Patent ID: 7466996

Claim:
A method for reducing power consumption by multiple links communicatively interconnected to provide a path between an origin and a destination for a data transmission, wherein each of the multiple links comprise a transmitter communicatively coupled with a receiver via a data transmission medium, the method comprising: determining ports of the multiple links to transmit the data transmission between the origin to the destination; determining an activity assignment for the ports of the multiple links based upon forwarding logic, wherein determining the activity assignment comprises determining the data frequency, traffic type, and medium type for the data transmission, the activity assignment being related to transmitting the data transmission from the origin to the destination through the multiple links with characteristics for the multiple links to accommodate; associating the activity with a power mode for the multiple links, the power mode selected to accommodate the characteristics of the data transmission; and configuring circuitry of transmitters and receivers of ports of the multiple links on the path to accommodate the characteristics by communicating the power mode to local link controls at each of the transmitters and receivers of the multiple links.