Patent ID: 7415032

Claim:
A method comprising a first device and a second device, each coupled to one or more serial signal paths, the said devices attempting to transmit symbols over one or more of the serial signal paths; identifying one or more serial signal paths over each of which the devices are able to exchange symbols; and enrolling the identified serial signal paths into an aggregation of signal paths to provide for communication between the devices, including: the first device proposing to the second device a first potential enrollment of serial signal paths into a first proposed aggregation of signal paths, including the identified serial signal paths, such that no serial signal path in the first potential enrollment is already a member of a previously formed aggregation; if the second device is able to enroll each serial signal path in the first potential enrollment into an aggregation of signal paths, the second device and the first device agreeing to form the first proposed aggregation; otherwise, one of either the first device or the second device respectively proposing a second potential enrollment of serial signal paths into a second proposed aggregation of signal paths that differs from the first proposed aggregation, to the other device.