A transmitter board transmits a copy of signals in a system being analyzed by the system analyzer. The copy of such signals comprises serial data in a low byte serial link and in a high byte serial link. The signals include special characters interspersed in a pattern with the data in the low and high byte serial links. An analyzer board includes a serializer-deserializer for receiving the transmitted serial data when the analyzer board is plugged into the transmitter board for converting the received data and the interspersed special characters in both the low and high byte serial links into corresponding data and interspersed special characters in low byte and high byte parallel links. A mismatch between the data and the interspersed pattern of special characters in the converted low byte parallel link and the pattern of special characters in the converted high byte parallel links resets the serializer-deserializer.