Abstract: A network port configurator device for automatically configuring a system having network workstations and corresponding network equipment of various physical protocols. The network port configurator comprises a plurality of input and output ports for receiving physical wiring to which the workstations and network equipment are attached. Detection circuitry attached to the input and output ports determine the physical protocol of the attached workstations and network equipment by determining a characteristic of the attached equipment. Examples of identifying characteristics include a characteristic impedance, a characteristic voltage, and a characteristic cable identification of the workstation. Logic circuitry uses this information to control a circuit switching mechanism that connects the input ports to the output ports.

Abstract: A network controller for dynamically rearranging a LAN to guarantee bandwidth required for multimedia communications comprises a switch for being connected to the transmit and receive ports of each LAN station and a switch controller. The switch comprises an internal switching fabric such that any receive port can be connected to any transmit port of any of the stations. The switch controller, which is connected to the primary LAN, controls the switch so that the LAN may be dynamically reconfigured when, for instance, a LAN node wishes to establish a private session with another LAN node. The request from the node to the controller is sent in a packet being passed around the primary ring. After the data transfer is complete between the two stations and they wish to re-enter the primary ring, one of the stations issues a request to the network controller to reconfigure the network. The request is made by applying a DC voltage to one of the node's receive or transmit line pairs.