Buffered repeater with independent ethernet collision domains

Claim 2

An Ethernet repeater, comprising: a receive buffer to hold data received from a first Ethernet collision domain, the first Ethernet collision domain operating at a first data rate; a transmit buffer to hold data for transmission onto a second Ethernet collision domain, the second Ethernet collision domain independent from the first Ethernet collision domain and operating at a second data rate different from the first data rate; at least one internal bus for broadcast of received data from said receive buffer to said transmit buffer; whereby said transmit buffer, said receive buffer, and said at least one internal bus permit said first Ethernet collision domain and said second Ethernet collision domain to operate as independent Ethernet collision domains; means for transferring data written in the receive buffer at the first data rate to the transmit buffer, and means for reading the data in the transmit buffer at the second data rate onto the second Ethernet collision domain.

Claim 3

The repeater of claim 1 further comprising: a switch having a first switch port and a second switch port; a first internal bus connected to said first switch port, and said first internal bus connected to said receive buffer; a second internal bus connected to said second switch port, said second internal bus connected to said transmit buffer; means for said receive buffer to broadcast onto said first internal bus data received from said first Ethernet collision domain; means for said switch to direct data broadcast onto said first internal bus by said receive buffer to said second internal bus; and, means for said transmit buffer to receive data broadcast onto said second internal bus, and for said transmit buffer to transmit said data onto said second Ethernet collision domain.

Claim 4

The repeater of claim 1 further comprising: said at least one internal bus operates at a clock rate which is independent of a data rate of said first Ethernet collision domain and is independent of a data rate of said second Ethernet collision domain.

Claim 5

An Ethernet repeater for communicating data between first and second devices, wherein the first device is located in a first Ethernet collision domain operating at a first data rate and the second device is in a second Ethernet collision domain operating at a second data rate, wherein the repeater comprises: a first port coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain, the first port comprising a first receive buffer having an input coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain and a first transmit buffer having an output coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain, the first receive and transmit buffers operating at the first data rate; a second port coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain, the second port comprising a second receive buffer having an input coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain and a second transmit buffer having an output coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain, the second receive and transmit buffers operating at the second data rate; a first bus coupled to an output of the first receive buffer and an input of the first transmit buffer, the first bus operating at the first data rate; a second bus, separate from the first bus, coupled to an output of the second receive buffer and an input of the second transmit buffer, the second bus operating at the second data rate; and a switch engine having a first port coupled to the first bus, the first port operable to transmit and receive data at the first data rate and a second port coupled to the second bus, the second port operable to transmit and receive data at the second data rate, the switch engine operable to transfer data received at the first port at the first data rate out from the second port at the second data rate and vice-versa, whereby data from the first Ethernet collision domain is transferred to the second Ethernet collision domain.

Claim 6

An Ethernet repeater for communicating data between first and second devices, wherein the first device is located in a first Ethernet collision domain operating at a first data rate and the second device is in a second Ethernet collision domain operating at a second data rate, wherein the repeater comprises: a first port coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain, the first port comprising a first receive buffer having an input coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain and a first transmit buffer having an output coupled to the first Ethernet collision domain, the first receive and transmit buffers operating at the first data rate; a second port coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain, the second port comprising a second receive buffer having an input coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain and a second transmit buffer having an output coupled to the second Ethernet collision domain, the second receive and transmit buffers operating at the second data rate; a first bus coupled to an output of the first receive buffer and an input of the first transmit buffer, the first bus operating at the first data rate; a second bus, separate from the first bus, coupled to an output of the second receive buffer and an input of the second transmit buffer, the second bus operating at the second data rate; and a switch engine having a first port coupled to the first bus, the first port operable to transmit and receive data at the first data rate and a second port coupled to the second bus, the second port operable to transmit and receive data at the second data rate, the switch engine operable to transfer data received at the first port at the first data rate out from the second port at the second data rate and vice-versa, whereby data from the first Ethernet collision domain is transferred to the second Ethernet collision domain.

Claim 7

The Ethernet repeater of claim 4, wherein the first and second data rates are the same.