Server Optical Transmission Error Correction via Software ECC
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high power consumption of large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) for forward error correction (FEC) codes poses a challenge for mounting them in small optical modules or servers, and the increased development costs for new LSIs with rising electrical signal speeds in small optical modules hinder cost-effective optical transmission.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a server with an optical transmission system that uses an error correction code (ECC) stored in a storage device, eliminating the need for an LSI for FEC, allowing for low-cost optical transmission by converting data and ECC into optical signals and performing error correction using the ECC, thereby reducing power consumption and development costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an LSI for FEC code is used to ensure error correction capability, then the error rate after correction can be reduced to meet reference requirements, but the power consumption increases significantly making it difficult to mount in small optical modules or servers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the error correction function from a dedicated FEC LSI and implements it using software processing in the control unit. The ECC functionality is taken out from hardware and realized through computational algorithms that process the error correction code stored in the storage device, thereby eliminating the need for high-power dedicated correction hardware while maintaining correction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the storage device's existing ECC functionality to serve the optical transmission error correction needs. The control unit leverages the ECC already present in the storage device to perform error correction on received optical signals, making the storage device's error correction capability serve dual purposes and eliminating the need for separate FEC hardware.
2Ease of manufacture
If the speed of electrical signal in small optical module is increased to reduce cost, then the cost of small optical module is reduced, but new LSI development is required which increases development costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the need for specialized high-speed FEC LSI hardware with software-based error correction processing in the control unit. This substitution eliminates the requirement for newly developing high-speed correction LSIs, as the control unit can handle error correction through software algorithms regardless of the optical module's electrical signal speed, thereby reducing development costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed to perform multiple functions including optical signal reception, data processing, and error correction using ECC. This multi-functional approach allows the same control unit to handle error correction across different optical module speeds without requiring speed-specific LSI designs, reducing overall system complexity and development costs.
3Productivity
If a 25 G-based optical signal is used in 100 G optical module, then the transmission capacity is improved, but the sensitivity of reception deteriorates and transmission distance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies error correction coding before transmission to cushion against the signal degradation that occurs at 25 G speeds. By pre-encoding the data with ECC in the control unit before converting to optical signals, the system builds in error correction capability that compensates for the reduced reception sensitivity and extended transmission distance challenges associated with 25 G optical signals.
Data Source
AI summary
A server that performs optical transmission using an optical transmission line includes a transmitter that transmits an optical signal to another server, a receiver that receives the optical signal from the other server, a storage device that stores data and an error correction code (ECC) added to the data, and a control unit that controls conversion of the data and the ECC into the optical signal, conversion of the optical signal into the data and the ECC, and error correction of the data using the ECC, and a transmission distance of the optical transmission line is a transmission distance for which an error rate does not exceed an allowable value of the error rate before correction which makes the error rate after correction based on the error correction using the ECC be equal to or less than a reference error rate.