1. A Serial Attached SCSI (“SAS”) device comprising: a Serial SCSI Protocol (“SSP”) management element for performing management functions for SAS SCSI devices coupled to the expander; and a simplified Serial SCSI Protocol (“SSP”) link layer circuit coupled to the management element and adapted to manage SSP link layer exchanges in conjunction with the management element, wherein the simplified SSP link layer circuit is adapted to exchange only a single frame during any open connection with a second SAS device.