Patent attributes
A configurable serial link interface circuit is disclosed. The configurable serial link interface includes a first transceiver for coupling to a first serial link. The first transceiver includes a first transmit circuit to selectively drive first transmit data along the first serial link and a first receive circuit. the first receive circuit selectively receives first receive data along the first serial link. The interface includes a second transceiver for coupling to a second serial link. The second transceiver includes a second transmit circuit to selectively drive second transmit data along the second serial link, a second receive circuit to selectively receive second receive data along the second serial link, and control circuitry to control the selectivity of the first transmit circuit, the second transmit circuit, the first receive circuit and the second receive circuit. For a first mode of operation, the control circuitry configures the first and second transceivers to define a dual-duplex architecture. For a second mode of operation, the control circuitry configures the first and second transceivers to define a single-duplex architecture.