Flexible Ethernet Protocol Slot Assignment for Bandwidth Granularity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing Ethernet standards face challenges in accommodating bandwidth requirements that fall between standard rates, leading to resource waste and the inability to support specific service rates like 50 Gb/s or 200 Gb/s, necessitating a more flexible communication solution.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a flexible Ethernet protocol that allows for bonding, sub-rating, and channelization of Ethernet ports to support various MAC rates, using time division multiplexing to assign slots to services, enabling the simultaneous transmission of multiple services over a link group.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard Ethernet port rates are used, then implementation is simple and price is low, but bandwidth granularity cannot meet increasing actual application requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments a 100GE port into multiple 5G slots (20 slots total), allowing flexible allocation of bandwidth to different services. Each slot can be independently assigned to different MAC services, enabling precise bandwidth control at 5G granularity while maintaining the simplicity of standard Ethernet implementation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple Ethernet ports are bonded to support higher rates, then bandwidth capacity increases, but resource waste occurs when service rate does not match port rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic slot assignment where slots can be flexibly allocated to different MAC services based on actual bandwidth requirements. Services can be assigned 1-19 slots depending on their needs, allowing the system to adapt to varying service rates (5G, 10G, 15G, 20G, 50G, 100G) and eliminate resource waste through precise bandwidth matching.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standard Ethernet rates are used, then implementation is straightforward, but inability to support specific service rates like 50 Gb/s or 200 Gb/s occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal slot assignment mechanism that can support multiple service rates (5G, 10G, 15G, 20G, 50G, 100G) using a single 100GE port. The FlexE protocol layer provides multi-functionality by enabling bonding, sub-rating, and channelization, allowing one port to serve multiple different service rate requirements without requiring separate hardware for each rate.
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AI summary
A communication method, a communications device, and a storage medium are disclosed, to implement a flexible Ethernet protocol-based communication solution. In embodiments of this application, a first communications device receives, by using a link corresponding to a first FlexE group, first indication information sent by a second communications device, where for a slot in N slots of the first FlexE group, the first indication information is used to indicate that the second communications device has assigned a FlexE client to the slot, or used to indicate that the second communications device has not assigned a FlexE client to the slot; and the first communications device assigns the FlexE client to the slot in the N slots of the first FlexE group, or cancels, based on the first indication information, the FlexE client that has been assigned to the slot. In this way, the flexible Ethernet protocol-based communication solution is implemented. Further, because a slot assignment status of a communications device may be updated based on a slot assignment status indicated by indication information, slot assignment flexibility is improved.