A device includes a first input/output (I/O) port for communication with an external processor, a second I/O port for communication with a second device, and an interface adaptor supporting communication through the first and second I/O ports via a protocol having a plurality of layers, including an application layer, a physical layer, and a physical adaptor layer. The application layer processes information according to an application layer format and the physical adaptor layer processes information according to a physical adaptor layer format. The device receives from the external processor through the first I/O port a request in the application layer format that one or more communication conditions be set for a physical layer of the second device, converts the request from the application layer format to the physical adaptor layer format, and sends the converted request in the physical adaptor layer format to the second device through the second I/O port.