Multi-protocol SerDes PHY apparatus

1. A multiprotocol interface comprising:

a physical layer transmitter unit configured to transmit data from at least one of one or more synchronous media access control layer units and one or more asynchronous media access control layer units; and

a physical layer receiver unit configured to receive data and to deliver the received data to at least one of the one or more synchronous media access control layer units and the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units.

2. The multiprotocol interface of claim 1 , wherein the physical layer transmitter unit further comprises:

a synchronous clock synchronized to a transmit rate of data;

an 8 b/10 b encoder coupled with the one or more synchronous media access control layer units as inputs and the synchronous clock as a timing device;

an asynchronous to synchronous conversion unit coupled with the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units; and

a multiplexer configured to select between the 8 b/10 b encoder and the asynchronous to synchronous conversion unit.

3. The multiprotocol interface of claim 2 , further comprising an asynchronous clock, the asynchronous clock synchronized to any data rate other than the transmit data rate, wherein the asynchronous to synchronous conversion unit is coupled with the asynchronous clock and the synchronous clock as timing devices.

4. The multiprotocol interface of claim 2 , further comprising:

a transmitter differential driver; and

a serializer, wherein the multiplexer is coupled to output to the serializer, and the transmitter differential driver is coupled to receive the output of the serializer.

5. The multiprotocol interface of claim 1 , wherein the physical layer receiver unit further comprises:

a synchronous clock synchronized to a transmit rate of data; and

a deserializer configured to output to an elastic buffer unit in a synchronous mode and configured to output to a synchronous to asynchronous conversion unit in an asynchronous mode, the elastic buffer unit coupled to output a synchronous version of the inputted signal to an 8 b/10 b decoder, the elastic buffer unit further coupled to the synchronous clock as a timing device, the 8 b/10 b decoder unit coupled with the one or more synchronous media access control layer units as outputs and the synchronous clock as a timing device, the synchronous-to-asynchronous conversion unit coupled with the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units as outputs and configured to convert data at a recovered received clock rate to an asynchronous clock rate.

6. The multiprotocol interface of claim 5 , further comprising:

a clock recovery unit configured to generate the recovered received clock from the received data, the clock recovery unit coupled, as a timing device, with the deserializer; and

a differential receiver coupled to output to the deserializer and the clock recovery unit.

7. The multiprotocol interface of claim 5 , wherein the synchronous to asynchronous conversion unit is coupled with an asynchronous clock and a clock recovery unit as timing devices.

8. The multiprotocol interface of claim 1 , wherein the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units are configured to transmit and receive data according to an Interlaken protocol, wherein the transmitted and received data are Interlaken packets.

9. The multiprotocol interface of claim 1 , wherein the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit are both configured to operate in either an asynchronous mode or a synchronous mode, where, in the asynchronous mode, the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the one or more asynchronous media access control units, and, in the synchronous mode, the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the one or more synchronous media access control units.

10. A method for interfacing with multiple protocols comprising:

in a physical layer transmitter unit:

transmitting data from at least one of one or more synchronous media access control layer units and one or more asynchronous media access control layer units; and

in a physical layer receiver unit:

receiving data, and delivering the received data to at least one of the one or more synchronous media access control layer units and the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the physical layer transmitter unit further comprises:

maintaining a synchronous clock synchronized to a transmit rate of data;

encoding data from the one or more synchronous media access control layer units with an 8 b/10 b encoding scheme using the synchronous clock as a timing device;

converting the output of the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units to a synchronous output;

selecting, in a multiplexer, between the encoded data and the synchronous output.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising maintaining an asynchronous clock, the asynchronous clock synchronized to any data rate other than the transmit data rate, wherein converting the output of the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units to a synchronous output bases the timing of the synchronous output on the synchronous clock.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising

serializing the selected output; and

differentially driving the serialized output.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the physical layer receiver unit further comprises:

maintaining a synchronous clock synchronized to a transmit rate of data;

receiving data;

deserializing the data;

in a synchronous mode:

buffering data along a data decoding path and synchronizing the buffered data with the synchronous clock, decoding the buffered data along the data decoding path using an 8 b/10 b decoding scheme and the synchronous clock as a timing device, and outputting the decoded data to the one or more synchronous media access control layer units; and

in an asynchronous mode:

converting the data along a synchronous-to-asynchronous conversion path to an asynchronous signal timed with an asynchronous clock, and outputting the asynchronous signal to the one or more asynchronous media access control units.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

recovering clock information from the received data; and

deserializing the data by synchronizing the data to the recovered clock information.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein converting the received data along the synchronous-to-asynchronous conversion path converts the received data from being timed to the recovered clock information to being an asynchronous signal timed with an asynchronous clock.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more asynchronous media access control layer units are configured to transmit and receive data according to an Interlaken protocol, wherein the transmitted and received data are Interlaken packets.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit are both configured to operate in either an asynchronous mode or a synchronous mode, where, in the asynchronous mode, the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the one or more asynchronous media access control units, and in the synchronous mode, the physical layer transmitter unit and the physical layer receiver unit transmit and receive only with the one or more synchronous media access control units.