Patent ID: 8700821
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: G06F,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A method for routing packets from an apparatus, wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of universal multi-transport medium (UMTM) connectors having a form factor configured to physically couple to a plug, wherein each UMTM connector comprises an electrical coupling to transport an electrical signal and an optical coupling to transport an optical signal, the method comprising: selectively encapsulating, by a router coupled to a plurality of data transmission paths, packets from a first host controller or from a second host controller into first unified connector protocol frames according to a unified connector protocol; selectively transmitting, by the router, at least some of the first unified connector protocol frames to a first UMTM connector within the optical signal across at least a portion of a first data transmission path in the plurality of data transmission paths or within the electrical signal across the entire first data transmission path; wherein (1) if the first UMTM connector is coupled to a first peripheral device through the plug, said selectively transmitting is capable of transmitting encapsulated packets from the electrical coupling to the first peripheral device using the electrical signal only, and (2) if the first UMTM connector is coupled to a second peripheral device through the plug, said selectively transmitting is capable of transmitting encapsulated packets from the optical coupling to the second peripheral device using the optical signal only.