Flexible Ethernet Timeslot Rerouting for PHY Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible Ethernet systems face service flow interruptions when a Physical Layer (PHY) in a bundling group fails, as all service data mapped to the failed PHY is disrupted, leading to transmission failures across the entire service flow.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dividing the bandwidth resource of each PHY into multiple timeslots, allowing service data to be mapped to different PHYs within the bundling group, with a timeslot configuration table that can be adjusted to reroute service data from a failed PHY to other operational PHYs, ensuring continuous transmission by switching the mapping relationships of idle and target timeslots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service data is mapped to a single PHY in the bundling group, then the mapping is simple and stable, but the service flow is interrupted when that PHY fails
Solution Approach 1:
The bandwidth resource of each PHY is divided into multiple timeslots, and service data is segmented and mapped to multiple different PHYs within the bundling group. This segmentation allows service flows to be distributed across multiple physical layers, so that when one PHY fails, the service data can be rerouted to other PHYs without complete interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The timeslot configuration table is made dynamic and adjustable, allowing the mapping relationship between service data and PHYs to be changed in real-time. When a PHY failure is detected, the system dynamically reroutes the service data from the failed PHY to other operational PHYs by adjusting the timeslot configuration, thereby maintaining service continuity while managing complexity through adaptive reconfiguration.
2Reliability
If service data is transmitted using multiple PHYs in the bundling group, then service continuity is maintained upon PHY failure, but the mapping and transmission complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures multiple PHYs in the bundling group and establishes a timeslot configuration table that defines mapping relationships before failures occur. This preliminary setup allows for rapid rerouting when failures happen, as the infrastructure for multi-PHY transmission is already in place and can be activated through configuration changes rather than requiring complex real-time decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The timeslot configuration table acts as an intermediary layer between service data and physical layer interfaces. It provides a flexible mapping mechanism that can be adjusted to route service data through different PHYs without requiring direct changes to the service data itself or the underlying physical layer hardware, thereby simplifying the overall operation while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If a PHY fails, then transmission reliability on that PHY is lost, but service flow interruption occurs across all mapped services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different PHYs within the bundling group to have different operational states (healthy or failed) while maintaining overall service transmission. When one PHY fails, only the service data mapped to that specific PHY is affected, while other service data transmitted through healthy PHYs continues uninterrupted. This localized impact minimizes the overall effect on service transmission efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The application provides a method and apparatus for transmitting a service flow based on a flexible Ethernet, where a bandwidth resource corresponding to a bundling group of a flexible Ethernet is divided into M timeslots, service data of at least one service flow is encapsulated in N timeslots in the M timeslots, and the method includes: when a first PHY in the bundling group fails, determining, based on a preconfigured first timeslot configuration table, a target timeslot in the N timeslots that is mapped to the first PHY; searching the M timeslots for an idle timeslot based on the first timeslot configuration table; adjusting the first timeslot configuration table when a quantity of idle timeslots in the M timeslots is greater than or equal to a quantity of target timeslots, so that all the N timeslots are mapped to other PHYs other than the first PHY in the bundling group, to obtain a second timeslot configuration table; and transmitting the at least one service flow based on the second timeslot configuration table by using the bundling group. Technical solutions provided in the application can effectively avoid service flow interruption.