Abstract: An Ethernet, or more generally any packetized network system, remote management device and system operable via Ethernet connections according to non-Ethernet message instructions presented during the active idle signal period, e.g. during the inter-packet gap (IPG), which are separated from the Ethernet signalling before detection. A locally managed device includes a physical layer interface adapted to receive a secondary signal which is encoded to provide a corresponding signal while conforming to the active idle and minimum IPG requirements, and is received by a remote device managed according to the encoded signals provided from the local device during the IPG. Further embodiments provide multiple (serial) nesting of such remote devices along the Ethernet path, with the instructions to and data from the most distant such remote devices forwarded through intermediate remote devices according to the present invention.

Abstract: A bidirectional network medium translator connected between two dissimilar network media, e.g. Fiber Optic (FX) and Twisted Pair (TX), comprising a transceiver and a clock recovery element for each medium, and a bidirectional serial buffer which receives, processes and transmits the data while in the serial data format. Thus, the apparatus according to the present invention is operable to the maximum data rates currently used, provides significantly reduced data delay, and may be field-modified to a variety of different media.