Apparatus and method for data transmission on bonded data channels of a communications network utilizing a single serial communications controller

An apparatus for data transmission on bonded data channels in a digital telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

• an interface transceiver coupleable to the digital communications network for data transmission, the interface transceiver having a transmission mode and having a loopback mode;
• interface circuitry coupleable to data terminal equipment to receive transmissible data from the data terminal equipment;
• an integrated multiprotocol processor coupled to the interface transceiver and to the interface circuitry, the integrated multiprotocol processor having a serial communications controller for data transmission on the bonded data channels, the integrated multiprotocol processor responsive through a set of program instructions to configure the interface transceiver in the loopback mode and transmit a predetermined information pattern in the loopback mode to form a received information pattern;
• the integrated multiprotocol processor further responsive to compare the received information pattern with the predetermined information pattern to determine whether the received information pattern matches the predetermined information pattern and when the received information pattern does not match the predetermined information pattern, to shift the transmissable data into an alternate configuration;
• and the integrated multiprotocol processor further responsive to reconfigure the interface transceiver for the transmission mode and to commence with a data transmission activity.

An apparatus for data transmission on bonded data channels in a digital telecommunications network, the apparatus comprising:

• an interface transceiver coupleable to the digital communications network for data transmission, the interface transceiver having a transmission mode and having a loopback mode;
• interface circuitry coupleable to data terminal equipment to receive transmissible data from the data terminal equipment;
• an integrated multiprotocol processor coupled to the interface transceiver and to the interface circuitry, the integrated multiprotocol processor having a serial communications controller for data transmission on the bonded data channels;
• the serial communication controller further having a transmitter, a transmit buffer, a receiver and a receive buffer;
• the integrated multiprotocol processor responsive through a set of program instructions to store a predetermined information pattern in the transmit buffer of the serial communications controller, configure the interface transceiver in the loopback mode, and transmit through the transmitter of the serial communications controller the predetermined information pattern in the loopback mode, to receive through the receiver of the serial communications controller a loopback signal forming a received information pattern, and to store the received information pattern in the receive buffer of the serial communications controller;
• the integrated multiprotocol processor further responsive to compare the received information pattern with the predetermined information pattern to determine whether the received information pattern matches the predetermined information pattern and when the received information pattern does not match the predetermined information pattern, to shift the transmissable data into an alternate configuration and to store the transmissible data in the alternate configuration in the transmit buffer of the serial communication controller;
• and the integrated multiprotocol processor further responsive to reconfigure the interface transceiver for the transmission mode and to commence with a data transmission activity.

A method for data transmission on a bonded channel in a digital telecommunications network utilizing a single serial communications controller, the method comprising:

• (a) transmitting a predetermined information pattern in a loopback mode to form a received information pattern;
• (b) comparing the received information pattern with the predetermined information pattern to determine whether the received information pattern matches the predetermined information pattern;
• (c) shifting transmissable data into an alternate configuration when the received information pattern does not match the predetermined information pattern;
• and
• (d) commencing with a data transmission activity in a transmission mode;
• wherein step (c) further comprises:
• (c1) forming a first configuration of the transmissible data, the first configuration having bytes of the transmissible data sequentially alternating between a first type designation and a second type designation;
• and
• (c2) forming the alternate configuration by interchanging bytes of the transmissible data having the first type designation with bytes of the transmissible data having the second type designation.