Agere Systems Inc.

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Ali U Ahmed

Lane Allen Smith

Robert D Brink

Gregory W Sheets

Robert Norman Snively

David W Thompson

A conventional serial communications protocol that is limited to supporting only host-to-slave communications, such as SATA or SAS, is extended to support peer-to-peer communications, e.g., by adding a memory-map layer into the conventional protocol stack between the link layer and the protocol layer. The addition of the memory-map layer enables two (or more) non-host devices (i.e., peer devices) to communicate with one another without using a host computer and without relying on conventional protocol-bridging techniques.

Peer-to-peer network communications using SATA/SAS technology

In a communication system comprising first and second nodes, a transmit adaptive equalization technique is implemented utilizing ordered sets. The first and second nodes may communicate over a Fiber Channel link or other medium. The first and second nodes comprise respective transmitter and receiver pairs, with the transmitter of the first node configured for communication with the receiver of the second node and the receiver of the first node configured for communication with the transmitter of the second node. The first node is operative to receive from the second node information specifying an adjustment to one or more equalization parameters of the first node. The information is received in designated portions of one or more ordered sets transmitted from the second node to the first node in conjunction with initialization of a communication link between the first and second nodes. The first node adjusts the equalization parameter(s) in accordance with the received information.

Transmit adaptive equalization using ordered sets

In a communication system comprising first and second nodes, a multilevel amplitude modulated signaling technique is utilized. The first and second nodes may communicate over a Fibre Channel link or other medium. The first and second nodes comprise respective transmitter and receiver pairs, with the transmitter of the first node configured for communication with the receiver of the second node and the receiver of the first node configured for communication with the transmitter of the second node. The first node is configured to generate a signal for transmission over a serial data channel to the second node, the signal having a multilevel amplitude modulated format in which, within a given clock cycle of the signal, multiple bits are represented by a given signal level.

Multilevel amplitude modulated signaling in fibre channel

In a communication system comprising first and second nodes, a transmit adaptive equalization technique is implemented. The first and second nodes may communicate over a Fiber Channel link or other medium. The first and second nodes comprise respective transmitter and receiver pairs, with the transmitter of the first node configured for communication with the receiver of the second node and the receiver of the first node configured for communication with the transmitter of the second node. The first node receiver is operative to receive from the second node transmitter, responsive to a signal transmitted by the first node transmitter to the second node receiver, information specifying an adjustment to one or more equalization parameters of the first node transmitter. The first node adjusts the equalization parameter(s) in accordance with the received information.

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Macungie, PA, United States of America

Ali U Ahmed