Methods and apparatus for high-speed serial interface link assist

摘要

The present disclosure provides a link assist capability that may be added to a compiled design that includes a transceiver. The transceiver with the link assist capability may be dynamically reconfigured to operate in a link assist mode, which is a diagnostic and test mode. The link assist mode may interact with a HSSI link partner, or a design software tool, or a user-defined program. The link assist mode may also facilitate remote debugging. One embodiment relates to an apparatus for serial interface link assist. Another embodiment relates to a method of dynamic reconfiguration of transceiver settings. Another embodiment relates to a method of tuning a bidirectional serial link. Other features, aspects and embodiments are also disclosed.

主权项

1. An apparatus for serial interface link assist, the apparatus comprising:
a physical coding sublayer (PCS) encoder that encodes an outgoing data signal to generate a first encoded outgoing data signal; a link assist engine that obtains an encoded incoming data signal and outputs a second encoded outgoing data signal; a multiplexor selector that selects one of the first and second encoded outgoing data signals and outputs the selected encoded outgoing signal; and a transmitter, including a serializer, that serializes and transmits the selected encoded outgoing signal to an outbound serial data channel.