Communication method and related device

Abstract

A communication method and a related device. The method comprises: a first network device determines an actual application bandwidth of an Ethernet port, and the first network device communicates with a second network device by means of the Ethernet port; the first network device sets an effective bandwidth of an MII as the actual application bandwidth, and processes packet data received from the MII to obtain data symbols; the first network device delivers the data symbols to a target channel of the Ethernet port for sending, wherein the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual application bandwidth; and the first network device delivers filling symbols to non-target channel other than the target channel of the Ethernet port, and disables PMA processing of the non-target channel.

Description

A communication method and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 29, 2024, with application number 202410232688.X and application name “A communication method and related equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to a communication method and related equipment, and in particular to a communication method and related equipment. Background Art

[0003] Ethernet electrical ports are widely used in Ethernet interconnection scenarios in industrial, campus, and data centers. They utilize twisted-pair cables for connection, with Ethernet ports with bandwidths exceeding 1000 Mbps utilizing four-pair cables. As shown in Figure 1, using a 2.5GBASE-T PHY as an example, the PMA (digital front-end + analog front-end) accounts for over 70% of power consumption. The digital front-end primarily comprises the PAM's internal digital signal processing. For bandwidths exceeding 1000 Mbps, each Ethernet cable pair transmits one-quarter of the bandwidth, and the digital and analog front-ends for each pair are independent. In the power consumption proportion of PHY, Ser Des accounts for 8%, digital front-end accounts for 57%, analog front-end accounts for 33%, and PLL accounts for 2%; in the power consumption proportion of digital front-end, FFE accounts for 6.4%, DFE / THP accounts for 6.8%, CDR accounts for 1.5%, DEC accounts for 24.6%, NEXT clearance accounts for 23.6%, FEXT clearance accounts for 22.2%, transmitting end up-sampling accounts for 2.5%, AEC accounts for 3.9%, and FED LDPC accounts for 9.8%.

[0004] User demand for data network bandwidth follows a tidal pattern, and network construction is ahead of schedule. As a result, network hardware bandwidth is often significantly redundant relative to actual transmission bandwidth. Furthermore, PMA power consumption accounts for over 70% of PHY power consumption, resulting in energy losses that invisibly increase operating expenses (OPEX).

[0005] To address the tidal nature of networks, where utilization is often low and bursty during certain periods, the IEEE standard defines a technology called Low Power Idle (LPI) to implement Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE). This technology reduces energy consumption during idle states when a link is not transmitting data. The protocol stipulates that the LPI client connects to the RS, consistent with the MAC. The RS converts the LPI client's signal into an xMII (X represents bandwidth, G represents 1 Gbps, XG represents 10 Gbps, etc.) interface signal, which is then encoded by the PHY and sent to the link partner.

[0006] LPI technology sends and receives specific coded signals through the MAC client (through the MII interface of MAC and PHY) and controls the entire Ethernet interface through the state machine inside the PHY to be in the ACITIVE---SLEEP---QUIET---WAKE state. The low-power states are SLEEP and QUIET. The entire interface is in a link-up but no-traffic state. It is suitable for situations with large traffic burst intervals, but not for situations where low traffic is maintained for a long time.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a communication method and related devices for flexibly adjusting the rate of an Ethernet electrical port, thereby reducing OPEX.

[0009] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication method:

[0010] The first network device determines the actual bandwidth to be used of the Ethernet electrical port, and the first network device communicates with the second network device through the Ethernet electrical port. The actual bandwidth to be used is less than the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port, and is greater than the current actual occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device. The first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used, and the first network device processes the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols. The first network device distributes the data symbols to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, and the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used. The first network device distributes fill symbols to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port other than the target channel, and turns off PMA processing of the non-target channels.

[0011] In this application, in the case of maintaining low traffic for a long time, the actual bandwidth to be used can be determined based on the actual bandwidth occupancy of the communicating parties, and by reducing the effective bandwidth of the MII interface, the data symbols are distributed to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port, and the fill symbols are distributed to the non-target channel of the Ethernet electrical port, and the PMA processing of the non-target channel is turned off, thereby reducing the power consumption of the Ethernet electrical port and reducing OPEX.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used by:

[0013] The first network device receives multiple message data from MAC at RS, and repeats target message data in the multiple message data at RS. The first network device indicates the repeated target message data as invalid data based on the bus valid data indication at RS, and the bandwidth occupied by the invalid data plus the actual bandwidth to be used is equal to the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port.

[0014] In this application, the effective bandwidth of the MII interface is reduced by bus valid data indication, without changing the existing protocol, thereby improving the applicability of the solution.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used by:

[0016] The first network device reduces the main frequency of the PHY chip by N / M, where N is the actual bandwidth to be used and M is the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

[0017] In this application, the effective bandwidth of the MII interface is reduced simply and directly by reducing the main frequency, thereby improving the stability of the solution.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first network device determines the actual bandwidth to be used by the Ethernet electrical port by:

[0019] The first network device determines a first candidate actual bandwidth to be used for the Ethernet electrical port based on the first network device's current actual bandwidth usage. The first network device receives a second candidate actual bandwidth to be used, determined from the second network device based on the second network device's current actual bandwidth usage. The first network device determines the largest value between the first candidate actual bandwidth to be used and the second candidate actual bandwidth to be used as the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0020] In this application, the actual bandwidth to be used of the candidates is determined based on the current actual occupied bandwidth of the network devices of the communicating parties, and then the bandwidth with a larger value is determined as the actual bandwidth to be used, thereby ensuring that the bandwidth requirements of the communicating parties can be met while saving energy.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth used by the second candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0022] The second aspect of the present application provides a communication method:

[0023] The second network device determines the actual bandwidth of the Ethernet port. The second network device communicates with the first network device via the Ethernet port. The actual bandwidth is less than the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and greater than the currently occupied bandwidth of the first and second network devices. Based on the actual bandwidth, the second network device determines the target channel and non-target channels of the Ethernet port. The total bandwidth of the target channels is the actual bandwidth. The second network device disables PMA processing for the non-target channels and discards data from the non-target channels. The second network device receives data symbols from the target channel and performs PCS processing on the data symbols.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the second network device determines the actual bandwidth to be used by the Ethernet electrical port by:

[0025] The second network device determines a second candidate actual bandwidth to be used for the Ethernet electrical port based on the second network device's current actual bandwidth usage. The second network device receives the first candidate actual bandwidth to be used, determined based on the first network device's current actual bandwidth usage, from the first network device. The first network device and the second network device communicate via the Ethernet electrical port. The second network device determines the largest value between the first candidate actual bandwidth to be used and the second candidate actual bandwidth to be used as the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth to be used by the first candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0027] A third aspect of the present application provides a network device, used as a first network device, comprising a determination unit and a processing unit.

[0028] The determining unit is configured to determine an actual bandwidth to be used of an Ethernet port through which the first network device and the second network device communicate. The actual bandwidth to be used is less than a total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and greater than a currently occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device.

[0029] The processing unit is configured to determine the actual bandwidth to be used of the Ethernet electrical port according to the number of messages sent within a preset time period, through which the first network device communicates with the second network device.

[0030] The processing unit is further configured to set the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0031] The processing unit is further configured to process the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols.

[0032] The processing unit is further configured to distribute the data symbols to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, wherein the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0033] The processing unit is configured to distribute the filling symbols to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port except the target channel, and disable PMA processing of the non-target channels.

[0034] In one possible implementation,

[0035] A processing unit, specifically configured to receive multiple message data from the MAC at the RS;

[0036] The processing unit is specifically configured to repeat target message data among the plurality of message data in the RS;

[0037] The processing unit is specifically configured to indicate the repeated target message data as invalid data based on the bus valid data indication in the RS, and the bandwidth occupied by the invalid data plus the actual bandwidth to be used is equal to the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

[0038] In one possible implementation,

[0039] The processing unit is specifically used to reduce the main frequency of the PHY chip by N / M, where N is the actual bandwidth to be used and M is the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

[0040] In one possible implementation,

[0041] The determining unit is specifically configured to determine a first candidate actual bandwidth to be used for the Ethernet port according to the current actual bandwidth occupied by the first network device, wherein the actual bandwidth to be used is smaller than the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and larger than the current actual bandwidth occupied by the first network device and the second network device.

[0042] The determining unit is specifically configured to receive a second candidate actually usable bandwidth from the second network device, and determine the second candidate actually usable bandwidth according to the current actually occupied bandwidth of the second network device.

[0043] The determining unit is specifically configured to determine the bandwidth with the largest value among the first candidate bandwidth actually to be used and the second candidate bandwidth actually to be used as the bandwidth actually to be used.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth used by the second candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0045] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a network device used as a second network device, comprising a determination unit and a processing unit.

[0046] The determining unit is configured to determine an actual usable bandwidth of an Ethernet electrical port through which the first network device communicates with the second network device.

[0047] The processing unit is configured to determine a target channel and a non-target channel of the Ethernet electrical port according to the actual bandwidth to be used, wherein the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0048] The processing unit is further configured to disable PMA processing of non-target channels and discard data from the non-target channels;

[0049] The processing unit is further configured to receive data symbols from a target channel;

[0050] The processing unit is further configured to perform PCS processing on the data symbols.

[0051] In one possible implementation,

[0052] The determining unit is specifically configured to determine a second candidate actual bandwidth to be used for the Ethernet electrical port according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the second network device.

[0053] The determining unit is specifically configured to receive a first candidate actually usable bandwidth from the first network device, determined according to the current actually occupied bandwidth of the first network device, wherein the first network device communicates with the second network device via an Ethernet electrical port.

[0054] The determining unit is specifically configured to determine the bandwidth with the largest value among the first candidate bandwidth actually to be used and the second candidate bandwidth actually to be used as the bandwidth actually to be used.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth to be used by the first candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a network device, used as a first network device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the network device executes the method in the aforementioned first aspect.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a network device used as a second network device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the network device executes the method in the aforementioned second aspect.

[0058] A seventh aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium:

[0059] Instructions are stored thereon, and when a computer executes the instructions, the computer is caused to perform the method in any of the aforementioned aspects.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of power consumption ratio;

[0062] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario in this application;

[0063] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario in this application;

[0064] FIG4 is a flow chart of the communication method in this application;

[0065] FIG5a is a schematic diagram of a network device in this application;

[0066] FIG5 b is a schematic diagram of a network device in this application;

[0067] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a control code;

[0068] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a bus valid data indication in the present application;

[0069] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a bus valid data indication in this application;

[0070] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of PCS processing in this application;

[0071] Figure 10a is a schematic diagram of the ASSAM module at the transmitting end;

[0072] FIG10 b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device;

[0073] Figure 10c is a schematic diagram of the working principle of ACMB;

[0074] Figure 10d is a schematic diagram of the auto-negotiation extension page;

[0075] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the ASSAM module at the receiving end;

[0076] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the ASSAM module of the transmitting end in this application;

[0077] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the receiving end ASSAM module in this application;

[0078] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first network device in this application;

[0079] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second network device in this application;

[0080] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first network device or the second network device in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0081] The following describes the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0082] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, e.g., a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 2. In industrial and campus network configurations, a large number of Ethernet electrical interfaces are interconnected. In particular, campus access points (APs) and access switches generally use BASE-T electrical interfaces for interconnection. A large number of devices on industrial sites use electrical interfaces for interconnection. The communication method in this application can be applied to Ethernet electrical interface link interconnection scenarios, mainly involving scenarios where Ethernet interfaces between nodes are interconnected using cables, such as twisted pair cables or other cable media. Please refer to Figure 3. The above-mentioned Ethernet interface can be an interface between network devices or an interface between a network device and a terminal device.

[0084] Please refer to Figure 4, which describes a process of the communication method in this application:

[0085] 401. The first network device determines an actual bandwidth to be used for an Ethernet port. The first network device and the second network device communicate via the Ethernet port. The actual bandwidth to be used is less than the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and greater than the currently occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device.

[0086] The first network device in the present application can be, for example, the network device 1 in Figure 2, and the second network device can be, for example, the network device 2 in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 5a, in the Ethernet protocol, the medium access control layer (MAC), the reconciliation sublayer (RS) layer, and the physical layer (PHY) are divided, wherein the RS and the PHY communicate through the media independent interface (MII) interface. The MII interface is a standard interface connecting the MAC and the PHY. It is an Ethernet industry standard defined by IEEE-802.3. The MII interface provides interconnection technology between the MAC and the PHY, and between the PHY and the STA (Station Management). The interface supports data transmission rates of 10Mb / s and 100Mb / s, and the bit width of data transmission is 4 bits. The PHY includes a physical coding sublayer (PCS), an auto-negotiation sublayer (AUTONEG), and a physical medium attachment sublayer (PMA). Data is transmitted between network device 1 and network device 2 through four cable pairs, namely cable pair A, cable pair B, cable pair C, and cable pair D. Network device 1 and network device 2 have added an adaptive bandwidth compute (ABWC) module to the MAC. The ABWC module can count the number of messages passing through the interface according to a preset time interval, and based on this, determine the current actual occupied bandwidth, and then determine the actual bandwidth to be used based on the current actual occupied bandwidth. An adaptive symbol speed adjust module (ASSAM) module has been added to the PCS. Please refer to Figure 5b. The ASSAM module is specifically located between the medium-dependent coding (such as PAM16) and the symbol distribution module, and can replace the current symbol distribution module. Based on the above two modules, network device 1 and network device 2 have the ability to flexibly adjust the rate when communicating, which is introduced in detail below:

[0087] The ABWC modules of network devices 1 and 2 count the number of packets passing through the interfaces within a preset time interval to determine the current actual bandwidth usage. They then determine candidate bandwidth usage targets based on the current actual bandwidth usage. For example, if the current actual bandwidth usage is less than 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the candidate bandwidth usage targets are 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth; if the current actual bandwidth usage is less than 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth but greater than 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the candidate bandwidth usage targets are 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth; if the current actual bandwidth usage is less than 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth but greater than 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth, the candidate bandwidth usage targets are 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth; and if the current actual bandwidth usage is greater than 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the candidate bandwidth usage targets remain the total bandwidth. The RSs of network devices 1 and 2 transmit the candidate bandwidth usage targets they determine to the peer end via a control code, for example, by sending ordered sets containing the candidate bandwidth usage targets to the peer end via the MII interface. For example, referring to FIG. 6 , the ordered sets described above may be those reserved by the protocol (boxed in the figure). Network device 1 and network device 2 will determine the maximum candidate actual bandwidth to be used as the actual bandwidth to be used. For example, if the candidate actual bandwidth to be used determined by network device 1 is 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth, and the candidate actual bandwidth to be used determined by network device 2 is 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, then 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth will be determined as the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0088] 402. The first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0089] Taking network device 1 as the sending end and network device 2 as the receiving end as an example, after determining the actual bandwidth to be used, in order to adapt to the actual bandwidth to be used, network device 1 needs to reduce the effective bandwidth of the MII interface, thereby equivalently reducing the throughput of RS transmission to PCS.

[0090] In one possible embodiment, after the RS of network device 1 receives the message data and control code from the MAC through the MII interface, it removes part of the control code, repeats part of the message data, and indicates the repeated part of the message data as invalid data through the valid data indication, and indicates the remaining part of the data as valid data, so that the bandwidth occupied by the valid data is equal to the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0091] For example, referring to Figure 7, assuming the actual bandwidth to be used is 1 / 2 of the total bandwidth, the RS of network device 1 repeats message data D1 and D3 from the MAC twice, and indicates the two repeated message data D1 and the two repeated message data D3 as invalid data through valid data indication, while indicating the remaining data as valid data. It is not difficult to see that after the above operation, the following is achieved: valid data / total data = 1 / 2. For example, if the total bandwidth of the MII interface is 1 Gbps, after the above operation, the bandwidth of the MII interface is reduced to 500 Mbps.

[0092] In another example, referring to Figure 8 , assuming the actual bandwidth to be used is 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the RS of network device 1 repeats message data D2 and D5 from the MAC once and once, and indicates the repeated message data D2 and D5 as invalid data through valid data indication, while indicating the remaining data as valid data. It is not difficult to see that after the above operation, the following is achieved: valid data / total data = 3 / 4. For example, if the total bandwidth of the MII interface is 1 Gbps, after the above operation, the bandwidth of the MII interface is reduced to 750 Mbps.

[0093] 403. The first network device processes the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols;

[0094] Referring to Figure 9 , the RS of network device 1 sends the aforementioned valid data to the PCS. Taking 10G-BASE-T PHY as an example, the valid data is sent to the PCS via the XGMII interface. The PCS combines two XGMII data (32-bit) transmissions into 64-bit blocks and adds 1 bit of data or control indication to form a 65-bit code block. The 65-bit block is scrambled to form a 65-bit block. A total of 1723 bits are FEC-encoded (LDPC (1723, 2048)) by combining 25 blocks and appending 97 zeros and one auxiliary bit (aux) to form a 2048-bit code block. The 2048-bit code block is then formed after medium-dependent coding (PAM16) to form 512 data symbols, each containing 4 bits of information.

[0095] 404. The first network device distributes the data symbols to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0096] The PHY of the network device 1 determines the cable pair for which the PMA function needs to be disabled based on the actual bandwidth to be used. For example:

[0097] If the actual bandwidth to be used is 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for three cable pairs, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pairs B, C, and D.

[0098] If the actual bandwidth to be used is half of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for two cable pairs, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pairs C and D.

[0099] If the actual bandwidth to be used is 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for a cable pair, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pair D.

[0100] The network device 1 and the network device 2 may be pre-configured with the above information, so as to determine the cable pair that is normally operating and the cable pair that is disabled for PMA processing according to the actual application information.

[0101] The ABWC module of network device 1 sends the actual bandwidth to be used to the local RS, and the RS sends the actual bandwidth to be used to the ASSAM module. The ASSAM module is responsible for adjusting the symbol distribution method according to the actual bandwidth to be used. Please refer to Figure 10a. The ASSAM module is mainly composed of a buffer (such as FIFO or RAM), a PAD generation module, and a control module. The control module sets a counter with a count of 4 (1---4---1...). At the transmitting end, taking the actual bandwidth to be used as 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth as an example, the data symbol is written into the buffer at 3 / 4 of the clock frequency (F). Please refer to Figure 10b. Network device 1 and network device 2 are also equipped with an adaptive clock management block (ACMB) module. The ACMB module can be set inside the PHY chip or exist independently. Preferably, considering the clock SI and chip integration, ACMB can be integrated inside the PHY chip. Referring to Figure 10c, the aforementioned 3 / 4 clock frequency (F) can be achieved using the method shown in Figure 10c, where Fin is the reference clock input. The main modules are the ACMB, PFD (Phase and Frequency Detector), charge pump (CP), loop filter, and VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator). The PFD processes the input reference clock (FREF) and the VCO feedback clock FFB to generate frequency and phase difference signals. After passing through the CP and loop filter, the signal is input to the VCO for frequency and phase adjustment. After frequency division, the new FFB clock is generated and sent back to the PFD. After multiple closed-loop control cycles, the desired clock is achieved. Achieving 3 / 4 or other ratios of the main frequency F can be achieved by inputting the actual bandwidth to the ACMB module. After analysis by the ACMB module, the PLL internal frequency multiplication parameters (N / M / C0 / C1 / C2) are adjusted. When the counter counts 1, 2, and 3, the control module reads the data symbol. When the counter counts 4, the control module inserts the pad symbol. The read buffer follows the F read rate. The buffer's output bandwidth is the total bandwidth, consisting of 3 / 4 of the bandwidth occupied by the data symbol and 1 / 4 of the bandwidth occupied by the pad symbol. These symbols are then distributed to the four cable pairs in a round robin fashion. The data symbol is distributed to cable pairs A, B, and C and sent to network device 2.

[0102] 405. The first network device distributes the fill symbol to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port except the target channel, and disables PMA processing of the non-target channels.

[0103] All pad symbols are distributed to cable pair D, and PMA processing on cable pair D is turned off.

[0104] Based on the actual bandwidth usage, network device 2 determines whether to disable PMA processing for cable pair D, while the remaining cable pairs operate normally. Referring to Figure 11, network device 2 receives a pad symbol from cable pair D and data symbols from the remaining cable pairs. When the counter reaches 1, 2, or 3, the control module writes the data symbol into the buffer. When the counter reaches 4, the control module discards the pad symbol. The data symbol is then read from the buffer using a 3 / 4 F (implementation similar to that described above). The PCS sends the data to the RS via the MII interface, which parses the data and sends it to the MAC.

[0105] Of course, network device 1 can also negotiate with network device 2 to determine whether network device 2 has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate. Exemplarily, network device 1 and network device 2 can negotiate through the auto-negotiation extension page, please refer to Figure 10d, for example, the D0 reserved bit of AUTONEG BASE-PAGE, when the reserved bit is 1, it indicates that the network device has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate; when the reserved bit is 0, it indicates that the network device does not have the ability to flexibly adjust the rate. The aforementioned process is executed only if network device 1 determines that network device 2 has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate. Network device 2 can also act as a transmitter, and correspondingly, network device 1 acts as a receiver. The communication method between the two is similar to that described above and will not be repeated here.

[0106] In this application, in the case of maintaining low traffic for a long time, pad symbols are distributed to some channels of the Ethernet electrical port and the PMA processing of these channels is disabled, thereby reducing the power consumption of the Ethernet electrical port and lowering OPEX.

[0107] The above describes one process of the communication method in this application. The following describes another process of the communication method in this application:

[0108] A01. A first network device determines an actual bandwidth to be used for an Ethernet port. The first network device and a second network device communicate via the Ethernet port. The actual bandwidth to be used is less than the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and greater than the currently occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device.

[0109] Taking network device 1 as the sending end and network device 2 as the receiving end as an example, the ABWC modules of network device 1 and network device 2 count the number of packets passing through the interface at a preset time interval, and based on this, determine the current actual occupied bandwidth. Then, the actual bandwidth to be used is determined based on the current actual occupied bandwidth. The specific process is similar to that described in the aforementioned step 401 and will not be repeated here.

[0110] A02. The first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0111] In order to adapt to the actual bandwidth to be used, the network device 1 needs to reduce the bandwidth of the MII interface, thereby equivalently reducing the throughput of RS transmission to PCS.

[0112] ACMB receives control codes (ordered sets) carrying the actual bandwidth, transmitted by the ABWC module via the MII interface. The ACMB module then reduces the PHY chip's main frequency by N / M, where N is the actual bandwidth and M is the total bandwidth. For example, if the actual bandwidth is 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the ACMB module reduces the PHY chip's main frequency to 3 / 4 of the original main frequency (F); if the actual bandwidth is 2 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the ACMB module reduces the PHY chip's main frequency to 2 / 4 of F; and if the actual bandwidth is 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, the ACMB module reduces the PHY chip's main frequency to 1 / 4 of F.

[0113] Referring again to Figure 10c, the PHY chip's main frequency can be reduced by inputting the actual bandwidth into the ACMB module. The ACMB module then analyzes the parameters (M, N, Cx) required for PLL frequency conversion, ultimately obtaining a main frequency (Foutx) that matches the actual bandwidth. Since bandwidth is equal to the main frequency multiplied by the bit width, reducing the PHY chip's main frequency effectively reduces the bandwidth of the MII interface.

[0114] A03. The first network device processes the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols;

[0115] Afterwards, the RS sends the message data to the PCS. Taking 10G-BASE-T PHY as an example, the message data is sent to the PCS through the XGMII interface. The PCS combines two XGMII data (32-bit) transmissions into 64 bits and adds 1 bit of data or control indication to form a 65-bit code block. After scrambling, the 65-bit block is formed. A total of 1723 bits are added to 25 blocks and 97 zeros and an auxiliary bit (aux) are added. The FEC encoding (LDPC (1723, 2048)) forms a 2048-bit code block. After medium-dependent coding (PAM16), 512 data symbols are formed, each of which contains 4 bits of information.

[0116] A04. The first network device distributes the data symbols to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0117] The PHY of the network device 1 determines the cable pair for which the PMA function needs to be disabled based on the actual bandwidth to be used. For example:

[0118] If the actual bandwidth to be used is 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for three cable pairs, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pairs B, C, and D.

[0119] If the actual bandwidth to be used is half of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for two cable pairs, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pairs C and D.

[0120] If the actual bandwidth to be used is 3 / 4 of the total bandwidth, disable PMA processing for a cable pair, for example, disable PMA processing for cable pair D.

[0121] Similarly, the ASSAM module is responsible for adjusting the symbol distribution method based on the actual bandwidth to be used. Please refer to Figure 12. At the transmitting end, taking the actual bandwidth to be used as 1 / 4 of the total bandwidth as an example, the data symbol is written into the buffer at 1 / 4 of the clock frequency (F). When the counter counts to 1, the control module reads out the data symbol. When the counter counts to 2, 3, or 4, the control module inserts the pad symbol, where the buffer is read according to F. The output bandwidth of the buffer is the total bandwidth, including 1 / 4 of the bandwidth occupied by the data symbol and 3 / 4 of the bandwidth occupied by the pad symbol. The above symbols are then distributed to the four cable pairs according to round robin, where the data symbol is distributed to cable pair A and sent to network device 2.

[0122] A05. The first network device distributes the fill symbol to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port except the target channel, and disables PMA processing of the non-target channels.

[0123] The pad symbols are all distributed to cable pair B, cable pair C, and cable pair D, and PMA processing for cable pair B, cable pair C, and cable pair D is turned off.

[0124] Based on the actual bandwidth usage, network device 2 determines whether to disable PMA processing for cable pairs B, C, and D. The remaining cable pairs remain in normal use. Referring to Figure 13, at the receiving end, when the counter reaches 1, the control module writes the data symbol into the buffer. When the counter reaches 2, 3, or 4, the control module discards the pad symbol. The data symbol is then read from the buffer at 1 / 4 of F. The PCS sends the data to the RS via the MII interface. The RS parses the data and sends it to the MAC.

[0125] Of course, network device 1 can also negotiate with network device 2 to determine whether network device 2 has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate. For example, network device 1 and network device 2 can negotiate using an auto-negotiation extension page, such as the reserved bit D0 in the AUTONEG BASE-PAGE. When this reserved bit is 1, it indicates that the device has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate; when this reserved bit is 0, it indicates that the device does not have the ability to flexibly adjust the rate. Only if network device 1 determines that network device 2 has the ability to flexibly adjust the rate will the aforementioned process be executed.

[0126] In this application, in the case of maintaining low traffic for a long time, pad symbols are distributed to some channels of the Ethernet electrical port and the PMA processing of these channels is disabled, thereby reducing the power consumption of the Ethernet electrical port and lowering OPEX.

[0127] The above describes the method in this application. The following describes the device in this application:

[0128] Please refer to FIG. 14 . The first network device 1400 in this application includes a determining unit 1401 and a processing unit 1402 .

[0129] The determining unit 1401 is configured to determine an actual bandwidth to be used for an Ethernet electrical port, where a first network device and a second network device communicate via the Ethernet electrical port, and the actual bandwidth to be used is less than a total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port and greater than a currently actually occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device.

[0130] The processing unit 1402 is configured to set the effective bandwidth of the MII interface as the actual bandwidth to be used.

[0131] The processing unit 1402 is further configured to process the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols.

[0132] The processing unit 1402 is further configured to distribute the data symbols to the target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0133] The processing unit 1402 is configured to distribute the filling symbols to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port except the target channel, and disable PMA processing of the non-target channels.

[0134] In one possible implementation,

[0135] The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to receive multiple message data from the MAC at the RS;

[0136] The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to repeat target message data among the multiple message data in the RS;

[0137] The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to indicate the repeated target message data as invalid data based on the bus valid data indication in the RS, and the bandwidth occupied by the invalid data plus the actual bandwidth to be used equals the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

[0138] In one possible implementation,

[0139] The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to reduce the main frequency of the PHY chip by N / M, where N is the actual bandwidth to be used and M is the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

[0140] In one possible implementation,

[0141] The determining unit 1401 is specifically configured to determine a first candidate actual usable bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the first network device.

[0142] The determining unit 1401 is specifically configured to receive a second candidate actually usable bandwidth from the second network device, which is determined according to the current actually occupied bandwidth of the second network device.

[0143] The determining unit 1401 is specifically configured to determine the bandwidth with the largest value among the first candidate bandwidth actually to be used and the second candidate bandwidth actually to be used as the bandwidth actually to be used.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth used by the second candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0145] Please refer to FIG. 15 . The second network device 1500 in this application includes a determining unit 1501 and a processing unit 1502 .

[0146] The determining unit 1501 is configured to determine an actual bandwidth to be used of an Ethernet port through which a first network device and a second network device communicate. The actual bandwidth to be used is less than a total bandwidth of the Ethernet port and greater than a currently occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device.

[0147] The processing unit 1502 is configured to determine a target channel and non-target channels of the Ethernet port according to the actual bandwidth to be used, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used;

[0148] The processing unit 1502 is further configured to disable PMA processing of non-target channels and discard data from the non-target channels;

[0149] The processing unit 1502 is further configured to receive data symbols from a target channel;

[0150] The processing unit 1502 is further configured to perform PCS processing on the data symbols.

[0151] In one possible implementation,

[0152] The determining unit 1501 is specifically configured to determine a second candidate actual usable bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the second network device.

[0153] The determining unit 1501 is specifically configured to receive a first candidate actual usable bandwidth from a first network device, determined according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the first network device, wherein the first network device communicates with the second network device via an Ethernet electrical port.

[0154] The determining unit 1501 is specifically configured to determine the bandwidth with the largest value among the first candidate bandwidth actually to be used and the second candidate bandwidth actually to be used as the bandwidth actually to be used.

[0155] In a possible implementation, the actual bandwidth to be used by the first candidate is carried in ordered sets.

[0156] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided by the present application, which is used to implement the methods performed by the first network device or the second network device in each of the aforementioned embodiments. Device 1600 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) 1601 and a memory 1605, wherein the memory 1605 stores one or more applications or data.

[0157] Memory 1605 may be volatile or persistent storage. The program stored in memory 1605 may include one or more modules, each of which may include a series of instruction operations on the server. Furthermore, central processing unit 1601 may be configured to communicate with memory 1605 and execute the series of instruction operations in memory 1605 on device 1600. Device 1600 may also include one or more power supplies 1602, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 1603, one or more input / output interfaces 1604, and / or one or more operating systems.

[0158] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0159] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0160] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0161] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0162] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The first network device determines an actual bandwidth to be used of an Ethernet electrical port through which the first network device communicates with a second network device, the actual bandwidth to be used being less than a total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port and greater than currently actually occupied bandwidths of the first network device and the second network device; The first network device sets the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual usable bandwidth; The first network device processes the message data received from the MII interface to obtain data symbols; The first network device distributes the data symbols to a target channel of the Ethernet electrical port for transmission, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actually usable bandwidth; The first network device distributes the fill symbols to non-target channels of the Ethernet electrical port except the target channel, and disables PMA processing of the non-target channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first network device setting the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used includes: The first network device receives a plurality of message data from the MAC at the RS; The first network device repeats the target message data among the multiple message data at the RS; The first network device indicates the repeated target message data as invalid data based on the bus valid data indication in RS, and the bandwidth occupied by the invalid data plus the actual bandwidth to be used is equal to the total bandwidth of the Ethernet port.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first network device setting the effective bandwidth of the MII interface to the actual bandwidth to be used includes: The first network device reduces the main frequency of the PHY chip by N / M, where N is the actual bandwidth to be used and M is the total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first network device determines the actual bandwidth to be used by the Ethernet electrical port, including: The first network device determines, according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the first network device, a first candidate actual usable bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port; The first network device receives, from the second network device, a second candidate actual bandwidth to be used determined according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the second network device; The first network device determines the one with the largest value between the first candidate actually usable bandwidth and the second candidate actually usable bandwidth as the actually usable bandwidth.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The actual bandwidth used by the second candidate is carried in the ordered sets.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The second network device determines an actual bandwidth to be used of an Ethernet electrical port through which the second network device communicates with the first network device, wherein the actual bandwidth to be used is less than a total bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port and greater than a currently actually occupied bandwidth of the first network device and the second network device; The second network device determines, according to the actual bandwidth to be used, a target channel and a non-target channel of the Ethernet electrical port, where the total bandwidth of the target channel is the actual bandwidth to be used; The second network device turns off the PMA processing of the non-target channel and discards the data from the non-target channel; The second network device receives a data symbol from the target channel; The second network device performs PCS processing on the data symbols.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second network device determines the actual bandwidth that should be used by the Ethernet electrical port, including: The second network device determines, according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the second network device, a second candidate actual usable bandwidth of the Ethernet electrical port; The second network device receives, from the first network device, a first candidate actual bandwidth to be used determined according to the current actual occupied bandwidth of the first network device, and the first network device communicates with the second network device through the Ethernet electrical port; The second network device determines the one with the largest value between the first candidate actually usable bandwidth and the second candidate actually usable bandwidth as the actually usable bandwidth.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The actual bandwidth used by the first candidate is carried in the ordered sets.

9. A network device, used as a first network device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the access network device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. A network device, used as a second network device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the access network device executes the method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that Instructions are stored thereon, and when a computer executes the instructions, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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