Patent ID: 8885506

Claim:
A method, comprising: operating a network device in an active mode where a physical layer device in said network device communicates with a link partner over a network link at a one Gbit/s transmission rate in both directions of communication; monitoring, by said network device, a link utilization level for a first direction of communication over said network link; and transitioning, in response to said monitoring, said physical layer device from said active mode to an asymmetric low power idle mode, wherein said asymmetric low power idle mode supports a configuration of said physical layer device where said first direction of communication is inactive between a transmission of periodic refresh signals that are configured to maintain synchronization of said first direction of communication, and said second direction of communication that is opposite said first direction of communication continues to communicate at said one Gbit/s transmission rate, wherein said periodic refresh signals used in said first direction of communication while in said asymmetric low power idle mode enables communication of data bits that creates a fixed data rate logical channel having a data transmission rate lower than one Gbit/s.