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A home network controller provides a user-visible indication of the integrity of a physical connection to a home network. The home network controller periodically checks an interrupt status register for receipt of a physical-layer packet. Receipt of a physical-layer packet serves as a proxy for a fu

A home network controller provides a user-visible indication of the integrity of a physical connection to a home network. The home network controller periodically checks an interrupt status register for receipt of a physical-layer packet. Receipt of a physical-layer packet serves as a proxy for a functional physical connection, and non-receipt of a packet serves as a proxy for a non-functional physical connection. To avoid race conditions, the controller will indicate failure of a previously functional physical connection if no packet was received during the period but a packet was transmitted during the period and a packet was transmitted during the immediately previous period. A heartbeat signal avoids deadlocks by transmitting a packet if the interrupt status register indicates no packets were received or transmitted during the period.

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1. A method to verify link integrity of a home local area network, comprising the steps of:reading an interrupt status variable of a link controller for indicating receipt and non-receipt of a packet and transmission and non-transmission of a packet by the link controller on the link;setting a link

1. A method to verify link integrity of a home local area network, comprising the steps of:reading an interrupt status variable of a link controller for indicating receipt and non-receipt of a packet and transmission and non-transmission of a packet by the link controller on the link;setting a link transition pending variable to indicate an absence of a pending link transition if the interrupt status variable indicates receipt of a packet;setting a link state variable of the link controller to indicate the link is a working link if the interrupt status variable indicates receipt of a packet;setting the link transition pending variable to indicate a pending link transition if the interrupt status variable indicates non-receipt of a packet and non-transmission of a packet when the link state variable indicates the link is a working link; andsetting the link state variable to indicate t the link is a non-working link if the interrupt status variable indicates non-receipt of a packet and non-transmission of a packet. 2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:clearing die interrupt status variable. 3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:initializing the link state variable to indicate a non-working link. 4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:initializing the interrupt status variable to clear indications of packets received and packets transmitted. 5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:providing a heartbeat signal to transmit a packet whenever no packets are transmitted or received within a predetermined period. 6. A method to verify link integrity of a home local area network, comprising the steps of:reading an interrupt status variable of a link controller for indicating receipt and non-receipt of a packet and transmission and non-transmission of a packet by the link controller on the link;setting a link transition pending variable to indicate an absence of a pending link transition if the interrupt status variable indicates receipt of a packet;setting a link state variable of the link controller to indicate the link is a working link if the interrupt status variable indicates receipt of a packet;setting the link state variable to indicate the link is a non-working link if the interrupt status variable indicates non-receipt of a packet and non-transmission of a packet; andsetting the link state variable to indicate the link is a non-working link if the interrupt status variable indicates non-receipt of a packet and non-transmission of a packet when the link transition pending variable indicates a pending link transition. 7. A network system adapted to verify the link integrity of a home local area network, comprising:a home local area network;a personal computer;a home network controller coupling the personal computer to the home local area network, the home network controller comprising:a home local area network physical interface coupled to a link to the home local area network; andverification software to verify the integrity of the link to the home local area network, comprising:code to read an interrupt status variable;code to indicate successful verification if the interrupt status variable indicates receipt of a packet;code to indicate no attempt to transmit a packet if the interrupt status variable indicates non-transmission of a packet; andcode to indicate unsuccessful verification if the interrupt status variable indicate non-receipt of a packet and non-transmission of a packet in a next period after execution of the code to indicate no attempt to transmit a packet,wherein the verification software to verify the integrity of the link to the home local area network uses successful receipt of a physical-layer packet as a proxy for the link integrity of the home local area network. 8. A network system as in claim 7, the verification software further comprising:code to clear the interrupt status variable. 9. A network system as in claim 7, further c omprising:circuitry to provide a user-visible indication of link integrity responsive to verification of the integrity of the link to the home local area network. 10. A network system as in claim 7, herein the verification software executes in the personal computer. 11. A network system as in claim 7, the home local area physical network interface comprising:an interrupt status register to store an interrupt status variable to indicate receipt of a packet and transmission of a packet.