Abstract: A ring interface is coupled to a current node in a ring network having a plurality of nodes and corresponding ring interface for each of said nodes. The ring interface includes a ring input port operative to conduct upstream message packets from a previous node to the ring interface, a ring output port operative to conduct message packets to a next node of the ring network, and a bypass queue operative to buffer message packets. A receive queue buffers message packets before passing them on to the current node. An address filter is coupled to the ring input port to receive the upstream message packets, read their destination addresses and pass them to the bypass queue if the addresses correspond to another node and pass them to the receive queue if their addresses are that of the current node.

Abstract: According to the invention there is provided a method of signal coding that permits high speed data transmission over multiple pairs of UTP-5 cable from a transmission end to a receiving end which includes, at the transmission end, separating an incoming frame of data into a plurality of byte streams with a predefined sequence of bytes assigned to each of the streams, encoding every 2 bits of data in each stream into one of 4 logical voltage levels forming a symbol or quat thereby reducing the symbol or baud rate by 50% and inserting an escape sequence into one or more of the streams consisting of a sequence of zero's followed by a control code to indicate a transition from one state to another. At a receiving end, the method further includes reading the escape sequence and decoding the signals in accordance with the code contained in the escape sequence.