US 2012/0236852 A1 · ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SHARING ETHERNET CIRCUIT BETWEEN PLURALITY OF PORTS

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic apparatus. In one embodiment, the electronic apparatus comprises a plurality of ports, an Ethernet circuit, a port switch, and a flow control scheduler. The Ethernet circuit generates a plurality of transmitted packets according to transmitted data sent from the host, and derives received data sent to a host from a plurality of received packets. The flow control scheduler receives a plurality of transmitting requests corresponding to the ports from the host, arbitrates between the transmitting requests corresponding to the ports to select a transmitting port from the ports, receives a plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports from the host, and arbitrates between the plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports to select a receiving port from the ports. The port switch sends the transmitted packets to the transmitting port, and receives the received packets from the receiving port.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of ports;
an Ethernet circuit, coupled to a host, comprising an Ethernet physical layer transceiver and an Ethernet media access controller (MAC), generating a plurality of transmitted packets according to transmitted data sent from the host, and deriving received data sent to the host from a plurality of received packets;
a flow control scheduler, receiving a plurality of transmitting requests corresponding to the ports from the host, arbitrating between the transmitting requests corresponding to the ports to select a transmitting port from the ports, receiving a plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports from the host, and arbitrating between the plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports to select a receiving port from the ports;
and
a port switch, coupled between the ports and the Ethernet circuit, sending the transmitted packets to the transmitting port, and receiving the received packets from the receiving port.

2 more elements

A method for sharing an Ethernet circuit between a plurality of ports, wherein an electronic apparatus comprises the plurality of ports, the Ethernet circuit, a port switch, and a flow control scheduler, and the Ethernet circuit comprises an Ethernet physical layer transceiver and an Ethernet media access controller (MAC), comprising:

receiving a plurality of transmitting requests corresponding to the ports from a host by the flow control scheduler;
arbitrating between the transmitting requests corresponding to the ports by the flow control scheduler to select a transmitting port from the ports;
generating a plurality of transmitted packets by the Ethernet circuit according to transmitted data sent from the host;
sending the transmitted packets to the transmitting port by the port switch;
receiving a plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports from the host;
arbitrating between the plurality of receiving requests corresponding to the ports by the flow control scheduler to select a receiving port from the ports;
receiving a plurality of received packets from the receiving port by the port switch;
and
deriving received data sent to the host from the received packets.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic apparatus and method for sharing ethernet circuit between plurality of ports

Life of this patent

Electronic apparatus and method for sharing ethernet circuit between plurality of ports

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22