Patent ID: 7983559

Claim:
An assembly comprising: an optical port configured to receive an optical signal; an optical to electrical converter configured to convert the optical signal to an electrical signal having a data rate; a switch having an input, and first and second outputs, the switch configured to receive the electrical signal on the input and provide the electrical signal to one of the first and second outputs depending on the data rate, the first output coupled to a first path and the second output coupled to a second path; a first frequency processing circuit configured to process the electrical signal in accordance with a first protocol; a first serializer/deserializer coupled to the first output of the switch, upon the switch providing the electrical signal to the first output of the switch, the first serializer/deserializer configured to receive the electrical signal from the first output of the switch and convert the electrical signal to a first parallel signal, the first parallel signal being provided to the first frequency processing circuit; a second frequency processing circuit configured to process the electrical signal in accordance with a second protocol; and a second serializer/deserializer coupled to the second output of the switch, upon the switch providing the electrical signal to the second output of the switch, the second serializer/deserializer configured to receive the electrical signal from the second output of the switch and convert the electrical signal to a second parallel signal, the second parallel signal being provided to the second frequency processing circuit.