System for providing a communication interface

1. A system comprising:

a. an embedded device, the embedded device comprising:

i. a microprocessor, the microprocessor comprising a first Ethernet controller;

ii. a first Physical layer (PHY), wherein the first PHY is coupled to the first Ethernet controller through a physical transmission medium;

iii. a second Ethernet controller, the second Ethernet controller comprising a second PHY, wherein the second PHY is coupled to the first PHY through a physical transmission medium on the embedded device, wherein the first Ethernet controller, the first PHY the second PHY and the second Ethernet controller form a network on the embedded device;

iv. an electrical isolation medium; and

v. an interface operable to be physically coupled to a communication bus; and

vi. Power supply module, the power supply module providing a power supply to the embedded device.

b. a host, the host comprising the communication bus, wherein the interface of the embedded device is physically coupled to the communication bus, the host and the embedded device are electrically isolated from one another by the electrical isolation medium, the communication bus is coupled to the second Ethernet controller and the host is configured to communicate with the embedded device through the second Ethernet controller using only device drivers included with an operating system running on the host.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication bus comprises one or more of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI extended (PCI-X) bus, and a PCI Express bus.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises:

a. a memory, the memory being coupled with the microprocessor; and

b. one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices, the one or more I/O devices being couple with the microprocessor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises an Ethernet connector, the Ethernet connector providing a physical connection between the embedded device and an Ethernet network.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the embedded device is accessible from a remote host on the Ethernet network.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor further comprises one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications are used for communicating with applications running on the host.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises an instrumentation processor, the instrumentation processor collecting information about the host, the instrumentation processor transmitting the information to the microprocessor.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instrumentation processor comprises a micro-controller.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises a storage medium, the storage medium being capable of storing data.

10. An embedded device for communicating with a host, the embedded device comprising:

a. a microprocessor, the microprocessor comprising a first Ethernet controller;

b. an electrical isolation medium

c. a first Physical layer (PHY), wherein the first PHY is coupled to the first Ethernet controller through a physical transmission medium; and

d. a second Ethernet controller, the second Ethernet controller comprising a second PHY, where the second PHY is coupled to the first PHY through a physical transmission medium on the embedded device, wherein the first Ethernet controller, the first PHY the second PHY and the second Ethernet controller form a network on the embedded device and the second Ethernet controller is coupled to a communication bus comprised in the host through an interface physically coupled to the communication bus, wherein the host and the embedded device are electrically isolated from one another by the electrical isolation medium and the host is configured to communicate with the embedded device through the second Ethernet controller using only device drivers included with an operating system running on the host

e. Power supply module, the power supply module providing a power supply to the embedded device.

11. The embedded device of claim 10 further comprising:

a. a memory, the memory being coupled with the microprocessor; and

b. one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices, the one or more I/O devices being coupled with the microprocessor.

12. The embedded device of claim 10 , wherein the microprocessor further comprises one or more applications, where the one or more applications are used for communicating with applications running on the host.

13. The embedded device of claim 10 further comprising an Ethernet connector, the Ethernet connector providing a physical connection between the embedded device and an Ethernet network.

14. The embedded device of claim 13 is accessible from a remote host on the Ethernet network.

15. A system comprising:

an embedded device, the embedded device comprising:

a microprocessor, the microprocessor comprising a first Ethernet controller;

an electrical isolation medium;

an interface operable to be physically coupled to a communication bus;

a first Physical layer (PHY), wherein the first PHY is coupled to the first Ethernet controller through a physical transmission medium; and

a second Ethernet controller, the second Ethernet controller comprising a second PHY, wherein the second PHY is coupled to the first PHY through a physical transmission medium on the embedded device such that the first Ethernet controller, the first PHY the second PHY and the second Ethernet controller form a network on the embedded device; and

an instrumentation processor, the instrumentation processor collecting information about the host, the instrumentation processor transmitting the information to the microprocessor; and

a host, the host comprising the communication bus, wherein the interface of the embedded device is physically coupled to the communication bus, the host is electrically isolated from the embedded device by the electrical isolation medium the communication bus is couple to the second Ethernet controller and the host is configured to communicate with the embedded device through the second Ethernet controller using only device drivers included with an operating system running on the host Power supply module, the power supply module providing a power supply to the embedded device.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the communication bus comprises one or more of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI extended (PCI-X) bus, and a PCI Express bus.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the embedded device further comprises:

a. a memory, the memory being coupled with the microprocessor; and

b. one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices, the one or more I/O devices being couple with the microprocessor.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the embedded device further comprises an Ethernet connector, the Ethernet connector providing a physical connection between the embedded device and an Ethernet network.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the embedded device is accessible from a remote host on the Ethernet network.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the microprocessor further comprises one or more applications, wherein the one or more applications are used for communicating with applications running on the host.

21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the instrumentation processor comprises a micro-controller.

22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the embedded device further comprises a storage medium, the storage medium being capable of storing data.

23. An embedded device for communicating with a host, the embedded device comprising:

a microprocessor, the microprocessor comprising a first Ethernet controller;

an electrical isolation medium;

an interface operable to be physically coupled to a communication bus;

a first Physical layer (PHY), wherein the first PHY is coupled to the first Ethernet controller through a physical transmission medium;

an instrumentation processor, the instrumentation processor collecting information about the host, the instrumentation processor transmitting the information to the microprocessor; and

a second Ethernet controller, the second Ethernet controller comprising a second PHY, where the second PHY is coupled to the first PHY through a physical transmission medium on the embedded device such that the first Ethernet controller, the first PHY the second PHY and the second Ethernet controller form a network on the embedded device, the second Ethernet controller operable to be coupled to a communication bus comprised in the host through an interface physically coupled to the communication bus, wherein the host and the embedded device are electrically isolated from one another by the electrical isolation medium and the host is configured to communicate with the embedded device through the second Ethernet controller using only device drivers included with an operating system running on the host Power supply module, the power supply module providing a power supply to the embedded device.

24. The embedded device of claim 23 further comprising:

c. a memory, the memory being coupled with the microprocessor; and

d. one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices, the one or more I/O devices being coupled with the microprocessor.

25. The embedded device of claim 23 wherein the microprocessor further comprises one or more applications, where the one or more applications are used for communicating with applications running on the host.

26. The embedded device of claim 23 further comprising an Ethernet connector, the Ethernet connector providing a physical connection between the embedded device and an Ethernet network.

27. The embedded device of claim 26 is accessible from a remote host on the Ethernet network.

28. A method of communicating between an application and a host, comprising:

sending a communication from a microprocessor on an embedded device to an application on a host through a communication bus of the host, wherein the embedded device is physically coupled to the communication bus using an interface and the embedded device comprises a first Ethernet controller, a first Physical layer (PHY), coupled to the first Ethernet controller through a physical transmission medium, a second Ethernet controller, the second Ethernet controller comprising a second PHY, wherein the second PHY is coupled to the first PHY through a physical transmission medium on the embedded device such that the first Ethernet controller, the first PHY the second PHY and the second Ethernet controller form a network on the embedded device and the embedded device is physically coupled to the communication bus using an interface, the host and the embedded device are electrically isolated from one another by the electrical isolation medium and the communication bus is couple to the second Ethernet controller and the host is configured to communicate with the embedded device through the second Ethernet controller using only device drivers included with an operating system running on the host; Embedded device further comprising power supply module, the power supply module providing a power supply to the embedded device; and

receiving the communication at the application on the host.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication bus comprises one or more of a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI extended (PCI-X) bus, and a PCI Express bus.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises:

e. a memory, the memory being coupled with the microprocessor; and

f. one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices, the one or more I/O devices being couple with the microprocessor.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises an Ethernet connector, the Ethernet connector providing a physical connection between the embedded device and an Ethernet network.

32. The method of claim 4 , wherein the embedded device is accessible from a remote host on the Ethernet network.

33. The method of claim 1 , wherein the embedded device further comprises an instrumentation processor, the instrumentation processor collecting information about the host, the instrumentation processor transmitting the information to the microprocessor.

34. The method of claim 7 , wherein the instrumentation processor comprises a micro-controller.