Multi-rate MAC to PHY interface
First Claim
1. A method for providing a multi-rate Media Access Control (MAC) layer interface, the method comprising:
- sampling a set of signals using a first MAC layer interface that corresponds to a first data rate;
generating a first signal, by the first MAC layer interface, indicating whether the set of signals corresponds to the first MAC layer interface;
sampling the set of signals using a second MAC layer interface that corresponds to a second data rate;
generating a second signal, by the second MAC layer interface, indicating whether the set of signals corresponds to the second MAC layer interface;
generating a select signal indicating a mode from a plurality of modes to be used based on the first signal and the second signal, wherein each of the plurality of modes use a shared set of communication lanes,wherein a first mode of the plurality of modes uses at least one communication lane of the shared set of communication lanes, andwherein a second mode of the plurality of modes uses the at least one communication lane of the first mode and one or more additional communication lanes of the shared set of communication lanes; and
transmitting the set of signals using the first MAC layer interface or a subset of the set of signals using the second MAC layer interface based on the select signal.
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Abstract
A method and system for a multi-rate Media Access Control layer (MAC) to Physical layer (PHY) interface is provided. The method to provide a multi-rate Media Access Control layer (MAC) interface comprises receiving a first set of signals, sampling the first set of signals to determine a type of interface to be used to transmit or receive the first set of signals or a subset of the first set of signals, generating a select signal indicating type of interface to be used based on the sampling step and transmitting the first set of signals or a subset of the first set of signals using the interface indicated by the select signal. The method to provide a multi-rate Physical layer (PHY) interface comprises receiving a select signal from a Physical layer (PHY) layer indicating data rate of a first set of signals, selecting a first interface and turning off the second interface if the select signal indicates the first interface is to be used, selecting the second interface and turning off the first interface if the select signal indicates the second interface is to be used and transmitting the first set of signals using the second interface or a subset of the first set of signals using the first interface based on the select signal.
70 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing a multi-rate Media Access Control (MAC) layer interface, the method comprising:
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sampling a set of signals using a first MAC layer interface that corresponds to a first data rate; generating a first signal, by the first MAC layer interface, indicating whether the set of signals corresponds to the first MAC layer interface; sampling the set of signals using a second MAC layer interface that corresponds to a second data rate; generating a second signal, by the second MAC layer interface, indicating whether the set of signals corresponds to the second MAC layer interface; generating a select signal indicating a mode from a plurality of modes to be used based on the first signal and the second signal, wherein each of the plurality of modes use a shared set of communication lanes, wherein a first mode of the plurality of modes uses at least one communication lane of the shared set of communication lanes, and wherein a second mode of the plurality of modes uses the at least one communication lane of the first mode and one or more additional communication lanes of the shared set of communication lanes; and transmitting the set of signals using the first MAC layer interface or a subset of the set of signals using the second MAC layer interface based on the select signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A multi-rate Physical (PHY) layer interface, comprising:
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a first interface comprising a communication lane of a shared set of communication lanes and configured to receive a select signal from a PHY layer, the select signal indicating whether a first signal from a set of signals corresponds to the first interface; a second interface comprising the communication lane of the first interface and one or more additional communication lanes of the shared set of communication lanes and configured to receive the select signal from the PHY layer, the select signal indicating whether the set of signals corresponds to the second interface; and a mux, coupled to the first interface and to the second interface, configured to transmit the first signal from the first interface or a second signal from the second interface to a Media Access Control (MAC) layer interface based on the select signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A multi-rate Media Access Control (MAC) layer interface, comprising:
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a first MAC layer interface, corresponding to a first data rate and comprising a communication lane of a shared set of communication lanes, configured to generate a first signal to indicate whether a set of signals corresponds to the first data rate; a second MAC layer interface, corresponding to a second data rate and comprising the communication lane of the first MAC layer interface and one or more additional communication lanes of the shared set of communication lanes, configured to generate a second signal to indicate whether the set of signals corresponds to the second data rate; an auto-detect module configured to generate a third signal to indicate whether the first MAC layer interface or the second MAC layer interface is to be used based on the first signal and the second signal; and a mux configured to transmit the set of signals from the first MAC layer interface or a subset of the set of signals from the second MAC layer interface based on the third signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification