An apparatus comprising: protocol circuitry configured to implement a protocol stack of a particular interconnect protocol, wherein the protocol circuitry is configured to generate a set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) defined according to the particular interconnect protocol, the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) is generated for a link to couple a first device to a second device, and the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) comprises link information for the link; and translation layer circuitry configured to: generate, from the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprising the link information, wherein the link information in the data structure (705a, 705b) comprises link information for a particular one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and two or more lanes (805, 810a-d,815, 820a-d) of the link are to be used to send the data structure (705a, 705b), wherein the at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprises two or more data structures (705a, 705b), a first one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for the particular lane, and a second one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for another one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and link information content that is defined to be carried within various ordered sets of a protocol is separated from the set of ordered sets (701a, 710b) and converted into data structures defined outside of the protocol, wherein the data structures defined outside of the protocol are defined based on a specific application for which a link is to be provided, including applications of asymmetric bandwidth; and cause the data structure (705a, 705b) to be sent from the first device to the second device on the link in lieu of the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), wherein the protocol circuitry is configured to communicate the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) over an interface coupling the protocol circuitry with the translation layer circuitry. protocol circuitry configured to implement a protocol stack of a particular interconnect protocol, wherein the protocol circuitry is configured to generate a set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) defined according to the particular interconnect protocol, the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) is generated for a link to couple a first device to a second device, and the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) comprises link information for the link; and translation layer circuitry configured to: generate, from the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprising the link information, wherein the link information in the data structure (705a, 705b) comprises link information for a particular one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and two or more lanes (805, 810a-d,815, 820a-d) of the link are to be used to send the data structure (705a, 705b), wherein the at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprises two or more data structures (705a, 705b), a first one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for the particular lane, and a second one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for another one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and link information content that is defined to be carried within various ordered sets of a protocol is separated from the set of ordered sets (701a, 710b) and converted into data structures defined outside of the protocol, wherein the data structures defined outside of the protocol are defined based on a specific application for which a link is to be provided, including applications of asymmetric bandwidth; and cause the data structure (705a, 705b) to be sent from the first device to the second device on the link in lieu of the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), wherein the protocol circuitry is configured to communicate the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) over an interface coupling the protocol circuitry with the translation layer circuitry. generate, from the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprising the link information, wherein the link information in the data structure (705a, 705b) comprises link information for a particular one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and two or more lanes (805, 810a-d,815, 820a-d) of the link are to be used to send the data structure (705a, 705b), wherein the at least one data structure (705a, 705b) comprises two or more data structures (705a, 705b), a first one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for the particular lane, and a second one of the two or more data structures (705a, 705b) comprises link information for another one of the number of lanes (805, 810a-d, 815, 820a-d), and link information content that is defined to be carried within various ordered sets of a protocol is separated from the set of ordered sets (701a, 710b) and converted into data structures defined outside of the protocol, wherein the data structures defined outside of the protocol are defined based on a specific application for which a link is to be provided, including applications of asymmetric bandwidth; and cause the data structure (705a, 705b) to be sent from the first device to the second device on the link in lieu of the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b), wherein the protocol circuitry is configured to communicate the set of ordered sets (710a, 710b) over an interface coupling the protocol circuitry with the translation layer circuitry.