Patent ID: 8428054

Claim:
A device server for facilitating daisy chain connection over Ethernet between first and second other devices through a serial port, comprising: a housing having features for mounting the server to a supporting device; a circuit board located within the housing includes an Ethernet switch configured to handle packet routing among Ethernet ports, the switch comprising an integrated circuit chip whereby the switch is configured by a control microprocessor through a Media Independent Interface port also located on the circuit board and further wherein the integrated circuit chip drives Ethernet ports wherein said Ethernet switch determines which Ethernet port to employ when passing on packets not intended for the present device server; at least two Ethernet ports logically connected so that information arriving at a first port is passed internally through the Ethernet switch to a second port, and information arriving at the second port is passed through the Ethernet switch to the first port to provide a daisy chained configuration of devices over an Ethernet connection; a serial communications port exposed through a wall of the housing logically connected to at least one of the two Ethernet ports to pass information from the first device external to the device server to provide the daisy chained configuration over the Ethernet connection of serial devices; a second serial communications port exposed through a wall of the housing logically connected to at least one of the two Ethernet ports through the control microprocessor having a different protocol from a protocol of the serial communications port; wherein the circuit board is further configured to provide a daisy chaining capability among the serial ports as well as among the Ethernet ports; wherein the circuit board can advantageously include receive and transmit indicators which are visible from outside the housing, the indicators receive pulse stretched signals from the circuit board; and circuitry coupled to the circuit board receiving power via Power over Ethernet (POE).