FlexE Subslot Bandwidth Utilization for Low-Rate Services

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current flexible Ethernet (FlexE) technologies face challenges in efficiently carrying low-rate services, resulting in excessively low bandwidth utilization, particularly with services like GE and ODU1, which are not adequately supported.

Innovation Solution

The method involves dividing FlexE slots into subslots based on bandwidth requirements, allowing for flexible mapping and overhead management through slot division, enabling improved bandwidth utilization by allocating different client services to distinct subslots and managing subslot overheads within the Ethernet framework.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a 1.25G GE signal is carried in a 5G FlexE slot, then the service can be transmitted, but the bandwidth utilization becomes excessively low

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice transmission capabilityVSAvoidbandwidth utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The FlexE slot is divided into multiple subslots, allowing the 1.25G GE signal to be mapped to a smaller portion of the total bandwidth. This segmentation enables more efficient allocation of bandwidth resources, improving utilization while maintaining service transmission capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of energy

If FlexE slot division is implemented to improve bandwidth utilization, then low-rate services can be efficiently carried, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebandwidth utilizationVSAvoidslot division management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the number and size of subslots based on the bandwidth requirements of different client services. This dynamic configuration allows the system to optimize bandwidth utilization for various service rates while managing complexity through adaptive rather than static slot division.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter of slot granularity by introducing subslots with configurable bandwidth sizes. This parameter change enables the system to match different service rate requirements (e.g., 1.25G, 2.5G, 5G) to appropriate subslot allocations, improving bandwidth utilization without requiring complete reconfiguration of the FlexE structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of energy

If FlexE slots are divided into subslots for low-rate services, then bandwidth utilization improves, but the overhead management becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebandwidth utilizationVSAvoidoverhead management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the overhead management of multiple subslots into a unified FlexE overhead structure. By combining the overhead handling mechanisms, the system improves bandwidth utilization through subslot division while avoiding proportional increases in overhead management complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3588837B1Service processing method and device
Publication Date: 2021.04.07 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3588837B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3588837B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3588837B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a service processing method and apparatus. According to the service processing method, a plurality of code blocks of a client service may be mapped to a FlexE subslot, and a FlexE subslot overhead is generated, so that the client service mapped to the FlexE subslot and the FlexE subslot overhead are sent through a physical channel, and a low-rate service is carried. Compared with carrying a low-rate service by directly using an entire FlexE slot, carrying the client service by using a plurality of FlexE subslots into which the FlexE slot is divided can improve bandwidth utilization.