Network Device Port State Control for Link Aggregation Power Saving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network devices with link aggregation fail to achieve sufficient power saving as they require continuous power to ports for Wake On LAN (WOL) and sleep notification packets, leading to increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A network device with individually controllable ports and a port state controller that determines whether link aggregation is set for a packet receiver port, keeping only the packet receiver port powered on while powering off other ports in the same aggregation group during sleep notifications, and powering all ports in the group back on for WOL packets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all ports in a link aggregation group are kept powered on to ensure rapid wake-up capability, then the network device can quickly restore service, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the link aggregation group into individual ports, allowing selective power control for each port. When a sleep notification packet is received at one port, only that specific port is powered off while other ports in the same aggregation group remain powered on, enabling differentiated power management across segments of the network interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different power states to different ports within the same link aggregation group. The packet receiver port that receives the sleep notification is powered off, while other ports maintain their powered-on state, creating localized power management rather than uniform power control across all ports.
2Use of energy by moving object
If ports are powered off during quiescent state to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but the time to restore service increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the power control at the port level within the link aggregation group, the system can restore only the specific port that received the sleep notification packet rather than powering on all ports, reducing the wake-up time penalty while maintaining energy savings.
Solution Approach 2:
Other ports in the link aggregation group are kept in a preliminary powered-on state as a preparatory action, so they can immediately take over or assist in restoring service without waiting for their own power-on sequence, thereby reducing overall wake-up time.
3Use of energy by moving object
If individual port power control is implemented in link aggregation, then energy saving efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network device performs self-service by automatically determining which port should be powered off based on which port received the sleep notification packet, and automatically managing the power states of ports within the link aggregation group without requiring external intervention or complex user configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the sleep notification packet reception to automatically trigger the appropriate power state changes in ports within the link aggregation group, creating a closed-loop control mechanism that simplifies operation while achieving energy savings.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device 200 for relaying packets includes a network interface 220, a forwarding engine 240, a state change controller 274, a device state controller 276 and a device information table 278. The state change controller 274 and the device state controller 276 cooperatively determine whether a packet receiver port that has received a sleep notification packet among a plurality of ports included in the network interface 220 has setting of link aggregation. When link aggregation is set for the packet receiver port, the state change controller 274 and the device state controller 276 keep the packet receiver port in a power ON state, while all other ports, which belong to an identical link aggregation group are to a power OFF state.