# US 10,374,714 B2 · Method for online switching of operation mode of ONT, ONT and OLT > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,374,714 B2 - Document ID: US10374714B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/741,174 - Filed: 2016-05-12 - Published: 2018-07-12 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-30 - Assignees: Zte Corporation - Applicants: Zte Corporation - Inventors: Yangchun Zhang; Feng He; Sikun Xue - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10374714B2 ## CPC - H04B 10/2581: Multimode transmission - H04B 10/27: Arrangements for networking - H04Q 11/00: Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems (multiplex systems H04J) - H04Q 11/0067: {Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring} - H04Q 2011/0064: {Arbitration, scheduling or medium access control aspects} - H04Q 2011/0088: {Signalling aspects} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W) ## Abstract A method for online switching of an operation mode of an ONT comprises: receiving an OMCI message in an online state by the ONT, wherein the OMCI message carries an indication message for switching the operation mode; and switching the operation mode according to the indication message by the ONT. The above-mentioned method realizes changing of an operation mode of an ONT in real-time in an online state based on the GPON standard, so that the ONT can flexibly operate in a gateway mode or a network bridge mode, and an operator management system only needs to change the operation mode of the ONT through a standard OMCI message according to a local network requirement. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for online switching of an operation mode of an optical network terminal, comprising: receiving, by the optical network terminal, an optical network unit (ONU) management and control interface (OMCI) message in an online state, the OMCI message carrying an indication message for switching the operation mode; and switching, by the optical network terminal, the operation mode to a network bridge mode or a gateway mode according to the indication message, wherein the indication message for switching the operation mode comprises an attribute value of a non-OMCI management identifier for a UNI-G instance to which a target Ethernet user network interface belongs. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: before switching the operation mode according to the indication message, testing, by the optical network terminal, whether or not a current Ethernet user network interface (UNI) port can accept a non-OMCI protocol management, and whether or not a virtual Ethernet interface instance to which the current Ethernet UNI port is pointing exists, and in a case where the current Ethernet user network interface (UNI) port can accept the non-OMCI protocol management, and the virtual Ethernet interface instance to which the current Ethernet UNI port is pointing exists, switching the operation mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein switching the operation mode according to the indication message comprises identifying, by the optical network terminal, a target operation mode to be used by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier from a data of the UNI-G instance carried by the OMCI message, identifying, by the optical network terminal, a current operation mode by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier for the UNI-G instance to which a current Ethernet UNI port belongs, and switching the operation mode in a case where the current operation mode is not identical to the target operation mode to be used. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein switching the operation mode according to the indication message comprises identifying, by the optical network terminal, a target operation mode to be used by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier from a data of the UNI-G instance carried by the OMCI message, identifying, by the optical network terminal, a current operation mode by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier for the UNI-G instance to which a current Ethernet UNI port belongs, and switching the operation mode in a case where the current operation mode is not identical to the target operation mode to be used. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein switching the operation mode by the optical network terminal comprises: in a case where the current operation mode is the gateway mode and the target operation mode to be used is the network bridge mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port into an OMCI protocol management domain to manage them, and establishing a data link for the Ethernet UNI port in the network bridge mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the network bridge device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein switching the operation mode by the optical network terminal comprises: in a case where the current operation mode is the gateway mode and the target operation mode to be used is the network bridge mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port into an OMCI protocol management domain to manage them, and establishing a data link for the Ethernet UNI port in the network bridge mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the network bridge device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein switching the operation mode by the optical network terminal comprises: in a case where the current operation mode is the network bridge mode and the target operation mode to be used is the gateway mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port out of an OMCI protocol management domain so that only a checking of state information and statistical information of the Ethernet UNI port under an OMCI protocol is supported, and establishing a data link between the Ethernet UNI port and a virtual Ethernet interface in the gateway mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the gateway device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein switching the operation mode by the optical network terminal comprises: in a case where the current operation mode is the network bridge mode and the target operation mode to be used is the gateway mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port out of an OMCI protocol management domain so that only a checking of state information and statistical information of the Ethernet UNI port under an OMCI protocol is supported, and establishing a data link between the Ethernet UNI port and a virtual Ethernet interface in the gateway mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the gateway device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed, realizing the method of claim 1 applied at an optical network terminal side for online switching of an operation mode of an optical network terminal. ### Claim 10 An optical network terminal, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive an optical network unit (ONU) management and control interface (OMCI) message in an online state, wherein the OMCI message carries an indication message for switching an operation mode; and a switching module configured to switch the operation mode to a network bridge mode or a gateway mode according to the indication message, wherein the indication message for switching the operation mode comprises an attribute value of a non-OMCI management identifier for a UNI-G instance to which a target Ethernet user network interface belongs. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The optical network terminal according to claim 10, further comprising: a testing module configured to test whether or not a current Ethernet user network interface (UNI) port can accept a non-OMCI protocol management and whether or not a virtual Ethernet interface instance to which the current Ethernet UNI port is pointing exists, and to notify the switching module to switch the operation mode in a case where the current Ethernet user network interface (UNI) port can accept the non-OMCI protocol management and the virtual Ethernet interface instance to which the current Ethernet UNI port is pointing exists. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The optical network terminal according to claim 10, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode according to the indication message by identifying a target operation mode to be used by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier from a data of the UNI-G instance carried by the OMCI message, identifying a current operation mode by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier for the UNI-G instance to which a current Ethernet UNI port belongs, and switching the operation mode in a case where the current operation mode is not identical to the target operation mode to be used. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The optical network terminal according to claim 11, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode according to the indication message by identifying a target operation mode to be used by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier from a data of the UNI-G instance carried by the OMCI message, identifying a current operation mode by reading the attribute value of the non-OMCI management identifier for the UNI-G instance to which a current Ethernet UNI port belongs, and switching the operation mode in a case where the current operation mode is not identical to the target operation mode to be used. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The optical network terminal according to claim 12, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode by: in a case where the current operation mode is the gateway mode and the target operation mode to be used is the network bridge mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port into an OMCI protocol management domain to manage them, and establishing a data link for the Ethernet UNI port in the network bridge mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the network bridge device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The optical network terminal according to claim 13, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode by: in a case where the current operation mode is the gateway mode and the target operation mode to be used is the network bridge mode, bringing all instances relating to the current Ethernet UNI port into an OMCI protocol management domain to manage them, and establishing a data link for the Ethernet UNI port in the network bridge mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the network bridge device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The optical network terminal according to claim 12, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode by: in a case where the current operation mode is the network bridge mode and the target operation mode to be used is the gateway mode, bringing all instances relating to an Ethernet UNI port out of an OMCI protocol management domain so that only a checking of state information and statistical information of the Ethernet UNI port under an OMCI protocol is supported, and establishing a data link between the Ethernet UNI port and a virtual Ethernet interface in the gateway mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the gateway device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The optical network terminal according to claim 13, wherein the switching module is configured to switch the operation mode by: in a case where the current operation mode is the network bridge mode and the target operation mode to be used is the gateway mode, bringing all instances relating to an Ethernet UNI port out of an OMCI protocol management domain so that only a checking of state information and statistical information of the Ethernet UNI port under an OMCI protocol is supported, and establishing a data link between the Ethernet UNI port and a virtual Ethernet interface in the gateway mode, and, at the same time, enabling a series of functions essential to the gateway device. ### Claim 18 A method for online switching of an operation mode of an optical network terminal, comprising: establishing, by an optical line terminal, a data link for the optical network terminal through an optical network unit management and control interface (OMCI) protocol; and transmitting, by the optical line terminal, an OMCI message to the optical network terminal, wherein the OMCI message carries an indication message for switching the operation mode of the optical network terminal to a network bridge mode or a gateway mode, and the indication message for switching the operation mode comprises: an attribute value of a non-OMCI management identifier for a UNI-G instance to which a target Ethernet user network interface belongs. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed, realizing the method of claim 18 applied at an optical line terminal side for online switching of an operation mode of an optical network terminal. ### Claim 20 An optical line terminal, comprising: an establishment module configured to establish a data link for an optical network terminal through an optical network unit management and control interface (OMCI) protocol; and a transmission module configured to transmit an OMCI message to the optical network terminal to indicate the optical network terminal to switch an operation mode to a network bridge mode or a gateway mode, wherein the OMCI message carries an indication message for switching an operation mode of the optical network terminal, and the indication message for switching the operation mode comprises: an attribute value of a non-OMCI management identifier for a UNI-G instance to which a target Ethernet user network interface belongs.