PoE electrical/optical data signal converter system
View Patent ↗An electrical/optical signal conversion system includes a PoE powering device with powering device electrical data ports, and a PoE powered device (PD) with a power controller coupled to PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems that each include an electrical/optical signal converter coupled to a PD electrical data port and a PD optical data port. The PD electrical data ports receive power and electrical data signals transmitted by a powering device electrical data port, transmit the electrical data signals to their electrical/optical signal converter, and provide the power to the power controller. The corresponding PD optical data port then receives power from the power controller that was provided by the PD electrical data port, receives optical data signals from the electrical/optical signal converter that were converted from the electrical data signals transmitted by the PD electrical data port, and transmits the optical data signals to a first optical signal device.
1. An Ethernet-electrical/Ethernet-optical signal conversion system, comprising:
a Power over Ethernet (PoE) powering device that includes a plurality of powering device Ethernet-electrical data ports; and
a PoE powered device that includes:
a power controller; and
a plurality of PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems that are each coupled to the power controller, wherein a first PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem of the plurality of PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems includes:
a first electrical/optical signal converter;
a first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port that is coupled to the first electrical/optical signal converter and connected to a first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port of the plurality of powering device Ethernet-electrical data ports on the PoE powering device, wherein the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port is configured to:
receive first Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port and transmit the first Ethernet-electrical data signals to the first electrical/optical signal converter; and
receive power transmitted by the first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port and provide the power to the power controller; and
a first powered device Ethernet-optical data port that is coupled to the first electrical/optical signal converter and connected to a first optical signal device, wherein the first powered device Ethernet-optical data port is configured to:
receive power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port;
receive first Ethernet-optical data signals from the first electrical/optical signal converter that were converted by the first electrical/optical signal converter from the first Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmit the first Ethernet-optical data signals to the first optical signal device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a second PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem of the plurality of PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems includes:
a second electrical/optical signal converter; and
a second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port that is coupled to the second electrical/optical signal converter and connected to a second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port of the plurality of powering device Ethernet-electrical data ports on the PoE powering device, wherein the second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port is configured to:
receive second Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port and transmit the second Ethernet-electrical data signals to the second electrical/optical signal converter;
a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port that is coupled to the second electrical/optical signal converter and connected to a second optical signal device, wherein the second powered device Ethernet-optical data port is configured to:
receive power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port;
receive second Ethernet-optical data signals from the second electrical/optical signal converter that were converted by the second electrical/optical signal converter from the second Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmit the second Ethernet-optical data signals to the second optical signal device.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device is a non-PoE enabled port that is not configured to transmit power.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical/optical signal converter includes a serializer/deserializer device.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PoE powered device includes:
a chassis that houses the power controller and the plurality of PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems, wherein the chassis is configured to be coupled to a rack that includes the PoE powering device.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PoE powered device includes:
a mirroring engine that is coupled to the first PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem, wherein the mirroring engine is configured to:
mirror the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port included in a second PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem of the plurality of PoE-powered signal conversion subsystems in the PoE powered device.
7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:
a power controller; and
a first Power over Ethernet (PoE)-powered signal conversion subsystem including:
a first electrical/optical signal converter;
a first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port that is coupled to the first electrical/optical signal converter and that is configured to:
receive first Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by a first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on a PoE powering device and transmit the first Ethernet-electrical data signals to the first electrical/optical signal converter; and
receive power transmitted by the first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device and provide the power to the power controller; and
a first powered device Ethernet-optical data port that is coupled to the first electrical/optical signal converter and that is configured to:
receive power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port;
receive first Ethernet-optical data signals from the first electrical/optical signal converter that were converted by the first electrical/optical signal converter from the first Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmit the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a first optical signal device.
8. The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising:
a second Power over Ethernet (PoE)-powered signal conversion subsystem including:
a second electrical/optical signal converter;
a second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port that is coupled to the second electrical/optical signal converter and that is configured to:
receive second Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by a second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device and transmit the second Ethernet-electrical data signals to the second electrical/optical signal converter; and
receive power transmitted by the second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device and provide the power to the power controller; and
a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port that is coupled to the second electrical/optical signal converter and that is configured to:
receive power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port;
receive second Ethernet-optical data signals from the second electrical/optical signal converter that were converted by the second electrical/optical signal converter from the second Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by the second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmit the second Ethernet-optical data signals to a second optical signal device.
9. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device is a non-PoE enabled port that is not configured to transmit power.
10. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the first electrical/optical signal converter includes a serializer/deserializer device.
11. The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising:
a chassis that houses the power controller and the first PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem, wherein the chassis is configured to be coupled to a rack that includes the PoE powering device.
12. The IHS of claim 7 , further comprising:
a second PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem; and
a mirroring engine that is coupled to the first PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem and the second PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem, wherein the mirroring engine is configured to:
mirror the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port included in the second PoE-powered signal conversion subsystem.
13. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port is a copper base-T RJ45 port, and wherein the first powered device Ethernet-optical data port is an optical Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) port.
14. A method for providing PoE-powered Ethernet-electrical to Ethernet-optical signal conversion, comprising:
receiving, by a first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on a PoE powered device, first Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by a first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on a PoE powering device;
receiving, by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powered device, power transmitted by the first powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device;
providing, by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powered device, the power to a power controller in the PoE powered device;
transmitting, by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powered device, the first Ethernet-electrical data signals to a first electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device;
converting, by the first electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device, the first Ethernet-electrical data signals to first Ethernet-optical data signals;
transmitting, by the first electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device, the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a first powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device;
receiving, by the first powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device, power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmitting, by the first powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device, the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a first optical signal device.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, by a second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powered device, second Ethernet-electrical data signals transmitted by a second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device;
transmitting, by the second powered device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powered device, the second Ethernet-electrical data signals to a second electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device;
converting, by the second electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device, the second Ethernet-electrical data signals to second Ethernet-optical data signals;
transmitting, by the second electrical/optical signal converter in the PoE powered device, the second Ethernet-optical data signals to a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device;
receiving, by the second powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device, power from the power controller that was provided by the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port; and
transmitting, by the second powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device, the second Ethernet-optical data signals to a second optical signal device.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second powering device Ethernet-electrical data port on the PoE powering device is a non-PoE enabled port that is not configured to transmit power.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first electrical/optical signal converter includes a serializer/deserializer device.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the PoE powered device includes a chassis, and wherein the method further comprises:
coupling the chassis to a rack that includes the PoE powering device.
19. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
mirroring, by a mirroring engine in the PoE powered device, the first Ethernet-optical data signals to a second powered device Ethernet-optical data port on the PoE powered device.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first powered device Ethernet-electrical data port is a copper base-T RJ45 port, and wherein the first powered device Ethernet-optical data port is an optical Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) port.