US 2021/0176543 A1 · OPTICAL NETWORK SYSTEM

Abstract

In one embodiment, an optical network system including a plurality of optical switches configured to switch beams of light which are modulated to carry information, a plurality of host computers comprising respective optical network interface controllers (NICs), optical fibers connecting the optical NICs and the optical switches forming an optically-switched communication network, over which optical circuit connections are established between pairs of the optical NICs over ones of the optical fibers via ones of the optical switches, the optically-switched communication network which including the optical NICs and the optical switches.

Claims26

Dependent claims

An optical network system, comprising:

a plurality of optical switches configured to switch beams of light which are modulated to carry information;
a plurality of host computers comprising respective optical network interface controllers (NICs);
and
optical fibers connecting the optical NICs and the optical switches forming an optically-switched communication network, over which optical circuit connections are established between pairs of the optical NICs over ones of the optical fibers via ones of the optical switches, the optically-switched communication network including the optical NICs and the optical switches.

1 more element

A network interface controller (NIC) device, comprising:

at least one network interface port comprising at least one optical transmitter and at least one optical receiver configured to be connected to an optically-switched communication network, over which optical circuit connections from the NIC device are established, optically-switched communication network including optical switches and other optical NICs;
and
a device controller configured to:
manage queueing of packets awaiting transmission over the optically-switched communication network;
and
manage sending the packets in optical signals from the at least one optical transmitter over the optically-switched communication network responsively to data about establishment of the optical circuit connections.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

16/823,387Filed 19 Mar 2020

Priority

GR 201901005465 Dec 2019

Published

10 Jun 2021

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04Q 11/0005
Using optical switching: switch and router aspects
H04Q 11/0066
Network aspects: provisions for optical burst or packet networks
H04Q 11/0071
Network aspects: provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
H04Q 11/0421
For time-division multiplexing: circuit arrangements therefor

Optical network system

Life of this patent

Optical network system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26