Enhanced crosspoint bus protocol

Apparatus for extending a standard crosspoint bus protocol for controlling an enhanced crosspoint bus, the apparatus comprising:

• a controller operative to modify a definition of one or more bits in a message sequence from a first predefined designation specifying the standard crosspoint bus protocol to a second predefined designation, the second designation being a control definition for specifying one of an enhanced crosspoint bus protocol and the standard crosspoint bus protocol;
• wherein the enhanced crosspoint bus protocol is an expansion of the standard crosspoint bus protocol and is backward compatible with the standard protocol.

A routing switcher matrix circuit for selectively controlling a corresponding crosspoint switch in a routing switcher system, the routing switcher matrix circuit comprising:

• a storage register operatively coupled to a serial data stream, the storage register at least temporarily storing data received from the serial data stream;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to the storage register and including a comparator for comparing each data bit in the serial data stream with a predetermined expected value, the controller being responsive to one or more bits in the data stream and selectively operating in at least one of a first mode and a second mode in response thereto, wherein in the first mode a first crosspoint bus protocol is used and in the second mode a second crosspoint bus protocol is used.

An article of manufacture for extending a standard crosspoint bus protocol for controlling an enhanced crosspoint bus, the article comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

• modifying a definition of one or more bits in a message sequence from a first predefined designation specifying the standard crosspoint bus protocol to a second predefined designation, the second designation being a control definition for specifying one of an enhanced crosspoint bus protocol and the standard crosspoint bus protocol;
• wherein the enhanced crosspoint bus protocol is an expansion of the standard crosspoint bus protocol and is backward compatible with the standard protocol.