Abstract: Aspects of a system for keyboard, sound and mouse (KSM) over LAN A/V bridging and A/V bridging extensions for graphics thin client applications may include an I/O controller within an LAN subsystem, which enables generation of response data based on input signals from a keyboard device and/or mouse device that is coupled to a computing device. The generated response data may be encapsulated within an encapsulating PDU. The encapsulating PDU may comprise an Ethernet frame and/or and IP packet. The encapsulating PDU may be transmitted via a network based on a traffic class designation. The traffic class designation may enable the transmission of the generated response data via the network based on specified latency target values. A time stamp value may be generated for the encapsulating PDU. The encapsulating PDU may include at least one data type identifier, which indicates that the encapsulating PDU contains the generated response data.

Abstract: An Ethernet network may comprise multi-rate link partners that may be coupled via an Ethernet link. The Ethernet link may comprise a plurality of channels wherein one or more may be silent and/or idle channels set to a low(er) power that may enable energy efficiency. Silent channels may be utilized for transmitting signals comprising one or more distinct physical patterns for controlling data rate transitions. For example, symbols may be utilized for generating the distinct physical patterns. The distinct physical patterns may communicate a new data rate, when to transition the data rate, which channel(s) may bear the data rate transition and/or a method for implementing the data rate transition. The method may comprise activating or suspending a data traffic channel, modifying a signal constellation, modifying PAM levels and/or adjusting inter-frame gap. The new data rate may be determined based on past traffic and/or expected traffic on the network link.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for physical layer aggregation are provided. An example method includes receiving, form a medium access control (MAC) layer protocol entity, data encapsulated into a packet comprising a preamble, fragmenting said packet into a plurality of fragment payloads, and conveying each of said fragment payloads to said third portion of said one or more circuits, wherein at least one of said plurality of fragment payloads comprises one or more octets copied from said preamble.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for managing an energy efficient network utilizing Audio Video Bridging are provided. Communications on an Ethernet link may be scheduled into a plurality of recurring time slots, where the scheduling comprises reserving resources of the Ethernet link utilizing the Audio Video Bridging suite of protocols. One or more occurrences of one or more of the recurring time slots may be designated for carrying out an energy efficient networking transaction on the link. The energy efficient networking transaction may be carried out during the designated one or more occurrences of the one or more of the recurring time slots. The energy efficient networking transaction may comprise communicating information for scheduling a change in the data rate on the network link. The energy efficient network transaction may comprise communicating information for implementing the change in the data rate.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling legacy media access control (MAC) to do energy efficient Ethernet (EEE). A backpressure mechanism is included in an EEE enhanced PHY that is responsive to a detected need to transition between various power modes of the EEE enhanced PHY. Through the backpressure mechanism, the EEE enhanced PHY can indicate to the legacy MAC that transmission of data is to be deferred due to a power savings initiative in the EEE enhanced PHY.

Abstract: An Ethernet link may comprise one or more link partners that may be communicatively coupled via one or more silent channels. One or more circuits and/or parameters corresponding to silent channels may be retrained, refreshed and/or updated based on various triggers, for example, fixed times, periodic or aperiodic time intervals, random or pseudorandom timer, events, link statistics, physical conditions such as noise, temperature level, cable type and/or cable length, communication from a corresponding link partner and/or based on programming from, for example, a layer above the physical layer. The retraining, refreshing and/or parameter updating may occur for one or more of an echo canceller, a far-end crosstalk canceller and a near-end crosstalk canceller corresponding to the one or more silent channels. Subsequent to the retraining, refreshing and/or parameter updating, the one or more silent channels may be activated and/or may remain silent.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for compensated time stamping for time-sensitive network communications are provided. In this regard, one or more timestamps generated in an OSI layer above the physical layer may be adjusted based on parameters associated with an amount of time in which data traverses a PHY of the network device. Communications of the network device may be managed based on the adjusted one or more timestamps. The parameters may comprise one or more of: average ingress PHY traversal time, average egress PHY traversal time, variance of ingress PHY traversal time, and variance of egress PHY traversal time. One or more network links coupled to the network device may be characterized based on the one or more adjusted timestamps. The parameters may be stored in one or more registers within a PHY of the network device.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for supporting a variable and energy efficient data rate using a duty cycling technique and multiple power states on an Ethernet link are provided. In this regard, a data rate on a network link may be duty cycled based on characteristics of data communicated over it. The network link may operate at a first data rate for a first portion of the time interval and may operate at a second data rate for a second portion of the time interval. The duration of each portion of the time interval and/or the data rate during each portion of the time interval may be adjusted to control the duty cycling. Power consumed in a device connected to the network link may be controlled based on the duty cycling of the link.

Abstract: A hybrid technique in energy efficient Ethernet (EEE) physical layer devices (PHYs). A hybrid approach is defined that combines multiple low power modes. In one embodiment, the hybrid approach uses low power idle (LPI) and subset PHY techniques that can be selectively activated.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for managing multimedia traffic over Ethernet are provided. In this regard, multimedia traffic comprising one or more Ethernet frames may be identified via one or more headers comprising the frames and processed according to the identification. In this regard, general Ethernet traffic may be multiplexed into egress frames based on the identification. Similarly, ingress Ethernet frames may be demultiplexed into multimedia traffic and general traffic based on the identification. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise Ethertype and/or subtype fields. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a connection identifier field. Similarly, Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a data type field.

Abstract: Various aspects of a method and system for low-latency networking are provided. Latency requirements of traffic to be communicated along a network path comprising one or more Ethernet links may be determined. A maximum size of Ethernet frames utilized for communicating the traffic may be determined based on the latency requirements. The maximum size of the Ethernet frames may be determined based on a data rate of one or more Ethernet links along the network path. A single device may utilize different maximum packet sizes for different ports/links on which it communicates. One or more messages indicating the determined maximum size may be communicated among devices along the network path to coordinate maximum packet sizes.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for duty cycling a network device based on aggregate throughput of the device are provided. In this regard, a limit on aggregate ingress and egress data of a network device during a time interval may be determined. Processing of data by the network device may be duty cycled based on the determination. The device may process data at a first rate during a first portion of the time interval and process data at a second rate during a remaining portion of the time interval. In this regard, portions of the device may be slowed or powered down during the first portion of the time interval. Power consumed by the device during the first portion of the time interval may be less than power consumed by the device during the remaining portion of the time interval.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for controlling a clock frequency in a network device based on aggregate throughput of the device are provided. In this regard, for a network device comprising one or more network ports, a limit on aggregate throughput of the device during a time interval may be determined and an operating frequency of a clock within the network device may be controlled based on the determined limit on aggregate throughput. The limit on aggregate throughput may be determined based on past, present, and/or expected traffic patterns; how many of the device's network ports are active during the time interval, a data rate at which each of the active network ports operates during the time interval; a type of data communicated via the network ports; and/or one or more applications running on the network device during the time interval.

Abstract: Aspects of a system for optimizing fragment size for aggregation at the physical layer may include one more switch ICs and/or physical (PHY) layer ICs that enable reception of data packets via a medium access control layer protocol entity. Each received data packet may be fragmented into a plurality of fragment payloads, wherein a length of each of the plurality of fragment payloads is selected from a plurality of candidate lengths. Each of the plurality of fragment payloads may be sent via a PHY layer protocol entity instance selected from a plurality of PHY layer protocol entity instances.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for physical layer aggregation are provided. A first portion of one or more circuits of a network device may be operable to implement media access control (MAC) functions, a second portion of the one or more circuits may be operable to perform physical layer aggregation, and a third portion of the one or more circuits may be operable to perform physical layer functions for communicating over a plurality of physical links. The first portion of the one or more circuits may be operable to encapsulate data into a packet comprising a preamble and convey the packet to the second portion of the one or more circuits. The second portion of the one or more circuits may be operable to fragment the packet into a plurality of fragment payloads and convey each of the fragment payloads to the third portion of the one or more circuits, wherein at least one of the plurality of fragment payloads comprises at least a portion of the preamble.

Abstract: While transmitting a first Ethernet frame from the first buffer onto an Ethernet link, a first Ethernet device may stop transmitting the first frame prior to completing transmission of the frame. The first Ethernet device may then transmit a second frame from a second buffer onto the Ethernet link. The first Ethernet device may resume transmission of the first frame from the first buffer onto the Ethernet link. A second Ethernet device may receive, via the Ethernet link, a first portion of a first Ethernet frame and store the first portion of the first Ethernet frame in a first buffer. The second Ethernet device may then receive, via the Ethernet link, a second Ethernet frame and store the second Ethernet frame in a second buffer. The second Ethernet device may then receive, via the Ethernet link, a second portion of the first Ethernet frame and append it to the contents of the first buffer.

Abstract: Aspects of a system for physical layer aggregation may include one or more switch ICs and/or physical (PHY) layer ICs that enable reception of data packets via a medium access control (MAC) layer protocol entity. Each of the received data packets may be fragmented into a plurality of fragment payloads. Each of the plurality of fragment payloads may be sent to a PHY layer protocol entity instance a physical layer protocol entity instance selected from a plurality of physical layer protocol entity instances.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for managing an energy efficient network utilizing Audio Video Bridging are provided. Communications on an Ethernet link may be scheduled into a plurality of recurring time slots, where the scheduling comprises reserving resources of the Ethernet link utilizing the Audio Video Bridging suite of protocols. One or more occurrences of one or more of the recurring time slots may be designated for carrying out an energy efficient networking transaction on the link. The energy efficient networking transaction may be carried out during the designated one or more occurrences of the one or more of the recurring time slots. The energy efficient networking transaction may comprise communicating information for scheduling a change in the data rate on the network link. The energy efficient network transaction may comprise communicating information for implementing the change in the data rate.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for managing an energy efficient network utilizing Audio Video Bridging are provided. In this regard, an Audio Video Bridging timeslot may be designated for handling an energy efficient networking (EEN) transaction and the EEN transaction may be performed during the designated timeslot. Exemplary EEN transactions comprise scheduling a data rate transition, transitioning to a different data rate, training a link partner, and exchanging training related information. It may be determined whether the timeslot may be reserved for conveying an AVB stream prior to designating the time slot for an EEN transaction. In instances that the timeslot may be unreserved, the timeslot may be reserved for EEN transaction(s). Information exchanged during the designated timeslot may enable scheduling a data rate transition and/or training on a network link. In this regard, a subsequent timeslot may be designated for the data rate transition and/or the training.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for compensated time stamping for time-sensitive network communications are provided. In this regard, one or more timestamps generated in an OSI layer above the physical layer may be adjusted based on parameters associated with an amount of time in which data traverses a PHY of the network device. Communications of the network device may be managed based on the adjusted one or more timestamps. The parameters may comprise one or more of: average ingress PHY traversal time, average egress PHY traversal time, variance of ingress PHY traversal time, and variance of egress PHY traversal time. One or more network links coupled to the network device may be characterized based on the one or more adjusted timestamps. The parameters may be stored in one or more registers within a PHY of the network device.