Data de-skew method and system

1. A de-skew method comprising:

providing, on a forward data sample channel, a first forward data sample comprising a first channel number and data copied from a first data channel identified by the first channel number;

retrieving data from the first data channel identified by the first channel number;

retrieving the first forward data sample from the forward data sample channel;

adjusting a delay of the first forward data sample until the first forward data sample matches the data from the first data channel; and

using the delay of the first forward data sample to set a delay for the first data channel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting a delay of the first forward data sample until the first forward data sample matches the data from the first data channel comprises adjusting the delay of the first forward data sample until a slice of the first forward data sample matches the data from the first data channel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first data channel is one of a plurality of data channels.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

for each data channel of the plurality of data channels other than the first data channel:

determining a channel number for a forward data sample, the channel number being one of a plurality of channel numbers other than the first channel number, the forward data sample being one of a plurality of forward data samples other than the first forward data sample;

retrieving data from a data channel identified by the channel number, the data channel being one of the plurality of data channels other than the first data channel;

retrieving the forward data sample from the forward data sample channel;

adjusting a delay of the forward data sample until the forward data sample matches the data from the data channel; and

using the delay of the forward data sample to set a delay for the data channel.

5. A method of deskewing parallel data lines comprising:

providing parallel data over a plurality of parallel data channels;

successively for each of the parallel data channels:

providing sample data over a sample channel, the sample data comprising a channel number of a selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels and data copied from the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels;

receiving data on the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels;

receiving the sample data on the sample channel; and

using the sample data from the sample channel and the data from the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels to set a delay for the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels in order to align the parallel data channels.

6. The method of deskewing parallel data lines of claim 5 wherein the parallel data channels provide parallel data from a first unit to a second unit and the sample channel provides the sample data from the first unit to the second unit.

7. The method of deskewing parallel data lines of claim 5 wherein the parallel data channels provide parallel data from a first unit to a second unit and the sample channel provides the sample data from the second unit to the first unit.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein using the sample data from the sample channel and the data from the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels to set the delay for the selected one of the parallel data channels in order to align the parallel data channels comprises:

determining a delay of the sample data based on when a portion of the sample data matches a portion of the data received on the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels; and

using the delay of the sample data to set a delay for the one of the plurality of parallel data channels.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein providing sample data over the sample channel comprises:

receiving the sample data in the form of a data packet, the data packet comprising a header and a packet data portion.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the header comprises the channel number, and wherein the racket data portion comprises the data copied from the selected one of the plurality of parallel data channels.

11. A method of deskewing parallel data lines extending between a first node and a second node, the method comprising:

providing, at the first node, parallel data over a plurality of parallel data channels;

for each of the parallel data channels:

providing, at the first node, sample data over a sample channel, the sample data comprising a channel number identifying one of the plurality of parallel data channels and data copied from the one of the plurality of parallel data channels identified by the channel number,

retrieving, at the second node, a first portion of the parallel data of the one of the plurality of parallel data channels identified by the channel number, and

using the data copied and the first portion to set a delay for the parallel data channel identified by the channel number in order to align the parallel data.