Patent ID: 8644172

Claim:
A host device in a network for transporting data via at least one optical fibre, the host device comprising an interface card connected to a backplane of said host device, wherein said interface card comprises at least one cage for receiving a pluggable module, wherein said pluggable module comprises a diagnostic unit which receives local performance data from electronic components of said pluggable module and reports said performance data via an electrical interface to said host device, wherein said pluggable module comprises: a mapping unit which controls a laser driver depending on the local performance data received from said diagnostic unit to transfer said performance data via an embedded communication channel (ECC) to a far end pluggable module; and a de-mapping unit for storing performance data extracted from the embedded communication channel (ECC) in a memory of said diagnostic unit, wherein said pluggable module performs a latency measurement of a latency for transporting data from at least one of said pluggable modules to one of a far end pluggable module or to a far end device and a link test, and wherein said mapping and de-mapping units are connected to the diagnostic unit.