Patent ID: 8433969

Claim:
A method for data transmission, the method comprising: sending a Forward Error Correction (FEC) automatic negotiation (AN) request message from a first device to a second device to determine a negotiated FEC process for data transmission between the first and the second device, wherein the negotiated FEC process comprises an FEC process that is agreed upon by both the first and the second device; upon determination of the negotiated FEC process, transmitting data between the first device and the second device using the negotiated FEC process; in response to a failure to determine the negotiated FEC process, performing operations of: transmitting a first plurality of sets of data between the first device and the second device, wherein each set of the first plurality of sets of data is transmitted using a different FEC process selected from a plurality of FEC processes, and wherein instructions for executing the plurality of FEC algorithms are preloaded in the first device; determining a data transmission error rate associated with transmitting each set of the first plurality of sets of data using a corresponding FEC process between the first deice and the second device; and subsequent to transmitting the first plurality of sets of data, determining preferred FEC process associated with a minimum data transmission error rate from transmitting the first plurality of sets of data; and transmitting a second plurality of sets of data between the first device and the second device using the preferred FEC process.