Patent ID: 7739552

Claim:
An apparatus for tapping a system that includes a host and a card, the apparatus comprising: a first end that connects with a host; a second end that connects with a card; a pass through bus connecting the first end and the second end such that the host continues to operate with the card over the pass through bus; a repeater that connects to the pass through bus, the repeater having a differential input, a first input of the differential input connected with a line of the bus and a second input of the differential input connected to a reference voltage that enables a signal on the line of the bus to be identified as a high signal or a low signal without knowing a value of the high signal; an interface voltage circuit that generates the reference voltage provided to the second input of the differential input; a pod that removably connects with the apparatus and that removably connects with a protocol analyzer; a tap that removably connects to the pod and one of the following: a memory that stores an ID, the ID corresponding to a protocol for which the apparatus is configured; or a hard-coded ID.