System and method for using energy efficient ethernet to control energy efficiencies in lower layers
View Patent ↗A system and method for using energy-efficient Ethernet to control energy efficiency in lower layers. In one example, an energy-efficiency control policy in a first Ethernet device can be configured to determine a need for transitioning of at least a part of the first Ethernet device into an energy saving state. Based on such a determination, an energy-efficiency control signal can be transmitted from the first Ethernet device to a first non-Ethernet device. The receipt of the energy-efficiency control signal by the first non-Ethernet device is used to initiate a transition by the first non-Ethernet device into an energy saving state, which in turn may initiate a transition by downstream non-Ethernet devices into an energy saving state. This process creates a single unified energy-efficiency policy domain.
1. A method, comprising:
transitioning at least part of a first device into a first energy saving state in accordance with an energy efficiency control policy of the first device, the first device utilizing an Ethernet networking technology;
determining, using the first energy saving state, an energy efficiency control signal;
transmitting the energy efficiency control signal from the first device to a second device, the second device utilizing a second networking technology different from the Ethernet networking technology, wherein operation of energy efficiency functions of the second device is controlled at least in part by the energy efficiency control policy;
transitioning, using the energy efficiency control signal, the second device into a second energy saving state by controlling at least one feature of the energy efficiency functions of the second device using the energy efficiency control signal received from the first device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second device is coupled to a third device utilizing the second network technology different from the Ethernet networking technology, wherein the third device is coupled to a fourth device utilizing the Ethernet networking technology.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a first interface between the second and third devices is a coaxial cable link.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein a first interface between the second and third devices is a fiber optic link.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein a first interface between the second and third devices is a wireless link.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy efficiency control signal is an in-band control signal.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy efficiency control signal is an out-of-band control signal.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy efficiency control policy is based on IEEE 802.3.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
monitoring incoming traffic of the first device over a timeframe; and
transitioning at least part of the first device using the monitored incoming traffic.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first energy saving state is an idle state in response to determining the monitored incoming traffic is zero.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first energy saving state is a reduced transmission rate of a main rate of the first device in response to determining the monitored incoming traffic is under a threshold amount.
12. A system, comprising:
a first device utilizing an Ethernet networking technology, the first device comprising a memory including an energy efficiency control policy configured to transition, in response to determining the monitored transmission traffic is under a threshold amount, at least a part of the first device into a first energy saving state in accordance with an energy efficiency control policy of the first device, the first device utilizing an Ethernet networking technology, the first device configured to generate an energy efficiency control signal in response to transitioning to the first energy saving state using the monitored traffic and the first energy saving state and transmit the energy efficiency control signal to a second device, wherein the second device utilizes a second networking technology different from the Ethernet networking technology, and wherein the energy efficiency control signal is configured to modify operation of energy efficiency functions of the second device by controlling at least one feature of the energy efficiency functions of the second device to transition the second device into a second energy saving state.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second networking technology comprises a copper twisted pair link.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second networking technology comprises a coaxial cable link.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second networking technology comprises a fiber optic link.
16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second networking technology comprises a wireless link.
17. The system of claim 12 , wherein the energy efficiency control signal is an in-band control signal.
18. The system of claim 12 , wherein the energy efficiency control signal is an out-of-band control signal.
19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the energy efficiency control policy is based on IEEE 802.3.
20. A method, comprising:
monitoring incoming traffic of a first device over a timeframe;
transitioning, in response to determining the monitored traffic is under a threshold amount, at least part of the first device into a first energy saving state using an energy efficiency control policy of the first device in accordance with an energy efficiency control policy of the first device, the first device utilizing an Ethernet networking technology;
generating, using the monitored traffic and the first energy saving state, an energy efficiency control signal in response to transitioning the first device into the first energy saving state;
transmitting the energy efficiency control signal from the first device to a second device utilizing a second networking technology different from the Ethernet networking technology, wherein operation of energy-efficiency functions of the second device is controlled at least in part by the energy efficiency control policy; and
transitioning, using the energy efficiency control signal, the second device into a second energy saving state by controlling at least one feature of the energy efficiency functions of the second device using the energy efficiency control signal received from the first device.
21. The system of claim 12 , further comprising the second device.
22. The method of claim 2 , wherein a first interface between the second and third devices is a copper twisted pair link.