Abstract: A technique for de-skewing a group of serial data signals respectively outputted from a group of data lanes includes simultaneously feeding a test signal to inputs of the group of data lanes and monitoring respective outputs thereof. A predetermined data element of the test signal outputted from each of the group of data lanes is respectively detected and respective elapsed times from the detection of the predetermined data element outputted from each of the group of data lanes to the detection that the predetermined data element has been outputted from all of the group of data lanes are measured. The group of serial data signals are then de-skewed by respectively delaying them in accordance with their respective measured elapsed times. The test signal may include the predetermined data element, a lane identifier, and a predetermined number of additional data symbols, the predetermined data element being a predetermined data character.

Abstract: Look ahead encoder and decoder architecture. To increase the encoding speed, bytes of input data to be encoded are applied in parallel to each encoder of a pair of encoders in the look ahead encoder architecture. One encoder of each pair receives a first control input signal, while the other receives a second control input signal. The output bytes of binary data from the two encoders are applied to a multiplexer which selects the proper output byte based on the control output signal resulting from the immediately preceding encoded output byte of binary data. In one embodiment, a single encoder encodes the previous byte, doubling the encoding speed. In a second embodiment, a number of encoder pairs are utilized, with the multiplexers connected in a ring to utilize the selected control output signal from one multiplexer as the select signal for the next multiplexer in the ring, increasing the encoder speed by a factor equal to the number of encoder pairs.