Time transfer systems and methods over flexible ethernet
AssigneeCiena Corporation
InventorsSebastien Gareau, Marc Leclair
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Time transfer systems and methods in Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) between a first node and a second node include detecting a timestamp point of reference in FlexE overhead and sampling a time based thereon; communicating samples of the timestamp point of reference between the first node and the second node; and determining a time delay between the first node and the second node based on the samples.
Claims20
A time transfer method in Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) between a first node and a second node, the time transfer method comprising:
- detecting a timestamp point of reference in FlexE overhead comprising one of a boundary, a toggling bit or pattern, and a specific bit pattern, and sampling time based on detecting the timestamp point of reference, wherein the FlexE overhead is encoded as a 66b block and inserted on each PHY of a FlexE group;
- communicating samples of the time between the first node and the second node in the FlexE overhead;
- and
- determining a time delay between the first node and the second node based on the samples of the time.
A node configured to switch a Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) client service in a network, the node comprising:
- circuitry configured to detect a timestamp point of reference in FlexE overhead comprising one of a boundary, a toggling bit or pattern, and a specific bit pattern, and to sample time based on detection of the timestamp point of reference, wherein the FlexE overhead is encoded as a 66b block and inserted on each PHY of a FlexE group;
- circuitry configured to communicate samples of the time, with a second node, in the FlexE overhead;
- and
- circuitry configured to determine a time delay to the second node based on the samples of the time.
A node utilizing Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) and configured to determine time transfer to a second node, the node comprising:
- circuitry configured to obtain a first time sample from the second node based on a first timestamp point of reference in FlexE overhead detected at the second node, wherein the FlexE overhead is encoded as a 66b block and inserted on each PHY of a FlexE group;
- circuitry configured to detect a second time sample based on a second timestamp point of reference in the FlexE overhead, wherein the first timestamp point of reference and the second timestamp point of reference comprise one of a boundary, a toggling bit or pattern, and a specific bit pattern in the FlexE overhead;
- and
- circuitry configured to determine a time delay to the second node based on the first time sample and the second time sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.