US 12,500,668 B1Granted

Setup and training of links between host devices and optical modules including menu-based and multi-stage link training

AssigneeMarvell Asia Pte Ltd

InventorsTodd Rope, Ali Ghiasi, Whay Sing Lee

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Abstract

A host device includes a transmitter, an out-of-band electrical interface and a processor. The transmitter transmits in-band signals on an in-band electrical interface from the host device to an optical module. The in-band signals are data signals transmitted to test a link between the host device and the optical module. The out-of-band electrical interface transmits first out-of-band messages from the host device to the optical module, and receives second out-of-band messages from the optical module. The first and second out-of-band messages being control messages for testing the link. The processor performs tests to test the link and selects a set of transmitter settings based on the tests. The processor: i) subsequent to performing the tests, receives via the out-of-band electrical interface one of the second out-of-band messages including an indication of the selected set; and ii) in response to receiving the indication, sets the transmitter according to the selected set.

Claims44

Dependent claims

A host device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit in-band signals on an in-band electrical interface from the host device to an optical module, the in-band signals being data signals transmitted to test a link between the host device and the optical module;
an out-of-band electrical interface configured to transmit first out-of-band messages from the host device to the optical module, and receive second out-of-band messages from the optical module, the first out-of-band messages and the second out-of-band messages being control messages for testing the link;
and
a processor configured to:
i) perform a plurality of tests to test the link and to select a set of transmitter settings for the transmitter from among a finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings based on a result of the of the tests, wherein each of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings includes respective values for a corresponding plurality of different transmitter parameters and wherein each of the plurality of tests includes the processor:
a) setting the transmitter according to a respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings;
b) transmitting via the out-of-band electrical interface a respective one of the first out-of-band messages to the optical module to tune the optical module for reception of a respective one of the in-band signals on the in-band electrical interface;
and
c) transmitting the respective one of the in-band signals via the transmitter to the optical module, the respective one of the first out-of-band messages including an indication of the respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings to test for a current one of the plurality of tests;
ii) subsequent to performing the plurality of tests, receive via the out-of-band electrical interface one of the second out-of-band messages including an indication of the selected set of transmitter settings;
and
iii) in response to receiving the indication of the selected set of transmitter settings, set the transmitter according to the selected set of transmitter settings, the indication of the selected set of transmitter settings comprising at least one of an index value, a preset, and the selected set of transmitter settings.

9 more elements

An optical module comprising:

an out-of-band interface configured to receive first out-of-band messages on an out-of-band electrical interface transmitted from a host device to the optical module, and transmit second out-of-band messages from the optical module to the host device on the out-of-band electrical interface, the first out-of-band messages and the second out-of-band messages being control messages for testing a link between the host device and the optical module;
a receiver configured to receive in-band signals on an in-band electrical interface transmitted from the host device to the optical module, the in-band signals being data signals transmitted to test the link;
and
a processor configured to:
i) perform a plurality of tests to test the link and to select a set of transmitter settings for a transmitter of the host device from among a finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings based on a result of the tests, wherein each of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings includes values respectively for a plurality of different transmitter parameters, wherein each of the plurality of tests includes the processor:
a) receiving, via the receiver and on the out-of-band electrical interface, a respective one of the first out-of-band messages from the host device to tune the optical module for reception of a respective one of the in-band signals on the in-band electrical interface;
and
b) receiving the respective one of the in-band signals via the receiver from the host device, the respective one of the first out-of-band messages including an indication of a respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings of the host device to test for a current one of the plurality of tests;
ii) determine the selected set of transmitter settings that provides a signal integrity value greater than other signal integrity values provided respectively by the other ones of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings;
and
iii) transmit via the out-of-band electrical interface one of the second out-of-band messages including an indication of the selected set of transmitter settings, the indication of the selected set of transmitter settings comprising at least one of an index value, a preset, and the selected set of transmitter settings, and each of the signal integrity values being indicative of at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a bit error rate.

8 more elements

A host device comprising:

an out-of-band interface configured to transmit a plurality of out-of-band messages on an out-of-band electrical interface from the host device to an optical module, the plurality of out-of-band messages being control messages for testing a link between the host device and the optical module;
a receiver configured to receive a plurality of in-band signals on an in-band electrical interface from the host device, the in-band signals being data signals transmitted to test the link;
and
a processor configured to
i) perform a plurality of tests to test the link and select a set of transmitter settings for a transmitter of the optical module from among a finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings based on results of the plurality of tests, wherein each of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings includes values respectively for a plurality of different transmitter parameters, wherein each of the plurality of tests includes the processor:
a) selecting a respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings to test and transmitting, via the out-of-band electrical interface, a respective one of the plurality of out-of-band messages to the optical module to set the transmitter of the optical module for transmission of a respective one of the plurality of in-band signals on the in-band electrical interface, the respective one of the plurality of out-of-band messages including an indication identifying the respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings for a current one of the plurality of tests;
b) receiving via the receiver the one of the plurality of in-band signals;
and
c) determining a signal integrity value of the one of the plurality of in-band signals;
ii) based on the signal integrity values of the plurality of tests, to determine the selected set of transmitter settings providing a signal integrity value greater than other signal integrity values provided respectively by the other ones of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings, each of the signal integrity values being indicative of at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a bit error rate;
and
iii) signaling the optical module via the out-of-band electrical interface to set the transmitter of the optical module to the selected set of transmitter settings.

9 more elements

An optical module comprising:

an out-of-band electrical interface configured to receive a plurality of out-of-band messages transmitted from a host device to the optical module, the plurality of out-of-band messages being control messages for testing a link between the host device and the optical module;
a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of in-band signals on an in-band electrical interface to the host device, the in-band signals being data signals transmitted to test the link;
and
a processor configured to:
i) to perform a plurality of tests to the link and select a set of transmitter settings from among a finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings for the transmitter based on results of the plurality of tests, wherein each of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings includes values respectively for a plurality of different transmitter parameters, wherein each of the plurality of tests includes the processor:
a) receiving, via the out-of-band electrical interface, one of the plurality of out-of-band messages from the host device to set the transmitter for transmission of one of the plurality of in-band signals on the in-band electrical interface, the one of the out-of-band messages including an indication of a respective one of the finite plurality of sets of transmitter settings to test for a current one of the plurality of tests;
b) transmitting via the transmitter the one of the plurality of in-band signals;
and
c) determining a signal integrity value of the one of the plurality of in-band signals;
ii) based on the signal integrity values of the plurality of tests, to determine the selected set of transmitter settings provides a signal integrity value greater than other signal integrity values provided respectively by the other ones of the sets of transmitter settings of the transmitter, each of the signal integrity values being indicative of at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio, and a bit error rate;
and
iii) setting the transmitter to the selected set of transmitter setting.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.