System and method for processing wake-up signals in a network

1. A system for processing wake-up signals during a sleep mode of a computer in a communications network to wake up sleeping components of the computer, the system comprising:

an extended PHY (physical layer) device for receiving wake-up signals from a network medium, said wake-up signals carrying wake-up data as well as additionally-encoded data that is variable in length; converting the wake-up signals into an additionally-encoded data packet; and generating a standardized wake-up packet based on the additionally-encoded data packet; and

a MAC (media access controller) device, coupled to the extended PHY device, for receiving the standardized wake-up packet and generating a wake-up notification signal in response to the standardized wake-up packet to wake up the sleeping components.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the additionally-encoded data packet includes a standardized data packet and additional encoding data inserted in the standardized data packet.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the standardized data packet contains wake-up data.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the standardized data packet further contains processing data to be processed once the computer wakes up.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the extended PHY device is prestored with information about the location of the wake-up data in the additionally-encoded data packet, which is then used to generate the standardized wake-up packet.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the sleeping components of the computer include:

a MAC driver for controlling the MAC device and receiving the additionally-encoded data packet from the extended PHY device through the MAC device.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the sleeping components of the computer further include;

an extended protocol layer for receiving the additionally-encoded data packet from the MAC driver and generating said standardized data packet based on the additionally-encoded data packet; and

protocol and application layers for receiving said standardized data packet from the extended protocol layer and processing said standardized data packet.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the extended protocol layer generates said standardized data packet by removing the additional encoding data from the additionally-encoded data packet.

9. A system for processing wake-up signals during a sleep mode of a computer in a communications network to wake up sleeping components of the computer, the system comprising:

an extended PHY (physical layer) device for receiving wake-up signals from a network medium and generating a standardized wake-up packet based on the wake-up signals, the wake-up signals being non-packet based signals; and

a MAC (media access controller) device, coupled to the extended PHY device, for receiving the standardized wake-up packet and generating a wake-up notification signal in response to the standardized wake-up packet to wake up the sleeping components.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the non-packet based signals are tone signals, level signals, pulse signals, or optical signals.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein, when the extended PHY device receives the wake-up signals, the extended PHY device compares the received wake-up signals with prestored signals to verify that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals, and generates the standardized wake-up packet if the verification indicates that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sleeping components of the computer include:

a MAC driver for controlling the MAC device and receiving incoming data packets from the MAC device; and

protocol and application layers for receiving the incoming data packets from the MAC driver and processing the incoming data packets.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sleeping components of the computer include;

a MAC driver for controlling the MAC device, and receiving incoming data packets from the MAC device, said incoming data packets containing additional encoding data;

an extended protocol layer for receiving said incoming data packets from the MAC driver and generating standardized data packets based on said incoming data packets; and

protocol and application layers for receiving the standardized data packets from the extended protocol layer, and processing the standardized data packets.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the extended protocol layer generates the standardized data packets by removing the additional encoding data from said incoming data packets.

15. An extended PHY (physical layer) device for use in a network system, the extended PHY device being capable of receiving wake-up signals from a network medium during a sleep mode of a computer in the network system, said wake-up signals carrying wake-up data as well as additionally-encoded data that is variable in length; converting the wake-up signals into an additionally-encoded data packet; and generating a standardized wake-up packet based on the additionally-encoded data packet, the standardized wake-up packet containing wake-up data for waking up sleeping components of the computer.

16. The extended PHY device of claim 15 , wherein the additionally-encoded data packet includes a standardized data packet and additional encoding data inserted in the standardized data packet.

17. The extended PHY device of claim 15 , wherein the extended PHY device is prestored with information about the location of the wake-up data in the additionally-encoded data packet, which is then used to generate the standardized wake-up packet.

18. An extended PHY (physical layer) device for use in a network system, the extended PHY device being capable of receiving non-packet based wake-up signals from a network medium during a sleep mode of a computer in the network system, and generating a standardized wake-up packet based on the wake-up signals, the standardized wake-up packet containing wake-up data for waking up sleeping components of the computer.

19. The extended PHY device of claim 18 , wherein the non-packet based wake-up signals are tone signals, level signals, pulse signals, or optical signals.

20. The extended PHY device of claim 19 , wherein, when the extended PHY device receives the wake-up signals, the extended PHY device compares the received wake-up signals with prestored signals to verify that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals, and generates the standardized wake-up packet if the verification indicates that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals.

21. A method for processing wake-up signals during a sleep mode of a computer in a communications network to wake up sleeping components of the computer, the wake-up signals carrying wake-up data as well as additionally-encoded data that is variable in length, the computer including an extended PHY (physical layer) device, the method comprising the steps of:

converting wake-up signals into an additionally-encoded data packet;

generating, by the extended PHY device, a standardized wake-up packet based on the additionally-encoded data packet; and

generating a wake-up notification signal in response to the standardized wake-up packet to wake up the sleeping components of the computer.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the additionally-encoded data packet includes a standardized data packet and additional encoding data inserted in the standardized data packet.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the standardized data packet contains wake-up data.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the standardized data packet further contains processing data to be processed once the computer wakes up.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

prestoring, in the extended PHY device, information about the location of the wake-up data in the additionally-encoded data packet, which is then used to generate the standardized wake-up packet.

26. A method for processing wake-up signals during a sleep mode of a computer in a communications network to wake up sleeping components of the computer, the computer including an extended PHY (physical layer) device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving wake-up signals from a network medium, the wake-up signals being non-packet based signals;

generating, by the extended PHY device, a standardized wake-up packet based on the wake-up signals; and

generating a wake-up notification signal in response to the standardized wake-up packet to wake up the sleeping components of the computer.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the non-packet based signals are tone signals, level signals, pulse signals, or optical signals.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the step of generating the standardized wake-up packet includes:

comparing the received wake-up signals with prestored signals to verify that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals, and

generating the standardized wake-up packet if the comparing step indicates that the received wake-up signals are proper wake-up signals.