Apparatus and method for communicating arbitrarily encoded data over a 1-gigabit ethernet
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsKevin Brown, Richard G Thousand
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and Systems for transmitting data originating according to a first communications standard over a physical layer using a second communications standard are provided. A data stream is received from a physical transmission medium that uses particular first communications standard. Next, a data type identification (DTID) is appended to each byte in the data stream, thereby creating a technology independent data stream having a particular bit rate. This bit rate is then matched to a different bit rate that corresponds to a second communications standard. The technology independent data stream is then transmitted over a physical transmission medium that uses the second communications standard.
Claims18
A method for transmitting data, comprising:
- (a) receiving a first data stream from a first physical transmission medium using a first communications standard sub-layer of an IEEE 1394b data bus including an 8-bit data type;
- (b) appending to each data byte in said first data stream a 2-bit data type identification (DTID), wherein the DTID identifies a class of data associated with the data byte, thereby creating a technology independent data stream having a first bit rate;
- (c) matching said first bit rate to a second bit rate that corresponds to a second communications standard;
- and
- (d) transmitting said technology independent data stream over a second physical transmission medium using said second communications standard.
A communications reconciliation sub-layer, comprising:
- a transmit data type identification (DTID) circuit coupled to an output of a first transmission medium of an IEEE 1394b data bus for appending a 2-bit DTID to each 8-bit data byte in an original data stream, wherein the DTID identifies a class of data associated with the data byte, thereby generating a technology independent data stream at first bit rate that represents the original data stream from said first transmission medium;
- a transmit first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer coupled to an output of said transmit DTID and an input of a second transmission medium, said transmit FIFO buffer for matching said first bit rate to a second bit rate used by said second transmission medium;
- a receive FIFO buffer coupled to an output of said second transmission medium, said receive FIFO buffer for matching said second bit rate to said first bit rate;
- and
- a receive DTID circuit coupled to an output of said receive FIFO buffer for restoring said original data stream from said technology independent data stream.
A communications sub-layer for transmitting data formatted according to a first communications of an IEEE 1394b standard over a physical medium designed for data formatted according to a second communications standard, comprising:
- means for receiving a first data stream formatted according to the IEEE 1394b standard including an 8-bit data byte;
- means for appending a 2-bit data type identification to each data byte in said first data stream, wherein the data type identification identifies a class of data associated with the byte, thereby creating a technology independent data stream from said first data stream, said technology independent data stream having a first bit rate;
- means for matching said first bit rate to a second bit rate corresponding to the second communications standard;
- and
- means for transmitting said technology independent data stream over the physical medium according to the second communications standard.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.