US20100115316A1 - Method and system for managing energy efficiency of a network link via pluggable transceiver modules in an energy efficient network device - Google Patents

Abstract

An Ethernet network may comprise link partners that may be coupled via an Ethernet link. The link partners may comprise pluggable PHY devices. The pluggable PHY devices and/or other link partner devices may determine energy efficient network (EEN) control policies, may select a power level mode and may configure the link partners to operate in the power level mode. Some components may be reconfigured prior to sending an energy efficient network control signal to a link partner and configuring remaining components. Hardware, software and/or firmware may execute the pluggable PHY energy efficient network control policies. Packet data pending delivery may be buffered in the pluggable PHY. The pluggable PHY devices may comprise a MAC and/or a SERDES device. Exemplary form factors for the pluggable PHYs may comprise a SFP, a SFP+, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and/or a XPAK. Low power idle mode and/or sub-rate mode may be utilized.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
• This application makes reference to, claims priority to, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/111,653, filed on Nov. 5, 2008.
• This application makes reference to:
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/471,861 (Attorney Docket No. 20367US02) filed on May 26, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/470,785 (Attorney Docket No. 20368US02) filed on May 22, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/470,970 (Attorney Docket No. 20369US02) filed on May 22, 2009;
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/685,554 (Attorney Docket No. 18031US01) filed Mar. 13, 2007; and
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/473,205 (Attorney Docket No. 17396US02) filed Jun. 22, 2006.
• Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• Certain embodiments of the invention relate to networking. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for managing energy efficiency of a network link via pluggable transceiver modules in an energy efficient network device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Communications networks and in particular Ethernet networks, are becoming an increasingly popular means of exchanging data of various types and sizes for a variety of applications. In this regard, Ethernet networks are increasingly being utilized to carry voice, data, and multimedia traffic. Accordingly more and more devices are being equipped to interface to Ethernet networks. Broadband connectivity including internet, cable, phone and VOIP offered by service providers has led to increased traffic and more recently, migration to Ethernet networking. Much of the demand for Ethernet connectivity is driven by a shift to electronic lifestyles involving desktop computers, laptop computers, and various handheld devices such as smart phones and PDA's. Applications such as search engines, reservation systems and video on demand that may be offered at all hours of a day and seven days a week, have become increasingly popular.
• These recent developments have led to increased demand on datacenters, aggregation, high performance computing (HPC) and core networking. As the number of devices connected to data networks increases and higher data rates are required, there is a growing need for new transmission technologies which enable higher data rates. Conventionally, however, increased data rates often results in significant increases in power consumption. In this regard, as an increasing number of portable and/or handheld devices are enabled for Ethernet communications, battery life may be a concern when communicating over Ethernet networks. Accordingly, ways of reducing power consumption when communicating over Ethernet networks may be needed.
• Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• A system and/or method for managing energy efficiency of a network link via pluggable transceiver modules in an energy efficient network device, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
• Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet connection between two network devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet over twisted pair PHY device architecture comprising a multi-rate capable physical module, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary pluggable PHY device operable to implement an energy efficient network control policy.
• FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary copper based pluggable PHY device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary pluggable optical PHY device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps implementing an energy efficient network control policy in a pluggable physical layer device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Certain embodiments of the invention can be found in a method and system for managing energy efficiency of a network link via pluggable transceiver modules in an energy efficient network device. An Ethernet network may comprise one or more link partners that may be coupled via an Ethernet link. The one or more link partners may comprise one or more pluggable PHY devices. The pluggable PHY devices and/or higher layer devices may be operable to determine one or more energy efficient network control policies that may specify a power level mode for the one or more link partners, and the one or more link partners may be configured to operate in the specified power level mode. In various embodiments of the invention, a power level mode of operation may be selected based on the energy efficient network control policies. Accordingly, one or more components of the pluggable PHY devices may be reconfigured based on the selected power level mode of operation. A first portion of the one or more components may be reconfigured prior to sending an energy efficient network control signal to one or more of the link partners and reconfiguring a remaining portion of the one or more components. Hardware, software and/or firmware within the one or more pluggable PHY devices may be utilized to execute the one or more energy efficient network control policies. In some instances, while transitioning to an active power mode, packet data that may be pending delivery in the one or more pluggable PHY devices may be buffered. The one or more pluggable PHY devices may comprise one or both of a media access controller and/or a serializer de-serializer device. Exemplary form factors for the one or more pluggable PHY devices may comprise one or more of a SFP, a SFP+, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and a XPAK form factor. The power level mode may comprise low power idle mode and/or sub-rate mode.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet connection between a two network devices, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 1, there is shown asystem100 that comprises anetwork device102 and anetwork device104. In addition, there is shown twohosts106aand106b,twoMAC controllers108aand108b,apluggable PHY device110aand aPHY device110b,interfaces114aand114b,bus controller interfaces116aand116band alink112
• Thenetwork devices102 and104 may be link partners that may communicate via thelink112. The Ethernetlink112 is not limited to any specific medium and may utilize any suitable medium. Exemplary Ethernetlink112 media may comprise copper, optical and/or backplane technologies. For example, a copper medium such as STP, Cat3, Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 7 and/or Cat 7a as well as ISO nomenclature variants may be utilized. Additionally, copper media technologies such as InfiniBand, Ribbon and backplane may be utilized. With regard to optical media for the Ethernetlink112, single mode fiber as well as multi-mode fiber may be utilized. In various embodiments of the invention, one or both of thenetwork devices102 and104 may be operable to comply with one or more standards based on IEEE 802.3, for example, 802.3az.
• In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, thelink112 may comprise up to four or more physical channels, each of which may, for example, comprise an unshielded twisted pair (UTP). Thenetwork device102 and thenetwork device104 may communicate via two or more physical channels comprising thelink112. For example, Ethernet over twisted pair standards 10 BASE-T and 100 BASE-TX may utilize two pairs of UTP while Ethernet over twisted pair standards 1000 BASE-T and 10 GBASE-T may utilize four pairs of UTP. In this regard, however, aspects of the invention may enable varying the number of physical channels via which data is communicated.
• Thenetwork device102 may comprise ahost106a,a medium access control (MAC)controller108aand apluggable PHY device110a.Thenetwork device104 may comprise ahost106b,aMAC controller108b,and aPHY device110b.The PHY device(s)110aand/or110bmay be pluggable transceiver modules or may be an integrated PHY device. Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard. In various embodiments of the invention, thenetwork device102 and/or104 may comprise, for example, a network switch, a router, computer systems or audio/video (A/V) enabled equipment. In this regard, A/V equipment may, for example, comprise a microphone, an instrument, a sound board, a sound card, a video camera, a media player, a graphics card, or other audio and/or video device. Additionally, thenetwork devices102 and104 may be enabled to utilize Audio/Video Bridging and/or Audio/video bridging extensions (collectively referred to herein as audio video bridging or AVB) for the exchange of multimedia content and associated control and/or auxiliary data.
• Thepluggable PHY device110aand thePHY device110bmay each comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may enable communication, for example, transmission and reception of data, between thenetwork device102 and thenetwork device104. One or both of thePHY devices110aand110bmay comprise pluggable modules. In this regard, the pluggable device(s) may be a removable or replaceable component within a network communication device. The pluggable PHY device(s)110aand/or110bmay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may provide an interface between the network device(s)102 and/or104 to an optical and/or copper cable. In some instances, the pluggable device(s)110aand/or110bmay enable interfacing host and/or MAC that are designed to communicate over a copper link to an optical link or vice versa. Exemplary form factors for the pluggable device(s)110aand/or110bcomprise SFP, SFP+, XENPAK, X2, XFP and XPAK modules. In various embodiments of the invention, the pluggable PHY device(s)110aand/or110bmay be enabled to be replaced without shutting down the entire network device.
• Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be operable to support, for example, Ethernet over copper, Ethernet over fiber, and/or backplane Ethernet operations. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay enable multi-rate communications, such as 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps (or 1 Gbps), 2.5 Gbps, 4 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps or 100 Gbps for example. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay support standard-based data rate limits and/or non-standard data rate limits. Moreover, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay support standard Ethernet link lengths or ranges of operation and/or extended ranges of operation. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay enable communication between thenetwork device102 and thenetwork device104 by utilizing a link discovery signaling (LDS) operation that enables detection of active operations in the other network device. In this regard the LDS operation may be configured to support a standard Ethernet operation and/or an extended range Ethernet operation. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay also support autonegotiation for identifying and selecting communication parameters such as speed and duplex mode.
• Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110b10bmay comprise a pluggable twisted pair PHY capable of operating at one or more standard rates such as 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps (10 BASE-T, 100 GBASE-TX, 1 GBASE-T, and/or 10 GBASE-T); potentially standardized rates such as 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps; and/or non-standard rates such as 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay comprise a pluggable backplane PHY capable of operating at one or more standard rates such as 10 Gbps (10 GBASE-KX4 and/or 10 GBASE-KR); and/or non-standard rates such as 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay comprise a pluggable optical PHY capable of operating at one or more standard rates such as 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps; potentially standardized rates such as 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps; and/or non-standardized rates such as 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps. In this regard, the optical PHY may be a passive optical network (PON) PHY.
• Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay support multi-lane topologies such as 40 Gbps CR4, ER4, KR4; 100 Gbps CR10, SR10 and/or 10 Gbps LX4 and CX4. Also, serial electrical and copper single channel technologies such as KX, KR, SR, LR, LRM, SX, LX, CX, BX10, LX10 may be supported. Non standard speeds and non-standard technologies, for example, single channel, two channel or four channels may also be supported. More over, TDM technologies such as PON at various speeds may be supported by thenetwork devices102 and/or104.
• In various embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable transmission and/or reception at a high(er) data in one direction and transmission and/or reception at a low(er) data rate in the other direction. For example, thenetwork device102 may comprise a multimedia server and thenetwork device104 may comprise a multimedia client. In this regard, thenetwork device102 may transmit multimedia data, for example, to thenetwork device104 at high(er) data rates while thenetwork device104 may transmit control or auxiliary data associated with the multimedia content at low(er) data rates.
• The data transmitted and/or received by thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be formatted in accordance with the well-known OSI protocol standard. The OSI model partitions operability and functionality into seven distinct and hierarchical layers. Generally, each layer in the OSI model is structured so that it may provide a service to the immediately higher interfacing layer. For example, layer 1, or physical layer, may provide services tolayer 2 andlayer 2 may provide services tolayer 3. Thehosts106aand106bmay implementlayer 3 and above, theMAC controllers108aand108bmay implementlayer 2 and above and thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay implement the operability and/or functionality of layer 1 or the physical layer. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be referred to as physical layer transmitters and/or receivers, physical layer transceivers, PHY transceivers, PHYceivers, or PHY, for example. Thehosts106aand106bmay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable operability and/or functionality of the five highest functional layers for data packets that are to be transmitted over thelink112. Since each layer in the OSI model provides a service to the immediately higher interfacing layer, theMAC controllers108aand108bmay provide the necessary services to thehosts106aand106bto ensure that packets are suitably formatted and communicated to thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110b.During transmission, a device implementing a layer function may add its own header to the data passed on from the interfacing layer above it. However, during reception, a compatible device having a similar OSI stack may strip off the headers as the message passes from the lower layers up to the higher layers.
• Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be configured to handle physical layer requirements, which include, but are not limited to, packetization, data transfer and serialization/deserialization (SERDES), in instances where such an operation is required. Data packets received by thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bfromMAC controllers108aand108b,respectively, may include data and header information for each of the six functional layers above the PHY layer. Thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be configured to encode data packets that are to be transmitted over thelink112 and/or to decode data packets received from thelink112.
• In various embodiments of the invention, one or both of thepluggable PHY device110aand thePHY device110b,may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be operable to implement one or more energy efficient Ethernet (EEE) techniques in accordance with IEEE 802.3az as well as other energy efficient network techniques. For example, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay be operable to support low power idle (LPI) and/or sub-rating, also referred to as subset PHY, techniques. LPI may generally refer a family of techniques where, instead of transmitting conventional IDLE symbols during periods of inactivity, thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay remain silent and/or communicate signals other than conventional IDLE symbols. Sub-rating, or sub-set PHY, may generally refer to a family of techniques where the PHYs are reconfigurable, in real-time or near real-time, to communicate at different data rates.
• In various embodiments of the invention, thehost106aand/or106bmay be operable to communicate LPI control information with thepluggable PHY devices110aand/or110bvia an alternate path. For example, thehost106aand/or thehost106bmay be operable to communicate via a general purpose input output (GPIO) and/or a peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-E).
• TheMAC controller108amay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable handling of data link layer,layer 2, operability and/or functionality in thenetwork device102. Similarly, theMAC controller108bmay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable handling oflayer 2 operability and/or functionality in thenetwork device104. TheMAC controllers108aand108bmay be configured to implement Ethernet protocols, such as those based on the IEEE 802.3 standards, for example. Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard.
• TheMAC controller108amay communicate with thepluggable PHY device110avia aninterface114aand with thehost106avia abus controller interface116a.TheMAC controller108bmay communicate with thePHY device110bvia aninterface114band with thehost106bvia abus controller interface116b.Theinterfaces114aand114bcorrespond to Ethernet interfaces that comprise protocol and/or link management control signals. Theinterfaces114aand114bmay be multi-rate capable interfaces and/or media independent interfaces (MII). The bus controller interfaces116aand116bmay correspond to PCI or PCI-X interfaces. Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard.
• In operation, one or both of thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bmay comprise a pluggable module that may support one or more energy efficient network (EEN) techniques. Accordingly, an energy efficient network (EEN) control policy may be implemented in firmware, hardware, and/or software within the pluggable module(s). The EEN control policy may determine how and/or when to configure and/or reconfigure thepluggable PHY device110aand/or thePHY device110bto optimize a tradeoff between energy efficiency and performance. For LPI, the control policy may determine, for example, what variant of LPI to utilize, when to go into a LPI mode and when to come out of a LPI mode. For subset PHY, thepluggable PHY device110amay be operable to determine, for example, how to achieve a desired data rate and/or when to transition between data rates. Although various aspects of the invention are described with regard to LPI and subset PHY, the invention is not so limited and other EEN techniques may be implemented via a pluggable PHY based control policy. In various embodiments of the invention, the pluggable PHY device110 may be operable to communicate EEN control policy information with thehost106avia a GPIO and/or a PCI-E for example.
• In instances when the energy efficient network (EEN) control policy may be implemented at the physical layer (PHY), it may be transparent to open systems interconnect (OSI)Layer 2 and above. A pluggable PHY device that implements such an EEN control policy may thus be a drop-in replacement for a conventional PHY device.
• Accordingly, such a pluggable PHY device, and the energy efficient network control policy implemented by the PHY device, may be compatible with a legacy MAC and/or a legacy host. In this manner, implementing an energy efficient network control policy in apluggable PHY device110aand/or110bmay enable reaping the benefits of a more energy efficient network while avoiding the need to redesign or “re-spin” a MAC108 or a host106.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet over twisted pair PHY device architecture comprising a multi-rate capable physical module, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 2, there is shown anetwork device200 which may comprises an Ethernet over twisted pairpluggable PHY device202, aMAC controller204, ahost206 andinterfaces116 and114. Thepluggable PHY device202 may be a pluggable transceiver device which may comprise a multi-rate capablephysical layer module212, one or more transmitters214, one or more receivers220, a memory216, amemory interface218, and one or more input/output interfaces222.
• Thepluggable PHY device202 may be a pluggable transceiver module that may comprise a multi-rate capablephysical layer module212, one or more transmitters214, one or more receivers220, a memory216, amemory interface218, and one or more input/output interfaces222. The operation of thepluggable PHY device202 may be the same as or substantially similar to that of thepluggable PHY device110adisclosed inFIG. 1. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device202 may provide OSI layer 1 (physical layer) operability and/or functionality that enables communication with a remote PHY device. Similarly, the operation of theMAC controller204, thehost206 and theinterfaces114 and/or116 may be the same as or substantially similar to therespective MAC controllers108aand108b,hosts106aand106band interfaces116a,116b,114aand114bdescribed with respect toFIG. 1. TheMAC controller204 may comprise a multi-ratecapable interface204athat may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code to enable communication with thepluggable PHY device202 at a plurality of data rates via the interface208.
• Theinterface114 may be the same as or substantially similar to theinterfaces114aand114bdescribed with respect toFIG. 1. Theinterface114 may comprise, for example, a media independent interface such as XGMII, GMII, or RGMII for communicating data to and from thepluggable PHY device202. In this regard, theinterface114 may comprise a signal to indicate that data from theMAC204 to thepluggable PHY202 is imminent on theinterface114. Such a signal is referred to herein as a transmit enable (TX_EN) signal. Similarly, theinterface114 may utilize a signal to indicate that data from thePHY202 to theMAC204 is imminent on theinterface114. Such a signal is referred to herein as a receive data valid (RX_DV) signal. Theinterface114 may also comprise a control interface such as a management data input/output (MDIO) interface.
• The multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 in thepluggable PHY device202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable operability and/or functionality of physical layer requirements. In this regard, the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may enable generating the appropriate link discovery signaling utilized for establishing communication with a remote PHY device in a remote network device. The multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may communicate with theMAC controller204 via theinterface114. In various embodiments of the invention, theinterface114 may be a media independent interface (MII) and may be configured to utilize a plurality of serial data lanes for receiving data from the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 and/or for transmitting data to the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212. The multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may be configured to operate in one or more of a plurality of communication modes, where each communication mode may implement a different communication protocol. These communication modes may include, but are not limited to, Ethernet over twisted pair standards 10 BASE-T, 100 BASE-TX, 1000 BASE-T, 10 GBASE-T, and other similar protocols that utilize multiple physical channels between network devices. The multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may be configured to operate in a particular mode of operation upon initialization or during operation. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device202 may operate in a normal mode or in one of a plurality of an energy saving modes. Exemplary energy saving modes may comprise a low power idle (LPI) mode and one or more sub-rate modes where thepluggable PHY device202 may communicate at less than a maximum supported or initially negotiated data rate.
• In various embodiments of the invention, the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code for implementing an energy efficient networking (EEN) control policy. Accordingly, the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may be operable to monitor one or more conditions and/or signals in thepluggable PHY device202 and control mode of operation based on the monitoring. In this regard, the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may generate one or more control signals to configure and/or reconfigure the various components of thepluggable PHY device202.
• The multi-rate capablephysical layer module212 may comprisememory216aand/or may be coupled tomemory216bthrough amemory interface218. Thememories216aand216b,referred collectively herein as memory216, may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable storage or programming of information that includes parameters and/or code that may effectuate the operation of the multi-rate capablephysical layer module212. In this regard, the memory216 may, for example, comprise one or more registers which may be accessed and/or controlled via a MDIO portion of theinterface114. Additionally, the memory216 may buffer data received via theinterface114 prior to converting the data to physical symbols and transmitting it via one or more of theinterfaces222. For example, data from theinterface114 may be buffered while the PHY transitions from an energy saving mode to a higher performance mode (transitioning out of LPI mode) or from a higher data rate to a sub-rate, for example. Also, the memory216 may buffer data received via one or more of theinterfaces222 prior to converting the data to physical symbols and transmitting it via theinterface114. For example, data received via thelink112 may be buffered in the memory216 while higher layer functions and/or circuitry, such as a MAC or PCI bus, come out of an energy saving mode.
• Each of thetransmitters214a,214b,214c,214d,collectively referred to herein as transmitters214 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable transmission of data from thenetwork device200 to a remote network device via, for example, thelink112 shown inFIG. 1. Thereceivers220a,220b,220c,220dmay comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable receiving data from a remote network device. Each of thetransmitters214a,214b,214c,214dandreceivers220a,220b,220c,220din thepluggable PHY device202 may correspond to a physical channel that may comprise thelink112. In this manner, a transmitter/receiver pair may interface with each of thephysical channels224a,224b,224cand224d.In this regard, the transmitter/receiver pairs may be enabled to support various communication rates, modulation schemes, and signal levels for each physical channel. In this manner, the transmitters214 and/or receivers229 may support various modes of operation that enable management of energy consumption of thePHY device202 and energy consumption on thelink112. Accordingly, one or more of the transmitters214 and/or receivers220 may be powered down and/or otherwise configured based on a mode of operation of thepluggable PHY device202.
• The input/output interfaces222 may comprise suitable logic circuitry, and/or code that may enable thepluggable PHY device202 to impress signal information onto a physical channel, for example a twisted pair of thelink112 disclosed inFIG. 1. Consequently, the input/output interfaces222 may, for example, provide conversion between differential and single-ended, balanced and unbalanced, signaling methods. In this regard, the conversion may depend on the signaling method utilized by the transmitter214, the receiver220, and the type of medium of the physical channel. Accordingly, the input/output interfaces222 may comprise one or more baluns and/or transformers and may, for example, enable transmission over a twisted pair. Additionally, the input/output interfaces222 may be internal or external to thepluggable PHY device202. In this regard, if thepluggable PHY device202 comprises an integrated circuit, then “internal” may, for example, refer to being “on-chip” and/or sharing the same substrate. Similarly, if thepluggable PHY device202 comprises one or more discrete components, then “internal” may, for example, refer to being on the same printed circuit board or being within a common physical package.
• Thepluggable PHY device202 may be enabled to transmit and receive simultaneously over up to four or more physical links. Accordingly, thepluggable PHY device202 may comprise a number ofhybrids226 corresponding to the number of physical links. Each hybrid226 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable separating transmitted and received signals from a physical link. For example, the hybrids may comprise echo cancellers, far-end crosstalk (FEXT) cancellers, and/or near-end crostalk (NEXT) cancellers. Each hybrid226 in the network device300 may be communicatively coupled to an input/output interface222. One of more of thehybrids226 may be enabled to support various modes of operation that enable managing energy consumption of thepluggable PHY device202 and energy consumption on thelink112. Accordingly, portions of thehybrids226 may be powered down and/or otherwise configured based on a mode of operation of thepluggable PHY device202.
• In operation, thenetwork device200 may communicate with a remote partner via thelink112. For example, for 10 Gbps Ethernet, thenetwork device200 may transmit data to and receive data from a remote partner via thephysical channels224a,224b,224c,and224d.In this regard, when there is no data for thenetwork device200 to transmit, then it may transmit IDLE symbols to keep itself and/or the remote partner “trained”. In this manner, power consumption of a network may be largely independent of the amount of actual data being transmitted over the network. Accordingly, controlling the data rate limit on thelink112 may enable thenetwork devices200 to transmit fewer IDLE symbols and thus communicate in a more energy efficient manner. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device202 may implement an energy efficient network control policy to decide when to transition between various modes of operation. The control policy may affect a tradeoff between performance and energy consumption. Performance may be measured by a variety of metrics such as jitter, latency, bandwidth and error rates, for example.
• In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the control policy may determine when and how to utilize sub-rating to improve energy efficiency. Accordingly, the control policy may determine what data rate to utilize, how to configure the various components of thepluggable PHY device202 to realize a selected data rate, and when to transition between data rates. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device202 may be operable to generate one or more control signals, based on the control policy, to configure or reconfigure the transmitters214, receivers220,hybrids226, the memory216, and/or one or more portions of the multi-ratecapable PHY module212. Thepluggable PHY device202 may also be operable to generate signals for communicating energy efficient network (EEN) states and/or decisions to a link partner based on the control policy.
• In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the control policy implemented by the pluggable PHY device may make determinations as to when and how to utilize low power idle (LPI) to improve energy efficiency. Accordingly, the control policy may determine when to go into an LPI mode, how to configure the various components of thePHY device202 when in LPI mode, and when to come out of a LPI mode. ThePHY device202 may also be operable to, based on the control policy, generate signals for communicating EEN states and/or decisions to a link partner.
• Thepluggable PHY device202 and/or devices implementing higher OSI layer functions may be placed in a low power idle mode (LPI) wherein the pluggable PHY device and/or the devices implementing high layers may be powered down during idle periods. In some instances, LPI control information regarding when to power down, may be communicated via a GPIO and/or PCI-E. During power down, thepluggable PHY device202 may maintain various coefficients, for example, adaptive filter and/or block coefficients and may maintain synchronization to allow for a more rapid return to an active state. In addition, during LPI mode, a portion of the receiver circuitry may be turned off. In asymmetric systems, devices that handle one direction of communication may be in a quiet state independent of devices that handle communication in an opposite direction. In synchronous systems, both directions of a PHY device may enter and/or leave a quiet state together. Although aPHY device202 may operate in a synchronous mode, devices that may handle OSI layers above the PHY layer may operate in an asymmetric mode.
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary pluggable PHY device operable to implement an energy efficient network control policy, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 3, there is shown apluggable PHY device302, aMAC304, a host306, aninterface350, theinterface114 and thelink112. ThePHY device302 may comprise a PHY andlogic module308 for implementing the physical coding sublayer (PCS), the physical media attachment (PMA) sublayer and/or the physical media dependent (PMD) sublayer; and an optional control policy assistmodule314. The PHY andlogic module308 may comprise one or more transmitbuffers310a,one or more receivebuffers310b.
• Thepluggable PHY device302 and theMAC304 may be similar or substantially the same as thepluggable PHY device202 and theMAC204 respectively, which are described with respect to, for example,FIG. 2. The host306 may be similar and/or substantially the same as the host106 and/or thehost206 described with respect toFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 respectfully. Theinterface114 and thelink112 are described with respect to, for example,FIG. 1.
• In various embodiments of the invention, the host306 may be operable to communicate LPI control information with the control policy assistmodule314 GPIO and/or a PCI-E bus, for example, via theinterface350. In this regard, the host306 may indicate when the control policy assist may go into and/or out of an LPI mode.
• Thepluggable PHY device302 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to implement physical layer functionality. In this regard, the physical coding sublayer (PCS), physical medium attachment (PMA) sublayer, and physical medium dependent (PMD) sublayer may be implemented via hardware, firmware, and/or software represented as the PHY andlogic module308. The PHY andlogic module308 may be operable to perform one or more of physical encoding and/or decoding, PMA framing, and transmitter and/or receiver operations. The PHY andlogic module308 may comprise one or more transmitbuffers310athat may be operable to store data received via theinterface114 and destined for transmission on thelink112. The PHY andlogic module308 may comprise one or more receivebuffers310bthat may be operable to store data received via thelink112 and destined for theMAC304 via theinterface114.
• Thepluggable PHY device302 may also comprise an optional control policy assistmodule314 which may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to implement an energy efficient network control policy. In various exemplary embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device302 may comprisememory316 and/or one ormore counters318. In various embodiments of the invention, the optional control policy assistmodule314 may be operable to generate energy efficient network control information to be communicated to a link partner and/or process energy efficient network control information received from a link partner.
• Thememory316 may comprise one or more state registers and/or configuration registers. The registers may comprise content that may be read to control transitioning of thepluggable PHY device302 into and/or out of low(er) power level modes of operation. Additionally, thememory316 may be allocated and reallocated to supplement the Tx buffer310aand/or theRx buffer310b.
• In various embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device302 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate via a link comprising an extended range. In this regard, the PHY layer architecture in thepluggable PHY device302 may support signal-processing operations, such as echo cancellation and/or equalization, which may be applied to a reduced communication rate to enable range extension. Range extension is described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/473,205 (Attorney Docket No. 17396US02) filed Jun. 22, 2006 titled “Method and System for Extended Reach Copper Transceiver,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• Thepluggable PHY device302 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to support MACSEC communication. For example, thepluggable PHY device302 may support controlled network access wherein network device identities may be validated and network security policies may be enforced. MACSEC is described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/685,554 (Attorney Docket No. 18031US01) filed Mar. 13, 2007 titled “Method and System for Tunneling MACSEC Packets Through Non-MACSEC Nodes,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• In operation, the energy efficient network (EEN) control policy may make decisions such as when to enter and/or exit a low(er) power mode. EEN control policy decisions and the resulting actions, such as reconfiguring thepluggable PHY device302, may be determined based on one or more signals and/or conditions monitored within thepluggable PHY device302. Several examples of factors which may be considered by the control policy follow. Many of the examples are simplified and various embodiments of the invention may utilize a combination of two or more of them. Nevertheless, the invention is not limited to the examples provided.
• Management of the energy efficient network (EEN) protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on an amount of data buffered in the buffers310 and/or thememory316. For example, in instances that the Tx buffer310a[Rx buffer310b] is empty, or is empty for a certain amount of time, portions of thePHY device302 associated with data transmission [reception] may be reconfigured into a low(er) power state.
• Management of the energy efficient network protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on one or more counters and/or registers in the optional control policy assistmodule314. For example, in instances that the TX_EN of theinterface114 has not been asserted for a determined period of time, portions of thepluggable PHY device302 associated with data transmission [reception] may be reconfigured into a low(er) power state. Additionally, values of the counter may be stored and historical values of the counter may be utilized to predict when thepluggable PHY device302 may transition to a low(er) power mode without having a significant negative impact on performance.
• Management of the energy efficient network protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on management signals of an MDIO bus to the MAC. For example, the MDIO may configure thresholds such as how long thepluggable PHY device302 should stay in a low(er) power mode after entering the low(er) power mode, how long a buffer should be empty before going into a low(er) power mode, and how full a buffer should be before waking up from a low(er) power mode. The MDIO may also be utilized to configure parameters pertaining to a link partner. Exemplary parameters comprise how long the link partner takes to wake up and how much buffering is available in the link partner's buffers. The MDIO may enable configuration of the control policy by a system designer or administrator.
• Management of the energy efficient network protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on signals received from a device implementing layers above the MAC layer, such as signals generated by a PCI bus controller and/or the host306. For example, a signal indicating whether the PCI bus is active may be utilized to predict whether data will be arriving at thepluggable PHY device302 and/or to determine whether the devices implementing higher layers are ready to receive data from thepluggable PHY device302. For another example, signals from the host306, or other data processing components, may indicate a type of traffic communicated to thepluggable PHY device302 and the control policy may determine an appropriate mode of operation of thepluggable PHY device302 and/or an appropriate allocation of buffering, or other resources, in thePHY device302 based on the data type. In this regard, management of the energy efficient network protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on latency constraints of the traffic to be transmitted via thelink112 or communicated up to theMAC304. In instances when latency is not tolerable, a series of traffic bursts may be buffered for an acceptable amount of time before waking thepluggable PHY device302, theMAC304, and/or devices implementing higher layer functions for delivery of the accumulated traffic bursts.
• Management of the energy efficient network protocols and/or techniques may be based, for example, on signals received from a link partner to which thepluggable PHY device302 is communicatively coupled. In this regard, going into and coming out of low(er) power modes may require agreement by the link partner, or at least awareness of what the link partner is doing. For example, in instances that the link partner takes longer to wake up then thepluggable PHY device302, thepluggable PHY device302 may need to plan accordingly and allocate sufficient memory to the Tx buffer310a.Conversely, in instances that the link partner wakes up faster than thepluggable PHY device302, thepluggable PHY device302 may need to plan accordingly and allocate sufficient memory to theRx buffer310band/or instruct the link partner to increase its Tx buffer to hold off transmissions. A similar situation may occur when a link partner has less buffering available than thepluggable PHY device302. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the invention, the control policy may be operable to dynamically allocate and reallocate as thememory316, for example, to supplement the Tx buffer310 or theRx buffer310b.
• FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary, copper based pluggable PHY device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 4A, there is shown aMAC404, ahost406, aninterface450, aserial link414, apluggable PHY device402, the PHY andlogic module308, the control policy assistmodule314 and thelink112.
• TheMAC404, thehost406, theinterface450 andpluggable PHY device402 may be similar and/or substantially the same as theMAC304, the host306, theinterface350 andpluggable PHY device302 described with respect to, for example,FIG. 3. The PHY andlogic module308 and the control policy assistmodule314 are described with respect toFIG. 3. Thelink112 is described with respect to, for example.FIG. 1.
• Thepluggable PHY device402 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to implement an energy efficient network (EEN) control policy. Thepluggable PHY device402 may be a removable or replaceable component within a network communication device. In various embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device402 may be enabled so that it may be replaced without shutting down the entire network device. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device402 may comprise a hot swappable PHY device. Thepluggable PHY device402 may comprise the PHY andlogic module308, the control policy assistmodule314. In this regard, the pluggable PHY device409 may be operable to determine when to enter and/or exit a low(er) power mode and may be operable to communicate EEN control policy instructions to one or more link partners.
• In operation, theMAC404 may be integrated within a network device such as a switch, for example.
• In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, thepluggable PHY device402 may support 10 GBASE-T. Thepluggable PHY device402 may be coupled to theMAC404 via theserial link414. Thepluggable PHY device402 may monitor theserial link414 and/or thelink112 and may determine when data may and/or may not be available for transmission and/or reception. Thepluggable PHY device402 may determine when to enter and/or exit an energy efficient network (EEN) low(er) power mode and may configure the various components of thepluggable PHY device402 accordingly. Thepluggable PHY device402 may also be operable to generate signals for communicating energy efficient network (EEN) states and/or decisions to a link partner.
• FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary pluggable optical PHY device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 4B, there is shown aMAC424, ahost456, aninterface458, apluggable PHY device422, the serializer-deserializer (SerDes)426, aSerDes428, a MAC andlogic module420, the PHY andlogic module308, the control policy assistmodule314 and thelink112.
• TheMAC424, thehost456, theinterface458 and thepluggable PHY device422 may be similar and/or substantially the same as theMAC304, the host306, theinterface350 andpluggable PHY device302 described with respect toFIG. 3. The PHY andlogic module308 and the control policy assistmodule314 are described with respect toFIG. 3. Thelink112 is described with respect toFIG. 1.
• TheSerDes426 andSerDes428 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to convert data between serial data and parallel data in forward and/or reverse directions. In various embodiments of the invention, theSerDes426 and/or428 may be operable to perform line coding and/or framing functions.
• The MAC andlogic module420 may comprise suitable logic circuitry interfaces and/or code that may be operable to implement Ethernet protocols, such as those based on the IEEE 802.3 standards, for example 802.3az. In various embodiments of the invention, theMAC420 may be operable to handle MACSEC for secure communication. For example, the MAC andlogic module420 may support controlled network access wherein network device identities may be validated and network security policies may be enforced.
• Thepluggable PHY device422 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to implement an energy efficient network control policy. Thepluggable PHY device422 may be a removable or replaceable component within a network communication device. In various embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device422 may be enabled to be replaced without shutting down the entire network device. Thepluggable PHY device422 may comprise the PHY andlogic module308, the control policy assistmodule314. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device422 may be operable to determine when to enter and/or exit a low(er) power mode and may be operable to communicate the energy efficient network control policy instructions to one or more link partners.
• In operation, theMAC424 may be integrated within a network device comprising, for example, a switching device. Thepluggable PHY device422 may provide an interface between theMAC424 and thelink112 which may comprise a fiber optic medium. In various embodiments of the invention, thepluggable PHY device422 may be operable to interface a MAC that may be designed to communicate via a fiber optic link, to a copper link such as a twisted pair. Thepluggable PHY device422 may comprise a form factor similar to, for example, a small form-factor pluggable (SFP), an SFP+, a GBIC, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and/or a XPAK.
• TheSerDes426 may convert parallel data received from theMAC424, to serial data and may convert serial data received from thepluggable PHY device422 to parallel data. In this regard, thepluggable PHY device422 may be coupled to theSerDes426 via theserial link444. In order to make MAC functionality complicit with the energy efficient network control policy, the MAC andLogic module420 may be integrated within thepluggable PHY device422. TheSerDes428 may receive serial data from theSerDes426 and convert the data to a parallel format for the MAC andlogic module420. The parallel data may be sent to the MAC andlogic module420 for processing which may then forward data to thepluggable PHY device422.
• Thepluggable PHY device422 may determine when to enter and/or exit an energy efficient network low(er) power mode and may configure the various components of thepluggable PHY device422 accordingly. Thepluggable PHY device422 may also be operable to generate signals for communicating energy efficient network states and/or decisions to a link partner.
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps implementing an energy efficient network (EEN) control policy in a pluggable physical layer device, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 5, the exemplary steps may begin withstep502 when communications may be established between apluggable PHY device302 described with respect toFIG. 3 (pluggable PHY device1) of a first link partner and a PHY device (PHY2) of a second link partner.PHY2 may be a pluggable device or may be an integrated device. Subsequent to step502, the exemplary steps may advance to step504. Instep504, conditions may be detected for a power mode state transition of at least the pluggable PHY device1. It may be determined that pluggable PHY device1 should transition to a different mode of operation. Configuration of the pluggable PHY device1 for the different mode and/or when to perform the transition may be determined. In various embodiments of the invention, an energy efficient network control policy may determine how to configure the pluggable PHY device1 for the different mode and when to perform the transition. The energy efficient network control policy may be implemented in the pluggable PHY device1 or in a device that implements a higher layer protocol. Subsequent to step504 the exemplary steps may advance to step506.
• Instep506, a state transition in at least the pluggable PHY device1 may be triggered. For example, an energy efficient network control policy may trigger the state transition. In this regard, one or more control signals may be generated in the pluggable PHY device1 and/or a higher layer device. For example, the optional energy efficient network control policy assistmodule314 described with respect toFIG. 3, may reconfigure one or more components of the pluggable PHY device1 to implement the different mode of operation. Subsequent to step506, the exemplary steps may advance to step508.
• Instep508, a different mode of operation may be implemented. In this regard a portion of the pluggable PHY device1 may be powered up and/or reconfigured to implement the different mode of operation. Subsequent to step508, the exemplary steps may advance to step510.
• Instep510, pluggable PHY device1 may transmit a control signal toPHY2 to indicate that it desires, and/or has decided, to transition to a different state of operation. In this regard, the control signal may cause an energy efficient network control policy on thePHY2 to trigger a transition to a new mode of operation and/or to reallocate resources such as buffers. Subsequent to step510, the exemplary steps may advance to step512.
• Instep512,PHY2 may complete the transition to the different mode of operation. In this regard, one or more control signals may be generated in the pluggable PHY device1, by the energy efficient networkcontrol policy module314 inFIG. 3, for example, to reconfigure one or more components of the pluggable PHY device1 to implement the different mode of operation. In some embodiments of the invention, the transition may comprise training of one or more components such as, NEXT, FEXT, and echo cancellers. Subsequent to step512, the pluggable PHY device1 may operate in the different mode of operation and until the control policy determines to transition again.
• In an embodiment of the invention, anEthernet network100 may comprise one ormore link partners102 and/or104 that may be coupled via anEthernet link112. The one ormore link partners102 and/or104 may comprise one or morepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 for example. Thepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 may be operable to determine one or more energy efficient network control policies that may specify a power level mode for the one ormore link partners102 and/or104 and the one or more link partners may be configured to operate in the specified power level mode. In various embodiments of the invention, a power level mode of operation may be selected based on the energy efficient network control policies. Accordingly one or more components of thepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 may be reconfigured based on the selected power level mode of operation. A first portion of the one or more components may be reconfigured prior to sending an energy efficient network control signal to one or more of thelink partners102 and/or104 and reconfiguring a remaining portion of the one or more components.
• Hardware, software and/orfirmware314 within the one or morepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 may be utilized to execute the one or more energy efficient network control policies. In some instances, while transitioning to an active power mode, packet data that may be pending delivery in the one or more pluggable PHY devices may be buffered in theTX FIFOs310a.The one or morepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 may comprise one or both of amedia access controller414 and/or aserializer de-serializer device428. Exemplary form factors of the one or morepluggable PHY devices402 and/or422 may comprise one or more of a SFP, a SFP+, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and a XPAK form factor. The power level mode may comprise low power idle mode and/or sub-rate mode.
• Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/or computer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for a method and system for managing energy efficiency of a network link via pluggable transceiver modules in an energy efficient network device.
• Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.
• The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
• While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. A method for communication, the method comprising:

in an Ethernet network comprising one or more link partners that are coupled via an Ethernet link, said one or more link partners comprising one or more pluggable PHY devices:

determining one or more energy efficient network control policies that specifies a power level mode for one or more of said link partners and/or said one or more pluggable PHY devices; and

configuring said one or more link partners and/or said one or more pluggable PHY devices to operate in said specified power level mode based on said determined one or more energy efficient network control policies.

2. The method according toclaim 1, comprising determining by said pluggable PHY device said one or more energy efficient network control policies.

3. The method according toclaim 1, comprising selecting a power level mode of operation for said one or more pluggable PHY devices based on said one or more energy efficient network control policies.

4. The method according toclaim 3, comprising reconfiguring one or more components of said one or more pluggable PHY devices based on said selected power level mode of operation.

5. The method according toclaim 4, comprising reconfiguring a first portion of said one or more components prior to sending an energy efficient network control signal to said one or more of said link partners.

6. The method according toclaim 5, comprising reconfiguring a remaining portion of said one or more components after sending said energy efficient network control signal.

7. The method according toclaim 1, comprising executing said one or more energy efficient network control policies from within said one or more pluggable PHY devices utilizing hardware, software, and/or firmware within said one or more PHY devices.

8. The method according toclaim 1, comprising buffering packet data that is pending delivery in said one or more pluggable PHY devices while transitioning to an active power mode.

9. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said one or more pluggable PHY devices comprises one or both of a media access controller and/or a serializer de-serializer device.

10. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said one or more pluggable PHY devices comprises one or more of a SFP, a SFP+, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and a XPAK form factor.

11. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said power level mode comprises low power idle mode and/or sub-rate mode.

12. A system for communication, the system comprising:

one or more circuits for use in an Ethernet network comprising link partners that are coupled via an Ethernet link, said one or more circuits comprising one or more pluggable PHY devices, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to:

determine one or more energy efficient network control policies that specifies a power level mode for one or more of said link partners, and/or said one or more pluggable PHY devices; and

configure said one or more link partners and/or said one or more pluggable PHY devices to operate in said specified power level mode based on said determined one or more energy efficient network control policies.

13. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more pluggable PHY devices determines said one or more energy efficient network control policies.

14. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to select a power level mode of operation for said one or more pluggable PHY devices based on said one or more energy efficient network control policies.

15. The system according toclaim 14, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to reconfigure one or more components of said one or more pluggable PHY devices based on said selected power level mode of operation.

16. The system according toclaim 15, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to reconfigure a first portion of said one or more components prior to sending an energy efficient network control signal to said one or more of said link partners.

17. The system according toclaim 16, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to reconfigure a remaining portion of said one or more components after sending said energy efficient network control signal.

18. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to execute said one or more energy efficient network control policies from within said one or more pluggable PHY devices utilizing hardware, software, and/or firmware within said one or more PHY devices.

19. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to buffer packet data that is pending delivery in said one or more pluggable PHY devices while transitioning to an active power mode.

20. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more pluggable PHY devices comprises one or both of a media access controller and/or a serializer de-serializer device.

21. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said one or more pluggable PHY devices comprises one or more of a SFP, a SFP+, a XENPAK, a X2, a XFP and a XPAK form factor.

22. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said power level mode comprises low power idle mode and/or sub-rate mode.

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