| 摘要 |
A technique for interfacing transmission media in a local area network (LAN). A first transceiver and a second transceiver, each have a media dependent interface and a media independent interface. Each media dependent interface is coupled to respective transmission media while the media independent interfaces are coupled together. A receive clock output of the first transceiver is coupled to a first input of a first multiplexer. A receive clock output of the second transceiver is coupled to a first input of a second multiplexer. A fixed frequency clock signal is coupled to a second input of the first multiplexer and to a second input of the second multiplexer. An output of the first multiplexer is coupled to a reference clock input of the second transceiver. An output of the second multiplexer is coupled to a reference clock input of the first transceiver. A select input of the first multiplexer is coupled to a status output of the first transceiver. A select input of the second multiplexer is coupled to a status output of the second transceiver. The reference clock input for each transceiver is selectively coupled to the fixed-frequency clock signal or to the receive clock signal generated by the other transceiver according to whether data is being received from the other transceiver. Accordingly, data is passed from one transceiver to the other without intermediate buffering. Therefore, the invention reduces complexity associated with prior techniques for interfacing transmission media. Preferably, the invention is practiced in a Fast Ethernet LAN.
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