The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the field of fiber optics transceivers and particularly to circuits used within the transceivers to accomplish control, setup, monitoring, and identification operations.
The SFF-8472, XFP and DWDM standards provide mechanisms for monitoring the internal status of optoelectronic transceivers. These standards require both an electrical and mechanical connection to a transceiver to receive status information from the transceiver. In some contexts, users may want to check or monitor the status of a transceiver, or a set of transceivers, without having to form an electrical and mechanical connection to the transceiver.
In one embodiment, there is provided an optoelectronic transceiver, including a laser transmitter, a photodiode receiver, an optical transmitter, and circuitry. The circuitry includes memory, which includes one or more memory arrays for storing information related to the transceiver. The circuitry also includes analog to digital conversion circuitry for receiving a plurality of analog signals from the laser transmitter and photodiode receiver, converting the received analog signals into digital values, and storing the digital values in predefined locations within the memory. The circuitry further includes a status transmitter for reading from the memory and transmitting via the optical transmitter transceiver status information corresponding to a plurality of the digital values stored in the memory.
In another embodiment, there is provided a portable status monitor including an optical receiver, a visual interface and circuitry. The optical receiver receives optical signals containing status information from a transceiver. The circuitry includes memory, which includes one or more memory arrays for storing information related to the status monitor. The circuitry also includes circuitry for receiving a plurality of signals from the optical receiver converting the received signals into digital values, and storing the digital values in predefined locations within the memory. The circuitry further includes a processor for reading from the memory and displaying via the visual interface transceiver status information corresponding to a plurality of the digital values stored in the memory, wherein the transceiver status information includes information associated with an operating condition of the transceiver selected from the set consisting of a power supply voltage level, a bias current level, a received optical power level, a transmitter output power level, an internal temperature.
In some embodiments, the digital values include a flag value associated with an operating condition of the transceiver, and the displayed transceiver status information includes information corresponding to the flag value.
In some embodiments, the digital values include a plurality of flag values associated with at least one operating condition of the transceiver, and the displayed transceiver status information includes information corresponding to at least one of the flag values.
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
In some embodiments, the transceiver 100 includes comparison logic for comparing digital values with limit values to generate flag values. The flag values may be stored in predefined locations within the memory 110 during the operation of the optoelectronic transceiver 100. The status transmitter 108 may be configured to read from the memory 110 and transmit via the optical transmitter 114 transceiver information corresponding to a plurality of the flag values stored in memory 110.
Status flags 202 may include comparisons of operating conditions with warning alarms. In some embodiments, status flags 202 may include low and high level alarm flags.
Monitored values 204 may include values associated with an operating condition of the transceiver, such as a power supply voltage level, a bias current level, a received optical power level, a transmitter output power level, an internal temperature.
Control values 206 may include values associated with controlling the operation of the fiber optics transceiver.
Identifying information 208 may include information identifying the transceiver, such as the serial number of the transceiver or other types of identifiers.
In some embodiments where a microprocessor is used, the memory may include control programs 210, monitoring programs 212, and status monitor 214. Control programs 210 may include programs used in the operation of the laser transmitter and photodiode receiver.
After a predefined wait period 302, the process 300 begins. The transceiver first sends out a synch pattern 304 to the portable status monitor. Information identifying the transceiver is then read and sent 306. Status flags are also read and sent 308. The transceiver then reads and sends monitored values 310. A checksum for purposes of validation is then computed and sent 312. In some embodiments, the checksum of each status information packet is a function of the data in the status information packet, e.g., the status flags, the information identifying the transceiver and the monitored values. The checksum value may be a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) checksum, generated using a predefined polynomial function (e.g., the well-known 32-bit Ethernet CRC polynomial) or any other suitable checksum function. After another wait period 302, the method 300 is repeated.
While the method 300 includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a specific order, it should be apparent that the method can include more or fewer operations, an order of two or more operations may be changed, and/or two or more of the operations may be combined into a single operation. For instance, the order of operations 306, 308 and 310 may be changed. Similarly, in some embodiments, operation 308 or 310 or both may be omitted.
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.