An adapter that buffers received symbols and automatically determines and
corrects for skew between lanes is disclosed. In one embodiment, the
adapter is a part of a network that includes a first and second devices
coupled together by a communications link having multiple independent
serial lanes. The first device initiates communication by repeatedly
transmitting a training sequence that includes a start symbol for each
lane. An adapter in the second device includes a set of buffers each
configured to receive the symbols conveyed by a corresponding serial
lane. The buffers are coupled to a reconstruction circuit that removes
one "symbol group" at a time from the buffers. A symbol group is made up
of one symbol from each buffer. The reconstruction circuit removes symbol
groups until a start symbol is detected. If the start symbol is not
detected in all buffers, output from the buffers having start symbols is
temporarily suspended.