US Patent 7804784 Cable tester

A network interface includes a physical layer (PHY) device and a medium access controller (MAC). The PHY device includes a cable-test module and a data processing module. The cable-test module selectively tests a cable connected to the PHY device and generates test data. The data processing module includes a first processor that processes the test data and that generates test results indicating a status of the cable. The MAC communicates with the PHY device and includes a second processor, wherein the PHY device selectively communicates the status to the second processor.