Optical Bus Wavelength Management for Bandwidth Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network devices often become oversubscribed due to downstream bandwidth exceeding upstream capacity, leading to underutilization of available bandwidth and inefficient resource use, resulting in increased costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A network device with a port coupled to multiple computing devices via an optical bus, where electrical output signals are converted into optical signals with management signals selecting output lanes and assigning wavelengths, allowing for shared bandwidth and dynamic allocation among devices, reducing the need for multiple fibers and ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated connections of fixed bandwidth are provided to each computing device, then each device receives guaranteed bandwidth, but the number of fibers and ports increases, and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple dedicated fiber connections are merged into a shared optical bus. Instead of providing separate fibers to each computing device, the patent combines multiple devices onto a single optical bus where they share bandwidth dynamically, reducing the total number of fibers and ports while maintaining reliable connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical bus serves multiple computing devices simultaneously with a single connection interface. This multi-functional approach allows one optical bus to replace multiple dedicated connections, reducing system complexity while providing bandwidth access to all connected devices.
2Quantity of substance
If downstream bandwidth capacity is increased to meet total bandwidth requirements, then bandwidth availability improves, but the network device becomes oversubscribed and bandwidth utilization becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic bandwidth allocation on the optical bus, where bandwidth is not fixed but adjusts in real-time based on actual traffic demands. This dynamic approach allows efficient utilization of available bandwidth while preventing oversubscription, as devices receive bandwidth only when needed rather than having dedicated fixed allocations.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical bus maintains continuous bandwidth availability for multiple devices rather than having idle dedicated connections. By allowing multiple devices to share the bus continuously and dynamically, the system ensures that bandwidth is always being utilized by active devices, eliminating the waste of stranded bandwidth that occurs with dedicated connections when devices don't need full capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple network devices are added to meet total bandwidth requirements, then bandwidth capacity increases, but system complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple computing devices onto a single optical bus connected to one network device, replacing the need for multiple separate network devices. This consolidation reduces the total number of devices required, thereby reducing overall power consumption while still providing sufficient bandwidth capacity to meet total bandwidth requirements.
4Reliability
If dedicated fibers are provided to each computing device, then connection reliability is ensured, but the number of fibers and device ports increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple dedicated fiber connections into a single shared optical bus that serves multiple devices. This reduces the quantity of fibers from multiple dedicated connections to a single shared bus, while connection reliability is maintained through proper optical bus design and protocols.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient bandwidth sharing, reducing the number of fibers and device ports, increasing supported devices by a factor of four, decreasing power consumption and costs, while maximizing bandwidth utilization and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
produce an optical output signal representing a management signal and the plurality of output signals, where the management signal and the plurality of output signals are represented in the optical output signal by different wavelengths
Implementation Method 2
provides the optical output signal to each of the plurality of computing devices through the optical bus; receives, through the optical bus, an optical input signal
Implementation Method 3
the management signal and the plurality of output signals are represented in the optical output signal by different wavelengths
Data Source
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AI summary
Examples disclosed herein relate, in one aspect, to a method. The method may include determining an input bandwidth capacity of a network device comprising a network device port coupled to a plurality of computing devices; based on the input bandwidth capacity, generating a management signal, the management signal indicating a set of output lanes for each of the plurality of computing devices and indicating a different wavelength for each of the set of output lanes of each of a plurality of computing devices; sending the management signal to the plurality of computing devices through an optical bus; and receiving, through the optical bus, an optical signal comprising, for each computing device, a set of output signals from the set of output lanes indicated by the management signal, each output signal being represented by a wavelength indicated by the management signal.