Communications network using adaptable FEC

摘要

A node for a communications network has a converter for digitizing at a receiver clock rate a received optical signal received over an optical link from an optical transmitter at a source node, a framer for detecting frames and a forward error correction part for correcting errors in the payload of the frame. An error rate in the received payload part is monitored and a processor sends, according to the monitored error rate, a request to the optical transmitter to adapt a length of the transmitted forward error correction part and to adapt a clock rate of the transmission of the frame if FEC length is reduced or FEC is disabled. This can enable power saving, when less FEC information is being sent.

主权项

1. A node for a communications network, the node having:
a converter for digitizing at a receiver clock rate a received optical signal received over an optical link from an optical transmitter at another node to yield digital data; a framer for detecting frames in the digital data, the frames each having a payload part and a forward error correction part; an error corrector for correcting errors in the payload part of those the frames including errors using the forward error correction part of those frames; a monitor for monitoring an error rate in the received payload parts; and a processor arranged to, when the monitored error rate is determined to be less than a threshold, reduce a power consumption of at least the another node by causing a request to be sent to the optical transmitter to reduce a length of the transmitted forward error correction part in subsequent frames and also to decrease a clock rate of the transmission of the subsequent frames by an amount selected based upon the reduced length of the forward error correction part to maintain a same payload transmission rate.