Techniques for establishing an external interface and a network interface within a connector

摘要

A technique for establishing a network interface and an external interface in a connector is disclosed. A personal computer (PC) includes a device controller for controlling data transmission with a peripheral device and a network device, and a receptacle including multiple pins for connecting data channels of the device controller to the peripheral device through the external interface and the network device through the network interface. The PC further includes a crossbar switch for switching the data channels to establish the external interface and the network interface in the receptacle. The external interface complies with the USB standards, and the network interface complies with the Ethernet standards.