Performing channel analysis over a link

• US 20050276225A1
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Mezer, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/26 using dedicated tools for LAN [Local Area Network] management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes establishing a communication link between a first link partner and a second link partner, causing the first link partner to transmit idle signals, and analyzing a desired channel of the communication link using the idle signals. As an example, the communication link may be an Ethernet link and the link may be maintained during the channel analysis so that system data transmissions may be resumed or initiated immediately after the analysis is completed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a communication link between a first link partner and a second link partner while analyzing at least one channel of the communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventing the first link partner from transmitting data while analyzing the at least one channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the first link partner to transmit idle signals while analyzing the at least one channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the at least one channel comprises analyzing a frequency response of the channel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing decoded transmitted symbols from a first channel of the first link partner with data from a second channel of the first link partner.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising calculating a cross-correlation between the data and a reference series obtained from the decoded transmitted symbols.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a phase relationship between the data and the reference series.

8. A method comprising:

establishing a communication link between a first link partner and a second link partner;

causing the first link partner to transmit idle signals; and

analyzing a desired channel of the communication link using the idle signals.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising maintaining the communication link while analyzing the desired channel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein causing the first link partner to transmit the idle signals comprises sending the idle signals on a reference channel of the communication link.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising decoding the idle signals to obtain a reference series of the reference channel.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the reference series of the reference channel to obtain a reference series of the desired channel.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving test data from the desired channel.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising routing the test data and the reference series of the desired channel over a test bus.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein analyzing the desired channel comprises performing a cross-correlation between the reference series of the desired channel and the test data.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising locking onto the reference channel with a scrambler.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising advancing the scrambler to compute the reference series of the desired channel.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a physical layer unit to transmit and receive information over a link; and

a test bus coupled to the physical layer unit to provide test data of a channel of the link to a test circuit.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a medium independent interface coupled between the test bus and the physical layer unit.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a medium access controller coupled to the medium independent interface.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a storage medium to store instructions that if executed enable the apparatus to maintain the link during analysis of the channel.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the storage medium further includes instructions that if executed enable the apparatus to cause a remote link partner to send idle signals during the analysis.

23. A system comprising:

an Ethernet link;

a physical layer unit to transmit and receive information over the Ethernet link; and

a test bus coupled to the physical layer unit to provide test data of a channel of the Ethernet link to a test circuit.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a storage medium to store instructions that if executed enable the system to maintain the Ethernet link during analysis of the channel.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the storage medium further includes instructions that if executed enable the system to cause a remote link partner to send idle signals during the analysis.

26. An article comprising a machine-accessible storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

maintain a communication link between a first link partner and a second link partner while analyzing at least one channel of the communication link.

27. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to prevent the first link partner from transmitting data while analyzing the at least one channel.

28. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to cause the first link partner to transmit idle signals while analyzing the at least one channel.

29. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to resume transmission of system data after the analyzing is completed.

30. A system comprising:

a dynamic random access memory;

a physical layer unit to transmit and receive information over an Ethernet link; and

a test bus coupled to the physical layer unit to provide test data of a channel of the Ethernet link to a test circuit.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the dynamic random access memory to store instructions that if executed enable the system to maintain the Ethernet link during analysis of the channel.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising a medium independent interface coupled between the test bus and the physical layer unit.