FR3049812A1 - COMPACT SERVER AVAILABLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The application server and / or network shares (1) comprises a frame (10) capable of cooperating with a longitudinal cage SFP (51) to be mechanically plugged in and further comprising guide elements and maintenance in said SFP cage (51), said frame (10) comprising: ▪ a plug-in first end (2) having an SFP electrical connector (21) for plugging into a connector of a host card of a switching equipment network (50); A second end (3) comprising at least one extraction element (31, 32) of the frame (10) when it is plugged into the SFP cage (51), said frame (10) comprises an electronic card (11). comprising a random access memory (M1), a read only memory (M2), a microprocessor (K) and a power supply (PSU) receiving an external power supply passing through the SFP electrical connector (21) and in turn supplying the microprocessor (K ), the random access memory (M1) and the read-only memory (M2).

Description

COMPACT SERVER AVAILABLE

FIELD

The field of the invention relates to application servers and / or network sharing having a plug-in physical interface. The field of the invention relates, more specifically, to servers having at least one pluggable interface on an electronic card of a network switching equipment, including a switching equipment supporting the IP protocol.

STATE OF THE ART

There are currently widespread data, application, or network sharing servers around the world with a wide variety of features. The main function of a server is to make an access to stored data or to perform calculations on this data according to a given application or to perform control or encryption operations. The functions specific to a server are generally performed via a data network accessible to a plurality of users.

Some servers have significant compactness capabilities because they are used in a mobile manner or are integrated into devices that are themselves compact. However, limitations of compactness of the servers do not allow to integrate directly within a data exchange interface, data link or even inside a connector.

In parallel with the development of servers, network equipment such as switches, routers, signal converters and media converters have developed considerably. The developments have been led by attempting to reduce the size of these equipment and by improving the computing capabilities of the equipment, in particular to ensure data processing at ever higher speeds on the networks. Moreover, the developments of these switching equipment have also promoted interoperability ensuring compatibility of different protocols, different standards and media to ensure any type of information transfer. Finally, the developments have led to simplify the maintenance of these equipment including inserting and removing hot devices.

However, there is a need to coordinate changes in network equipment improvements with the capabilities of a server in terms of: interoperability of data exchanges and interfaces; compactness or bulk and; of maintenance.

In terms of improved maintenance, when equipment is defective, it is necessary to know the source of the failure and to identify the equipment to be changed or repaired. It is important to intervene quickly and be able to correct anomalies by minimizing the impact on the network.

There is therefore a need to simplify the management of a pair of equipment consisting of an application server or network shares and network switching equipment intended to cooperate together for certain services, including services related to the protocols IP.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention aims to provide a plug-in compact server in a SEP cage of a network switching equipment.

An object of the invention relates to an application server and / or network shares having a longitudinal frame adapted to cooperate with a SEP cage to be plugged mechanically and further comprising guide elements and holding in said cage Sep

The rack includes: a plug-in first end having an SFP electrical connector for plugging into a connector of a host card of a network switching equipment; a second end comprising at least one extraction element of the frame when it is plugged into the SFP cage, said frame further comprising an electronic card comprising a random access memory, a read only memory, a microprocessor and a power supply receiving a power supply; externally passing through the SFP electrical connector and in turn supplying at least the microprocessor, the RAM and the ROM.

The server of the invention comprises an operating system for: first, exploiting the data stored in the read-only memory to perform at least data processing operations transmitted by the network switching equipment and received by the server with said stored data and; on the other hand, generating frames of data to be transmitted to the network switching equipment.

The microprocessor further comprises a control interface for coordinating transmission data transmission and reception with the network switching equipment, said exchanged data being encapsulated in Ethernet frames and transiting via the SFP electrical connector.

One advantage is to transform a network switch into a device provided with intelligent means to perform in particular IPBX type functions or functions for collecting equipment data from a local network for processing directly at the switch.

Another advantage is not to modify an existing switch and having at least one SFP cage to transform it into such intelligent equipment.

Finally, an advantage is to offer a compact server, whose maintenance is facilitated by a simple extraction of the server plugged into an SFP cage.

According to one embodiment, a frame encapsulation component processes the transmitted and received data between the microprocessor and the SFP electrical interface so as to: encapsulate the transmission data in the form of Ethernet frames and; de-encapsulate the received Ethernet frames for transmission to the microprocessor.

One advantage is to process Ethernet frames directly within the network switch through the server of the invention for managing IP services of a local data exchange network. This integrated network switch management avoids installing an additional server connected to the network switch through an external interface.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor: decodes and encodes the MAC addresses of the sources and destinations in the frames received or transmitted; Check MAC addresses of received frames to filter data;

Control access to the physical media Detects transmission errors.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor: encapsulates the data in transmission in the form of Ethernet frames and; de-encapsulates the received Ethernet frames for transmission to the microprocessor.

One advantage is that the microprocessor can handle complex tasks thanks to the two memories associated with it. Such a microprocessor can support an operating system and perform tasks to provide more complex network functions than the tasks that could be handled by a microcontroller. One of the difficulties overcome by the invention is to integrate all the server components on the same card adapted to an SFP cage. A technical lock overcome by the invention is to remove physical interfaces of a conventional SFP module to divert the use.

According to one embodiment, the guiding and holding elements comprise at least one of the following list: a guide groove; a removable or deformable portion for holding the server in a cage; a holding clip.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor controls the levels of the power supplies distributed by the power supply to each component of the server so as to activate an energy saving function when at least one supply value passes a predefined threshold.

According to one embodiment, the second end of the frame comprises at least one indicator light indicating the operating status of the server.

According to one embodiment, the operating system comprises an organization of the components and interfaces and configuration data for the execution of a computer program configured to process data frames received via the SFP electrical connector, said computer program having specific parameters stored in the read-only memory allowing execution of at least one received frame processing task to generate new output frames passing through the SFP electrical connector to a terminal, a server or connected equipment.

According to one embodiment, the read-only memory comprises a set of parameter values defining action thresholds, each action threshold being associated in the read-only memory with an identification of a remote electronic device provided with a sensor collecting data. measurements of at least one parameter, said server: receiving at least one data frame via the SFP electrical interface, said frame comprising the identification of a remote device referenced in the read-only memory and a value of a measurement of at least one parameter; decoding and storing in said ROM said value of the measurement; performing a comparison between said decoded measurement and a predefined action threshold and stored in the read-only memory associated with said remote equipment; generating at least one data frame to a remote control equipment, a network address of said remote control equipment being stored in the ROM, said data frame being transmitted via the SFP electrical connector in the format of an Ethernet frame.

According to one embodiment, the ROM comprises:

A set of MAC addresses of terminals;

A set of MAC address associations of each terminal with an IP address and with a call number for each terminal;

A set of access rights to an external network of an IP operator for each terminal's MAC or IP address, the microprocessor being configured to: detect an incoming call from a first terminal referenced in the read-only memory, said incoming call comprising a frame indicating a call number of a second terminal referenced individually or in groups in the server ROM; generating at least one data frame to the second terminal or to another server according to the call number, said data received from the incoming call of the first terminal being encapsulated in the data frames transmitted by the microprocessor to the second terminal or to another server, the server transmitting via the electrical interface SFP at least one Ethernet frame including the IP address of the second terminal or another server and having the frame generated by the microprocessor to the second terminal.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor is configured to: detect a set of frames corresponding to an incoming call destined for a first terminal, said number of call being referenced in the telecommunication ROM and associated with an address of the first terminal; detecting a frame having a call transfer flag from the first terminal to which and associated a new line number associated with the call transfer flag; comparing the new line number with the data stored in the ROM to determine a new terminal to which the call is to be transferred and; generating at least one data frame to the new terminal comprising the data received from the incoming call, the server transmitting via the electrical interface SFP at least one Ethernet frame including: the IP address of the third terminal and the data received from the 'incoming call.

Another object of the invention relates to a switch comprising a power supply, a microprocessor, a set of SFP cages each having a connector adapted to cooperate with an electrical connector SFP, a motherboard comprising: a first set of interfaces for collecting and transmitting data passing through the connectors cooperating with SFP electrical connectors; a second set of interfaces for receiving and transmitting data passing through connectors intended to cooperate with IP terminal links, the switch being characterized in that it comprises, in addition, at least one server of the invention plugged into one or more of his SFP cages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, which illustrate: FIG. 1: a rack of the application server and / or network shares of the invention adapted to cooperate with an SFP cage; Figure 2: an electrical connector SFP disposed at one end of the server of the invention; FIG. 3: a server of the invention intended to be plugged into an SFP cage of a network switching equipment; FIG. 4: an electronic card of the server of the invention comprising a set of components; FIG. 5: network switching equipment of the invention comprising a server of the invention.

DESCRIPTION

In the remainder of the description, the acronym SFP stands for "Small Form-factor Pluggable" and is a connector standard for establishing data links, in particular used in network switching equipment for providing access services. to a data network. An SFP is conventionally understood as a compact, hot-pluggable receiver-transmitter module in a network switching equipment. The technical literature on this technology offers different definitions of an SFP module, an SFP cage, an SFP electrical connector, and so on. It is also known as the "mini-GBIC", whose acronym GBIC designates "Gigabit Interface Converter" that it aims to replace with its compactness and low cost.

The characteristics of an SFP are defined in MSA type agreements, whose acronym stands for Multi-Source Agreement. These agreements aim to standardize their definition. In particular, the electrical interfaces and more particularly the SFP electrical interface arranged at one end of an SFP module, are defined to offer total interoperability between the components and equipment manufactured by the various players in the telecommunications industry. Notably, the SFP electrical interface is described in the following specifications: "SFP-8432 Specification for SFP + Module and Cage" and "INF-80741 Specification for Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) Transceiver".

In the remainder of the description, the term "SFP cage" is used herein: a location for receiving a longitudinal and substantially parallelepipedal housing comprising a connector designed to plug into a connector of the cage or when the cage opens onto a motherboard or a card interface having such a connector, on the connector of this card.

An SFP cage includes electrical and mechanical characteristics specified in an MSA, including those defined in the following specifications: "SFP-8432 Specification for SFP + Module and Cage" and "INF-80741 Specification for SFP (Small Forfactor Pluggable) Transceiver". Such a cage is noted cage 51 in the following description.

The dimensions of such an SFP cage are approximately in a parallelepiped whose dimensions are of the order of 40 to 80 mm long and 13 to 15 mm in height and width.

The application server and / or network shares 1 of the invention is intended to cooperate with a SFP cage of a network switching equipment. In the following description, such network switching equipment may be: a switch, also known as "switch" in the English literature; a router and / or; a media converter or data protocols.

Such network switching equipment 50 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 of the present application. FIG. 4 represents an example of a set of cages 51 of such network switching equipment 50.

An advantage of the invention lies in the ability to use a SFP cage replacement of a network switching equipment 50 to insert an application server and / or network shares 1. A goal is to transform such equipment network switching 50 in a network switching equipment provided with additional services including the processing of IP frames. By way of example, the presence of a server 1 in a network switching equipment 50 makes it possible to support functions of an IPBX directly in the network switching equipment. It is recalled that an IPBX is a private telephone exchange using IP internet protocol to manage the telephone calls of users of a local network.

As a result, the server 1 cooperating with an SFP cage of a network switching equipment 50 originally not intended to provide these functions makes it possible to extend its field of applications by offering new functions. In addition, these additional functions are achieved without changing the size of the network switching equipment 50 and providing improved maintenance.

Maintenance improvements include: the ability to simply access server 1 through access to network switching equipment 50; the hot withdrawal of a server 1 and its replacement if necessary by a replacement server; data backup by removing the server; the simplicity of installing such a server "plug & play >>. built

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a server 1 of the invention. Such a server 1 comprises a frame 10 extending longitudinally in a substantially parallelepipedal shape or having different parallelepipedal shapes adjacent as represented by the two portions 20 and 30 of the server 1 of FIG. 1.

The frame 10 is designed to be structurally compatible, by design and mechanical characteristics with an SFP cage. As a result, the longitudinal and lateral dimensions cooperate with those of an SFP cage.

Such a server 1 comprises at a first end 2 an electrical connector SFP. The server 1 comprises a second end 3 which can be considered as an insertion or extraction end. This second end 3 is visible by an operator when the server 1 is plugged into an SFP cage.

The surface of the frame 10 is preferably made of a metallic material such as aluminum. Other materials can be used to form the rack 10 of the server 1.

According to various embodiments, the frame 10 of the server 1 comprises guiding and holding elements of the server 1 in the SFP cage 51 into which it is inserted.

Figure 1 shows, for example, various flexible members 4, 5 having a curvature so that once deformed, a restoring force allows said elements to exert a holding force when inserted into the SFP cage. These flexible elements can be fixed on the upper part of the frame 10 of the server 1 as the elements 4 or on the lateral part of the frame 10 of the server 1 as the element 5 visible in FIG.

According to other embodiments not shown, the frame 10 of the server 1 may comprise guide elements such as a groove or a particular form of the frame 10 promoting its introduction and guidance in a cage SFP. For example, a rounded edge or bevel improves the introduction of server 1 into the SFP cage 51.

According to one embodiment, a holding element, such as a clip, a safety tooth or a valve makes it possible to maintain the server 1 in an SFP cage.

The elements contributing to the maintenance of the server 1 of the invention in an SFP cage make it possible to cope with a handling error or a fall of a network switching equipment 50 having SFP cages in which a server 1 of the invention could to be introduced, etc.

According to one embodiment, the frame 10 comprises an extraction element 31 disposed at the second end 3 of the server 1. The extraction element 31 can be made in different ways. According to a first example, a removable removal bar 32 such as that shown in FIG. 4 can be used. According to another embodiment, a withdrawal screw can be used.

Indicator light

According to one embodiment, the second end 3 may comprise one or more LEDs 33 indicating to an operator the operating state of the server 1 from among different states: "on", "faulty", "overheating", "Undetected connection to network switching equipment 50", etc.

Such an indicator 33 is shown in FIG. 5 on the interface with the electronic card. The indicator light 33 can also indicate the nature of the SFP module inserted into a cage 51. By way of example, when this SFP module is a server 1 of the invention, a light indicator 33 indicates that it is a server 1 thanks to a specific color. This feature saves time for a maintenance agent or operator who does not know the network switching equipment 50 and has to diagnose a technical problem quickly.

According to an alternative embodiment, the indicator light 33 indicates the function of the server 1. For example, when the latter is used as an IPBX then, a specific color is indicated by the indicator light 33. When the server 1 is used to process data collected by sensors or dedicated devices, another color of the indicator 33 can be displayed.

The management of the states, whose color, its fixed or flashing state, the flashing rate of the indicator (s) 33, can be: either, preprogrammed according to the use of the application server and / or network shares 1; or, be automatically managed by a microprocessor K, server 1 generating parameters controlling the states of one or more LEDs 33 according to the activated functions of the server 1.

SFP electrical connector

The first end 2 of the server 1 of the invention comprises an electrical connector SFP, denoted connector 21. Such a connector 21 may be a printed circuit 210 having a plurality of conductive tabs for providing information transmission electrically. An example of such a printed circuit 210 is shown in FIG.

The SFP 21 electrical connector is intended to plug into a female connector having mechanical characteristics compatible with the SFP electrical connector. In addition, the electrical tabs 211 of the male connector 21 cooperate with electrical tabs (not shown) positioned on the female connector so that information can be exchanged between the server 1 of the invention and the network switching equipment 50. This electrical cooperation of the tabs 211 of the connectors are preferably those defined in the MSAs corresponding to the definition of the electrical connector SFP.

The female connector cooperating with the connector 21 may be arranged at the bottom of the SFP cage on a board of the network switch.

Figure 3 shows a direction 60 for plugging a server 1 of the invention into one of the SFP cages, denoted 51 in the figure.

Electronic card, integration of a server

FIG. 4 represents an embodiment of an electronic card 5 of the server 1 of the invention. A technical difficulty lies in the ability to integrate a number of components in a confinement corresponding to the location 51 of an SFP cage so as to provide the main functions of an application server or network share.

Small electronic cards are known that can integrate a microcontroller with a memory. However, these latter components are unable to process enough information to handle, for example, different calls of a telecommunications network when the server 1 has to perform the functions of an IPBX.

In addition, the memory space associated with a microcontroller is limited and can not be sufficient to perform the functions required, for example, to collect sensor data connected to a local area network or to record a configuration of a local area network to which connected a fleet of terminals.

In addition, the businesses of application server manufacturers and switch manufacturers are generally different because the equipment performs complementary but disjoint functions.

Indeed, network switching equipment performs tasks that are not intended to process the payload data frames exchanged in the network switching equipment. On the other hand, switch evolutions are oriented towards the management and administration of such a switch and on the interoperability of the protocols and the access to links offering higher speeds.

Application server manufacturers generally seek to make their equipment standalone for updates, new services, and / or increased data frame analysis and processing capabilities. In general, an application server 1 is not co-located with a network switching equipment since it can be connected to the latter physically or by access to a data network.

However, for reasons of compactness, maintenance, simplicity of operation and costs, there is a real interest in integrating a server of the invention into a network switching equipment 50.

For certain applications, such as the collection of sensor data connected in a location to generate alarms and transmit them on a data network, or the implementation of IPBX-type services, it is of interest to co-locate these devices together. . The invention makes it possible not only to co-locate these pieces of equipment but to adapt an application server 1 to an SFP cage of a network switching equipment 50. The invention thus brings many advantages with regard to integration. of the application server or network share 1 with a switch 50.

Electronic card, description

The electronic card 11 of FIG. 4 comprises an electrical connector SFP 21 intended to be plugged into a female connector arranged in an SFP cage or on an interface card. Such a connector 21 is defined in a specification whose references have been previously indicated. An advantage of the invention is to design an interface between the various components of the electronic card 11 and the different outputs / inputs of the connector so that the server 1 of the invention can be operational. - Food

According to one embodiment, the connector 21 comprises a physical interface intended to convey a power supply to the main components of the electronic card 11.

The electronic card 11 advantageously comprises a power supply PSU component whose function is to collect / receive the power supplied by the connector 21 and coming from third party equipment, the physical interface of the power supply is noted PSU_1 on Figure 4. The third-party equipment may be, for example, a network switching equipment 50 or a dedicated external power supply or a specific interface card collecting the various interfaces of a plurality of SFP cages and rerouting them to a device network switching 50.

According to one embodiment, the PSU component generates a plurality of power supplies for the components of the electronic card 11 such as the microprocessor K, the read-only memory M2, the random access memory Mi, and possibly an ETH_PHY component dedicated to encapsulation. frames of data in Ethernet frames. The physical links of the power supplies are respectively denoted PSU_2, PSU_3, PSU_4 and PSU_5 in FIG. 4. By way of example of voltage values the links PSU_1, PSU_2, PSU_3, PSU_4 and PSU_5 can be, for example, voltages of 1V , 1.2V, 1.8V, 3.3V or other voltages.

The power supplies are dimensioned for each component according to their operating range. The PSU component therefore has a function of voltage or current adapter power supplies distributed to each component of the electronic card 11.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor K includes a CTRL_PSU data link with the PSU component. The data link can be for example a data bus. The exchanged data makes it possible, for example, to: parameterize the voltage / current level for each component; check voltage levels, check instantaneous and average consumption; detecting crossings of critical thresholds in voltage and / or current of one or more components of the electronic card 11; engage power saving functions of the electronic card or generate commands or instructions to third-party devices such as terminals, connected devices or network switching equipment 50.

microprocessor

A microprocessor K performs the main functions of an application server and / or network shares 1.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor K comprises an operating system for: first, exploiting the data stored in the read-only memory M2 to perform at least data processing operations transmitted by the network switching equipment 50 and received by the server 1 with said stored data and; on the other hand, generating frames of data to be transmitted to the network switching equipment 50.

The microprocessor K is therefore capable of performing data processing operations such as: the decoding of the data frames comprising in particular the extraction of useful data from a data frame; the deciphering of data, the recording of received data and their organization in the read-only memory M2; - Comparison operations between the data received from the network switching equipment 50 with said already recorded data including useful data and header fields; the execution of algorithms making it possible to generate a setpoint according to predefined parameters and analyzed data whether they are received from the connector 21 or that they are already stored in the read-only memory M2; - The generation of data frames including frame addressing, frame segmentation, management of header fields and control fields or encryption or encryption of data.

The microprocessor K, for performing routine data processing operations, can interface with a random access memory Mi having sufficient capacity to adapt, for example, to receiving and remitting data at a desired rate. The RAM Mi interfaces with the microprocessor K by means of a physical connection DATA_3. This interface can be performed by a serial link or a data bus.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor K comprises a control interface. This interface is connected with the connector 21 by the link denoted CTRLJNT. This link enables the microprocessor K to transmit or acquire link parameters. For example, the throughput, the range of the data link or the type of Ethernet data link are parameters that can be acquired and taken into account by the microprocessor K to configure the speed of acquisition or transmission of the frames to treat. For example, the microprocessor K can adjust the power levels necessary for establishing a new data link with a network switching equipment 50.

Finally, the CTLJNT link enables the exchange of interface control data between the microprocessor K and a network switching equipment 50 such as clocks, synchronization data, operating state status, etc.

According to one embodiment, the microprocessor K generates or decodes Ethernet frames.

In transmission, the data frames are then encoded so that an Ethernet header is generated according to the destination address of the equipment to which the frame is intended.

This destination equipment may be for example: an EQ terminal, such as a telephone, a DECT handset or a DECT base or a computer; a data server collecting and processing data transmitted by the server 1; a network equipment such as a router or a switch if the Ethernet frames are sent in a remote network from the local network to which the network switching equipment 50 is associated with the server 1; third-party equipment such as control equipment for checking one or more exchanged frames; security equipment, such as a server for encrypting data or securing a transaction including Ethernet frames transmitted with another remote server; connected equipment for reassembling control data but also for receiving control instructions issued by the server 1.

The read-only memory M2 comprises data making it possible to store the association data between the known equipment of the server 1 of the invention and their Ethernet address, which makes it possible to encapsulate the data.

In reception, the Ethernet frames received by the server 1 are decoded, read and interpreted by the microprocessor K. In this case, depending on the addressing of the received frame, the microprocessor K can re-transmit the frame to another equipment or record the frame data, perform data processing operations and generate a new frame to a third-party equipment.

ETH_PHY component

According to another embodiment, the processing of the encapsulation and de-encapsulation tasks of the Ethernet frames is supported by a dedicated component and noted ETH_PHY in FIG.

These processes include, for example: the generation of Ethernet frames; reading the addressing of Ethernet frames; segmentation of Ethernet frames; coding the fields of the Ethernet frames, and; decoding data in Ethernet format.

FIG. 4 represents such an embodiment in which the ETH_PHY component performs the functions of processing the Ethernet frames. One advantage is to separate the processing functions performed by the microprocessor K and the Ethernet frame processing functions performed by the ETH_PHY component.

According to one embodiment, the ETH_PHY component comprises a computer and a dedicated memory. According to another embodiment, the ETH_PHY component comprises an interface with the read-only memory M2 for performing operations of reading the Ethernet addresses of the frames to be processed to generate their header fields. In this last embodiment, it is the component ETH_PHY which provides the switching functions over IP which consist of retransmitting an Ethernet frame to a device whose source has been identified in the received data.

Application server

According to a first embodiment, the server 1 is an application server. The server 1 is then for example configured to process data collected from a set of third-party equipment, such as connected equipment or equipment having an interface with a network switching equipment 50.

The server 1 of the invention is then at least capable of receiving Ethernet frames transmitted by these third-party devices via the network switching equipment 50 which comprises physical or wireless interfaces for receiving such frames.

The server 1 of the invention occupying a location 51 of an SFP cage of the network switching equipment 50 receives frames sent by third party equipment. A configuration of the network switching equipment 50 can be performed such that certain Ethernet frames collected by the latter are automatically transmitted to the server 1.

According to one embodiment, the network switching equipment 50 is configured to transmit only Ethernet frames having a specific header field to the server 1 of the invention. A specific header field may be defined, for example, by a predefined Ethernet address set.

The server 1 is then able to collect, record and / or retransmit frames to other third party devices, terminals or another server, such as a data server.

Example: managing an electricity meter

According to an exemplary embodiment, an electric meter is a device that transmits electrical consumption data either on demand or in a regular manner according to the chosen configuration. An electricity meter may be connected to a data network via network switching equipment 50 via a physical link or via a wireless link.

In the case of the invention, the consumption data that is sent reach the network switching equipment 50 which itself transmits this data to the server 1 of the invention disposed in one of its cages 51. data thus received by the server 1 may be, for example: - stored temporarily in the server 1; formatted by an application of the server 1 so as to present correlated information or balance sheets over periods of time; - Reissues to another data server of the data network to which the network switching equipment 50 is connected; - Compared to thresholds for the generation and transmission of alarms or monitoring data.

According to this embodiment, the server 1 is parameterized, for example remotely, with an application for managing the data of the electric meter (s). Such an application makes it possible to administer the meters, the electrical equipment, the users, the data servers, the frequency of acquisition of the messages, the comparison thresholds of certain useful data of the server 1, the management of the access rights, etc.

Thus, the server 1 of the invention makes it possible to perform a data processing function directly in the network switching equipment 50 and to use the network resources of this equipment 5 to deliver real-time equipment operating data. third.

Example: connected environmental sensors

Another example of a possible configuration of the server 1 of the invention may be an application for collecting and managing environmental data from sensors connected in an environment close to the network switching equipment 50. For example, such equipment may be present in the premises of a company. According to one embodiment, the network switching equipment 50 may be the access switch to the terminals of the company, such as the terminals EQ1, EQ2, EQn shown in FIG.

Such a server 1 may, for example, be configured so that it collects temperature, humidity, pressure data from a plurality of offices in which sensors are present. After the collection of data and their recording, the server of the invention 1 can send Ethernet frames to an air conditioning management server. Such an air conditioning management server then automatically generates instructions for controlling a centralized air conditioning system.

An advantage of mutualization: switching functions of a network switching equipment 50 and; data collection functions of a server 1, is to address equipment of different types of different subnets of the same space through the processing capabilities of the server 1 and the physical interfaces of the switching equipment network 50.

Network share server

According to one embodiment of the invention, the server 1 of the invention is configured to process data intended to offer IP services concerning the sharing and the transfer of data within a local network and its connection with a network public.

Example: IPBX function

An exemplary configuration of the network sharing server 1 of the invention is an application for performing the main functions of an IPBX. Thus, the server 1 of the invention makes it possible to transform a simple network switching equipment 50 into intelligent IP communications management equipment to provide the services of which: - The routing of an external IP telephone call to an EQ1 terminal a local network, the local network being configured so that the addresses of the equipment are known to the server 1 of the invention; - The routing of internal calls between different terminals EQ1, EQ2, EQn of the local network; - call forwarding and hold functions; - Management of public network access rights for each terminal EQ1, EQ2, EQn through the registration of rights and their associations to MAC or IP addresses in the read-only memory Ma; - Management of a conference mode to establish IP communications between EQ1, EQ2, EQn terminals of a local area network. In the latter case, the microprocessor K or the component ETH_PHY is capable of generating the IP headers of the Ethernet frames allowing this conference mode when it is detected by the request of one of the terminals; Emergency call management when these are programmed by virtue of a function of the microprocessor and a pre-recorded call number in the read-only memory; - Intercom, webcam or videophone management; - The management of telephone costs, time counters or services linked to predefined time slots; - Etc.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a network switching equipment 50 of the invention comprising a server 1 of the invention. Such equipment 50 includes a PSUo power supply supplying the main components of the equipment 50 as well as the server 1 via the connector 21. The equipment 50 comprises a plurality of SFP cages at least one location is dedicated to receive a server 1 of the invention. The latter plugs into the SFP cage to be electrically connected thus allowing data to be exchanged with the equipment 50.

In addition, the equipment 50 includes an interface card or a motherboard, denoted C in FIG.

The latter C card comprises a first set of interfaces 51 'for exchanging data with each connector 21 of each SFP module plugged into each SFP cage. In particular, one or more server (s) 1 may be plugged into one or more SFP cages.

Card C includes a second set of interfaces 52 'for receiving and transmitting data on connectors 52. These connectors 52 are, for example, RJ45 connectors, or RJ45 PoE connectors or other connectors. These latter connectors 52 may be physically connected to a plurality of terminals EQ1, EQ2, EQn or bases each having a wireless terminal. These connectors 52 can also be used for the physical interconnection of several network switching equipment 50.

Thus, the IP communications and more generally the services of an IPBX can be supported by a network switching equipment 50 when the latter comprises at least one network sharing server 1 comprising the means for implementing an IPBX.

Claims (12)

1. Server application and / or network shares (1) comprising a frame (10) longitudinal capable of cooperating with a cage SFP (51) to be plugged mechanically and further comprising guide elements and holding in said SFP cage (51), said frame (10) having: a plug-in first end (2) and having an SFP electrical connector (21) for plugging onto a connector of a host card of a switching equipment network (50); a second end (3) comprising at least one extraction element (31, 32) of the frame (10) when it is plugged into the SFP cage (51), said frame (10) comprising an electronic card (11) comprising a random access memory (Mi), a read only memory (Ma), a microprocessor (K) and a power supply (PSU) receiving an external power supply passing through the SFP electrical connector (21) and in turn supplying at least the microprocessor (K) , the random access memory (Mi) and the read-only memory (Ma), said server (1) comprising an operating system for: first, exploiting the data stored in the read-only memory (Ma) to perform at least some operations; processing data transmitted by the network switching equipment (50) and received by the server (1) with said stored data and; on the other hand, generating frames of data to be transmitted to the network switching equipment (50). The microprocessor (K) further comprising a control interface (CTRLJNT) for coordinating the data transmission in transmission and transmission. receiving with the network switching equipment (50), said exchanged data being encapsulated in Ethernet frames and transiting via the SFP electrical connector (21). 2. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that a frame encapsulation component (ETH_PHY) processes the data transmitted and received between the microprocessor (K) and the SFP electrical interface (21) so as to : encapsulate data in transmission as Ethernet frames and; de-encapsulate the received Ethernet frames for transmission to the microprocessor (K). 3. Server (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the microprocessor (K): Decodes and codes the MAC addresses of the sources and destinations in the frames received or transmitted; Check MAC addresses of received frames to filter data; Control access to the physical media Detects transmission errors. 4. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the microprocessor (K): encapsulates the transmission data in the form of Ethernet frames and; de-encapsulates the received Ethernet frames for transmission to the microprocessor (K). 5. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding and holding elements comprise at least one of the following list: a guide groove; a removable or deformable portion (4, 5) for holding the server (1) in a cage (51); a holding clip. 6. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the microprocessor (K) controls the levels of power supplies distributed by power supply (PSU) to each component (M1, M2, ETH_PHY, K) server (1) so to activate an energy saver function when at least one supply value exceeds a predefined threshold. 7. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second end (3) of the frame (10) comprises at least one indicator light (33) indicating the operating state of the server (1). 8. Server (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating system comprises an organization of components and interfaces and configuration data for the execution of a computer program configured to process frames of data received via the electrical connector SFP (21), said computer program having specific parameters stored in the read-only memory (M2) allowing the execution of at least one task of processing received frames to generate new output frames passing through the SFP electrical connector (21) to a terminal (EQ), a server or a connected equipment. 9. Server (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the read-only memory (M2) comprises a set of parameter values defining action thresholds, each action threshold being associated in the read-only memory (M2) to an identification of a remote electronic device provided with a sensor collecting measurements of at least one parameter, said server (1): receiving at least one data frame via the SFP electrical interface (21) ), said frame comprising the identification of a remote device referenced in the read-only memory (M2) and a value of a measurement of at least one parameter; decoding and recording in the read-only memory (M2) said value of the measurement; performing a comparison between said decoded measurement and a predefined action threshold and stored in the read-only memory (M2) associated with said remote equipment; generating at least one data frame to a remote control equipment, a network address of said remote control equipment being stored in the read-only memory (M2), said data frame being transmitted via the SFP electrical connector (21) in the format of an Ethernet frame. 10. Server (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the read-only memory (M2) comprises: A set of terminal MAC addresses (EQi, EQ2, EQn); A set of MAC address associations of each terminal (EQi, EQ2, EQn) with an IP address and with a call number for each terminal (EQi, EQ2, EQn); A set of access rights to an external network of an IP operator for each terminal MAC or IP address, the microprocessor (K) being configured to: detect an incoming call from a first terminal (EQi) referenced in the memory dead signal (M2), said incoming call comprising a frame indicating a call number of a second terminal (EQ2) referenced individually or in groups in the read-only memory (M2) of the server (1); generating at least one data frame to the second terminal (EQ2) or to another server according to the call number, said data received from the incoming call of the first terminal (EQi) being encapsulated in the data frames transmitted by the microprocessor (k) to the second terminal (EQ2) or to another server, the server (1) transmitting via the electrical interface SFP (21) at least one Ethernet frame including the IP address of the second terminal (EQ2) or another server and having the frame generated by the microprocessor (K) to the second terminal (EQ2). 11. Server (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the microprocessor (K) is configured to: detect a set of frames corresponding to an incoming call to a first terminal (EQi), said call number being referenced in the telecommunication ROM (M2) and associated with an address of the first terminal (EQi); detecting a frame having a call transfer flag from the first terminal (EQi) to which and associated a new line number associated with the call transfer flag; comparing the new line number with the data stored in the read only memory (M2) to determine a new terminal (EQ3) to which the call is to be transferred and; generating at least one data frame to the new terminal (EQ3) comprising the data received from the incoming call, the server transmitting via the SFP electrical interface (21) at least one Ethernet frame including: the IP address of the third terminal (EQ3) and the data received from the incoming call. 12. Switch (50) comprising a power supply (PSUo), a microprocessor (Ko), a set of SFP cages (51) each having a connector adapted to cooperate with a SFP electrical connector, a motherboard (G) comprising: a first set of interfaces (51 ') for collecting and transmitting data passing through the connectors cooperating with SFP electrical connectors; a second set of interfaces (52 ') for receiving and transmitting data passing through connectors (52) for cooperating with IP terminal links (EQi, EQ2, EQn), the switch (50) being characterized in that it further comprises at least one server (1) of any one of claims 1 to 10 plugged into one or more of its SFP cages.