Patent ID: 7266624

Claim:
A programmable layered subsystem interface comprising: extension sublayer (XS) module operably coupled to convert multi-path serial input data into XS parallel outbound data and to convert XS parallel inbound data into multi-path serial output data; physical coding sublayer (PCS) module operably coupled to perform sublayer encoding on the PCS parallel outbound data to produce PCS coded parallel outbound data and to perform sublayer decoding on PCS coded parallel inbound data to produce PCS parallel inbound data; physical media attachment (PMA) module operably coupled to convert PMA parallel outbound data into serial outbound data and to convert serial inbound data into PMA parallel inbound data; input module operably coupled to provide alternate input parallel data; output module operably coupled to receive alternate output parallel data; first switch module operably coupled to provide either the alternate input parallel data or the PMA parallel inbound data as the PCS coded parallel inbound data to the PCS module in response to a control signal and to provide the PCS coded parallel outbound data to either the output module as the alternate output parallel data or to the PMA module as the PMA parallel outbound data in response to the control signal; and second switch module operably coupled to provide either the XS parallel outbound data or the alternative input parallel data as the PCS parallel outbound data to the PCS module in response to the control signal and to provide the PCS parallel inbound data to either the output module as the alternate output parallel data or to the XS module as the XS parallel inbound data in response to the control signal, wherein the alternate input parallel data, the PMA parallel inbound data, the PCS coded parallel inbound data, the PCS coded parallel outbound data, the alternate output parallel data, and the PMA parallel outbound data when switched via the first switch module is formatted in accordance with an XSBI parallel data format.