Stacked Switch Hibernation Wake-Up via Ring Stacking Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for waking up switches in a stacked switch configuration, such as using a configured wake-up time, manual button pressing, or Wake-on-LAN (WoL) packets, lack flexibility, efficiency, or require costly Out of Band Management (OOBM) connections, leading to inefficient wake-up times.
Innovation Solution
A hibernation wake mechanism using stacking links in a ring topology, where a commander switch receives a notification and sends a wake-up signal via stacking links to all member switches, allowing each switch to boot up and propagate the signal to adjacent switches until all are awakened.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If Wake-on-LAN (WoL) packets are used to wake up switches, then switches can be remotely awakened, but costly Out of Band Management (OOBM) connections are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses stacking links as an intermediary medium to transmit wake-up signals between switches. Instead of requiring direct OOBM connections from controller to each switch, the wake-up signal is transmitted through the existing stacking link infrastructure that connects switches in the stack, thereby eliminating the need for costly OOBM connections while maintaining remote wake-up capability
Solution Approach 2:
The stacking links, which are already present for switch-to-switch communication, are made multi-functional by enabling them to carry both data traffic and wake-up signals. This eliminates the need for separate OOBM connections, as the same physical infrastructure serves dual purposes: normal switching operations and hibernation wake-up functions
2Ease of operation
If manual button pressing is used to wake up switches, then switches can be awakened, but each individual switch requires manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service wake-up by allowing switches to automatically wake up upon receiving wake-up signals transmitted through stacking links. The first switch that receives a wake-up signal automatically propagates it to other switches in the stack, eliminating the need for manual button pressing on each switch and enabling automated wake-up of the entire stack
3Productivity
If configured wake-up time is used to wake up switches, then all switches can be woken up together, but operational flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic wake-up signaling that allows flexible wake-up timing and triggering. Instead of relying on pre-configured static wake-up times, the system uses dynamic wake-up signals that can be triggered at any time and propagated through the stack, allowing both simultaneous wake-up of all switches and flexible operational control
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for facilitating wake-up on a stack of network devices are provided. During operation, the system receives, by a commander device of the stack of network devices, a notification which indicates that the commander device is to wake up from a hibernation state. The commander device boots up in response to receiving the notification. The commander device transmits a wake-up signal to a first member device of the stack of network devices via a first stacking link coupling to the first member device. The system allows the first member device to boot up from the hibernation state in response to detecting the wake-up signal and to transmit the wake-up signal to a second member device via a second stacking link coupling to the second member device.