System and Method for Multilane Link Rate Negotiation

In a communication network using a plurality of data rates, a system for negotiating a link data rate, the system comprising:

• a first device with a transceiver interfaced to a rate negotiation module;
• a second device with a transceiver interfaced to a rate negotiation module and network-connected to the first device transceiver;
• wherein the rate negotiation modules of the first and second devices mutually order the transmission of predetermined inquiry signals in the event that a negotiated data rate has not been determined, with the first device transmitting the inquiry signal at a first data rate and the second device transmitting the inquiry signal at a second data rate, where the first and second data rates are selected from a group consisting of a data rate associated with a single physical medium lane and the resultant data rate associated with combining a plurality of physical medium lanes;
• wherein the first and second device rate negotiation modules order the transmission of non-predetermined data at the second data rate if the second device receives an acknowledgement signal from the first device at the second data rate;
• and,
• wherein the first and second device rate negotiation modules order the transmission of non-predetermined data at the first data rate in the event of the first device receives an acknowledgement signal from the second device at the first data rate.