Using multiple high speed serial lines to transmit high data rates while

Abstract

A transceiver pair is connected by a plurality of high speed serial lines that are tightly integrated into an enhanced communications system. The communications system includes a base transceiver, a remote transceiver, and a plurality of high speed serial lines operably coupled between them. The base transceiver includes a first base input port for receiving parallel data, a plurality of first base output ports for outputting serialized data and a plurality of base serializers operably coupled between the first base input port and the plurality of first base output ports. The plurality of base serializers convert the parallel data into the serialized data. A base input demultiplexer is operably coupled between the first base input port and the plurality of base serializers. A controller is operably coupled between the base input demultiplexer and the base data and clock recovery logic to output control signals to the base input demultiplexer in order to change the operating characteristics of the base input demultiplexer, and thus, the size of the data blocks being transmitted. A timer is operably coupled between the plurality of remote deserializers and the second remote output port for determining the skew among the plurality of remote deserializers. The method for minimizing data skew during transmission over a plurality of data lines comprises first simultaneously transmitting a test pattern over the plurality of data lines and receiving the test pattern. Data skew is measured across the plurality of data sets comprising the test pattern, and an inversing data pattern which minimizes the data skew in the data stream is determined. The inversing data pattern for each of the plurality of data sets is communicated to the demultiplexer.