Patent ID: 8200095

Claim:
A method of granting access to a system memory of an optical transceiver, the method comprising: an act of receiving a request from an external host processor for access privileges to at least one segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver; in response to receiving the request for access privileges for the external host processor: an act of a processing entity reading a first access entry of a memory access table of the optical transceiver, the first access entry defining an address of a first segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver and a first access condition for accessing the first segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver; an act of the processing entity determining external host processor access privileges for the first segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver based on the first access condition read; an act of the processing entity reading a second access entry of the memory access table, the second access entry defining an address of a second segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver and a second access condition for accessing the second segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver, wherein satisfaction of the second access condition satisfies the first access condition but satisfaction of the first access condition does not satisfy the second access condition; and an act of the processing entity determining external host processor access privileges for the second segment of the system memory of the optical transceiver based on the second access condition read, wherein the second segment of system memory stores at least a portion of code used to control an internal function of the optical transceiver, the internal function including at least one of evaluating operational circumstances of the optical transceiver and adjusting settings of a post amplifier and/or a laser driver in the optical transceiver, and wherein the request received from the external host processor includes data written to a third segment of the system memory prior to determining external host processor access privileges for the first or second segments of the system memory of the optical transceiver.