the output device may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. When communicating with the processor 1101, the input device may receive user input in multiple ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device.

[0231] In a specific embodiment, the communication device 1100 of this embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first device of the above embodiments, for example, the embodiments corresponding to Figures 1 and 6. The processor 1101 of the communication device 1100 calls computer program code, so that the communication device 1100 shown in Figure 19 can perform all or part of the operations of the second device of the above embodiments.

[0232] Optionally, the communication devices of Figures 18 and 19 may each be a routing device, a switching device, or a server.

[0233] Optionally, all or some of the routing devices, switching devices, or servers referred to in this application may alternatively be logic function modules or layered function modules, respectively.

[0234] Please refer to Fig. 20. An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system including a communication device 800 shown in Fig. 16 and a communication device 900 shown in Fig. 17, or including a communication device 1000 shown in Fig. 18 and a communication device 1100 shown in Fig. 19.

[0235] The communication device 800 shown in FIG. 16 and the communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 18 may be a first device 1201, and the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 17 and the communication device 1100 shown in FIG. 19 may be a second device 1202.

[0236] The order of operations in the specification, claims, and accompanying figures of this application is not limited to the particular order or sequence herein, and it should be understood that the data used in such methods may be concurrent or their order may be changed in appropriate circumstances, such that the described embodiments may be performed in an order other than that illustrated or described in the accompanying figures.

[0237] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or program instructions related to hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.

[0238] The above description is only an arbitrary embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made without departing from the principle of the present application should fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. 1. A communication method comprising: obtaining a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker (AM) group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM within the data stream, the first information including one or more of an initialization vector for a physical layer encryption algorithm, port management information, and time synchronization information, the particular function including one or more of a physical layer encryption function indicated by the initialization vector, a port management function indicated by the port management information, and a time synchronization function indicated by the time synchronization information; transmitting said data stream; The method according to claim 1,

2. There are a plurality of acquired data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams. The method of claim 1.

3. the first information is associated with a first data stream, the plurality of data streams includes the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream; The method of claim 2.

4. the plurality of data streams include M data streams, an AM within the M data streams includes the first information, the first AM is an AM within the M data streams, and M is an integer greater than 0; The method of claim 2.

5. The padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, m being an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information; The m first fields include m first sub-information, and the m second fields include m second sub-information, the m first fields being fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields being fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2, ..., or M-1, j=1, 2, ..., or N, where N is the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive sub-information included in the first information, or M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include an n-th field of a j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2, ..., or m, and the first information includes the M sub-information; The method according to claim 4.

6. The m fields in the padding portion of each of the AMs include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad. The method according to claim 5.

7. Obtaining the data stream includes: obtaining the AM group, the AM group including the first AM, the first padding portion of the first AM including the first information or the portion of the first information; and inserting the AM group into a second data stream to obtain the data stream; or and if the AM group is inserted into the data stream and the inserted AM group includes the first AM, replacing in the data stream content carried in the first padding portion of the first AM with the first information or the portion of the first information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the first AM further includes a first identification portion, the first identification portion being used to indicate a data stream corresponding to the first AM; 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. 1. A communication method comprising: receiving a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker (AM) group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM within the data stream, the first information including one or more of an initialization vector for a physical layer encryption algorithm, port management information, and time synchronization information, the particular function including one or more of a physical layer encryption function indicated by the initialization vector, a port management function indicated by the port management information, and a time synchronization function indicated by the time synchronization information; obtaining the first information within the AM group; The method according to claim 1,

10. There are a plurality of received data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams.

10. The method of claim 9.

11. the first information is associated with a first data stream, the plurality of data streams includes the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream; The method of claim 10.

12. the plurality of data streams include M data streams, an AM within the M data streams includes the first information, the first AM is an AM within the M data streams, and M is an integer greater than 0; The method of claim 10.

13. The padding portion of each AM in the M data streams includes m fields, m being an integer greater than 0, and the first information includes at least one sub-information; The m first fields include m first sub-information, and the m second fields include m second sub-information, the m first fields being fields included in the jth AM in the ith data stream, and the m second fields being fields included in the jth AM in the (i+1)th data stream, where i=1, 2, ..., or M-1, j=1, 2, ..., or N, where N is the number of AMs in the ith data stream, and the m first sub-information and the m second sub-information are 2m consecutive sub-information included in the first information, or M fields include M consecutive sub-information, the M fields include an n-th field of a j-th AM in each data stream among the M data streams, where n=1, 2, ..., or m, and the first information includes the M sub-information; The method of claim 12.

14. The m fields in the padding portion of each of the AMs include a unique pad UP and / or pad Pad. The method of claim 13.

15. There are a plurality of received data streams, and obtaining the first information within the AM group includes: After the plurality of data streams are sorted, obtaining the first information in the AM group in the plurality of sorted data streams; or obtaining the first information in the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block when at least one first data block and at least one second data block are obtained by sorting the plurality of data streams and decoding the plurality of sorted data streams, the at least one first data block and the at least one second data block jointly including the first information; or Obtaining the first information in an AM group in a data stream when at least one first data block and at least one second data block are interleaved to obtain the data stream. having 15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

16. 1. A communication device, comprising: a processing unit configured to obtain a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker (AM) group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM within the data stream, the first information including one or more of an initialization vector of a physical layer encryption algorithm, port management information, and time synchronization information, the particular function including one or more of a physical layer encryption function indicated by the initialization vector, a port management function indicated by the port management information, and a time synchronization function indicated by the time synchronization information; a transmitting unit configured to transmit said data stream; An apparatus having the above configuration.

17. There are a plurality of acquired data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams.

17. The apparatus of claim 16.

18. the first information is associated with a first data stream, the plurality of data streams includes the first data stream, an AM in the first data stream includes the first information, and the first AM is an AM in the first data stream; 20. The apparatus of claim 17.

19. A communication device, comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a data stream, the data stream including an alignment marker (AM) group, the AM group including a plurality of AMs, the plurality of AMs including a first AM, the first AM including a first boundary portion and a first padding portion, the first padding portion including some or all of first information, the first information being used to indicate a particular function, the first boundary portion being used to determine a position of the first AM within the data stream, the first information including one or more of an initialization vector for a physical layer encryption algorithm, port management information, and time synchronization information, the particular function including one or more of a physical layer encryption function indicated by the initialization vector, a port management function indicated by the port management information, and a time synchronization function indicated by the time synchronization information; a processing unit configured to obtain the first information in the AM group; An apparatus having the above configuration.

20. There are a plurality of received data streams, each of the data streams corresponding to one or more AMs in the AM group, each of the data streams including one or more AMs corresponding to each of the data streams.

20. The apparatus of claim 19.

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