Patent ID: 7958291

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first interface coupled to a first device and having: a communication channel through which data is transmitted to or received from a target device that is coupled to the first interface by the communication channel; a first transmit status register that specifies, in a first format, a transmit buffer status for the first interface; and a first control register that controls, based at least in part on its contents, transmission of data by the first interface and through the communication channel, the contents of the first control register being in the first format and including data specifying the transmit buffer status for the first interface; a second interface coupled to the first interface and the first device, the second interface having: a second transmit status register that specifies, in a second different format, the transmit buffer status for the first interface; and a second control register that controls, based at least in part on its contents, transmission of data by the first interface and through the communication channel, contents of the second control register that are used to control transmission being in the second different format and including data specifying the transmit buffer status for the first interface; and a circuit, coupled to the first interface and the second interface, that translates contents of the first control register from the first format to the second different format and translates contents of the second control register from the second different format to the first format, such that a same transmit buffer status is specified by both of the first control register and the second control register, wherein transmission of data is initiated by the first interface in response to the first control register receiving first control data in the first format from the first device, and wherein transmission of data is initiated by the first interface in response to the second control register receiving the first control data in the second different format from the first device.