Patent ID: 8199770

Claim:
A method for energy efficient networking, the method comprising: in an Ethernet network comprising Ethernet multi-rate link partners operable to communicate one or both of symmetrically and asymmetrically via any of a plurality of channels on an Ethernet link that couples said Ethernet multi-rate link partners: monitoring one or more factors that affect one or both of power consumption and energy efficiency in one or more of said Ethernet multi-rate link partners; transmitting, in a transmission direction from a first of said Ethernet multi-rate link partners to a second of said Ethernet multi-rate link partners, a request to lower, for asymmetrical data rate operation, a data rate for use in said transmission direction, wherein said request is transmitted via one or both of physical layer signaling together with packets of data and packet based signaling generated by higher layer protocol; and during operation of said Ethernet multi-rate link partners, configuring based on said monitoring, said transmission direction of said one or more of said Ethernet multi-rate link partners to enable said asymmetrical data rate operation via any of a plurality of channels.