Pseudo load sharing for power over ethernet applications

A method for providing pseudo load sharing in a network device, the method comprising:

• connecting each of a plurality of power supplies to a corresponding power rail;
• connecting each power rail to a corresponding group of power ports;
• and
• in a pseudo load sharing mode:
• monitoring, for each power supply, a corresponding output voltage;
• while each of the output voltages of each of the power supplies is at or above a threshold voltage, maintaining an electrical connection between each power supply with the corresponding group of power ports and isolating each power supply from the groups of power ports corresponding to other ones of the power supplies;
• and
• when the output voltages of each of one or more of the power supplies is below the threshold voltage, establishing an electrical connection between the groups of power ports corresponding to the one or more of the power supplies having the output voltages below the threshold voltage and one or more of the power supplies having output voltages at or above the threshold voltage.

A network device comprising:

• a plurality of power supplies, wherein each of the power supplies
• is connected to a corresponding power rail,
• in an operating state supplies a desired output voltage to the corresponding power rail, and in a failure state does not supply the desired output voltage to the corresponding power rail, and
• generates a corresponding power state signal indicating whether the power supply is in the operating state or the failure state;
• a plurality of equipment groups, each of the equipment groups connected to a corresponding one of the power rails;
• one or more switched links connected between the plurality of power rails;
• switch control circuitry which receives the power state signals from each of the power supplies and controls the one or more switched links based on the received power state signals,
• wherein in response to receiving from a first one of the plurality of power supplies a corresponding first power state signal indicating that the first power supply is in the in the failure state, the switch control circuitry controls a first one of the switched links between a first power rail corresponding to the first power supply and a second power rail corresponding to a second one of the power supplies, thereby enabling a first one of the plurality of groups connected to the first power rail to receive power from the second power supply.