Patent ID: 6937616

Claim:
An apparatus for xDSL communication of data between a network and subscribers coupled to corresponding subscriber lines, and the apparatus comprising: at least one analog front end (AFE) coupled to a first set of the subscriber lines supporting a first set of communication channels, and the at least one AFE for converting analog communications from the first set of subscriber lines to corresponding upstream channels of data, and for converting corresponding downstream channels of data into analog communications to the first set of subscriber lines, and the at least one AFE further including: a plurality of modules coupled to one another to form both a transmit path for packetized conversion of data packets corresponding with downstream channels of data from the network into analog communications and a receive path for converting analog communications from the subscribers to data packets corresponding with upstream channels of data from the subscribers; and buffers between selected ones of the plurality of modules of the transmit path and the receive path for buffering downstream and upstream data packets to allow pipelined processing by selected ones of the plurality of modules on the transmit path and receive path of successive downstream and upstream data packets; and wherein selected successive packets within the transmit path and receive path pipelines of the at least a first AFE, exhibit different XDSL protocols and/or line codes; and wherein further selected ones of the plurality of modules vary the processing of each of the selected successive packets to correspond with the corresponding XDSL protocol and line code; and at least one digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to a network and the at least one DSP for processing downstream channels of data from the network to the subscribers and for processing upstream channels of data from the subscribers to the network.