Frontplane communication network between multiple pluggable modules on a single faceplate
AssigneeCiena Corporation
InventorsKevin Estabrooks, Daniel Rivaud, Michael J. Wingrove
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pluggable module includes an interface configured to connect to a connector associated with a device having internal circuits; an optical interface configured to connect to a network path, to enable communication between the internal circuits and the network path; and a signal interface configured to connect to a second pluggable module in the device, wherein the signal interface connects to the second pluggable module as an out-of-band channel that operates independently from a backplane of the device and the internal circuits.
Claims20
A pluggable module comprising:
- an interface configured to connect to a connector associated with a device having internal circuits;
- an optical interface configured to connect to a network path, to enable communication between the internal circuits and the network path;
- and
- a signal interface configured to connect to a second pluggable module in the device, wherein the signal interface connects to the second pluggable module as an out-of-band channel that operates independently from a backplane of the device and the internal circuits.
A device comprising:
- a backplane;
- internal circuits communicatively connected to the backplane;
- one or more connectors communicatively coupled to the internal circuits and the backplane, wherein the one or more connectors are each configured to connect to a pluggable module of a plurality of pluggable modules,
- wherein the plurality of pluggable modules are configured to communicate to one another via an out-of-band channel that operates independently from the device.
A method comprising:
- providing a pluggable module that includes
- an interface configured to connect to a connector associated with a device having internal circuits;
- an optical interface configured to connect to a network path, to enable communication between the internal circuits and the network path;
- and
- a signal interface configured to connect to a second pluggable module in the device, wherein the signal interface connects to the second pluggable module as an out-of-band channel that operates independently from a backplane of the device and the internal circuits.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.