Converting a central arbiter to a slave arbiter for interconnected systems
US5377331A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 26, 1992 |
| Grant date | Dec 27, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/4031
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for allowing at least one computer subsystem, having a central arbiter, to be interconnected with a host system also including a central arbiter. Conversion logic is added to each computer subsystem desired to be interconnected to the host. The conversion logic is positioned between the arbitration buses of the host system and the subsystem and includes two requesting arbiters, one of which arbitrates for the host system arbitration bus, and the other which arbitrates for the subsystem arbitration bus. At the default state, the conversion logic has successfully arbitrated for, and is maintaining control of the subsystem bus. After a request from a subsystem device for access to the host bus, the conversion logic arbitrates for control of the host bus. When control of the host bus is awarded to the conversion logic, control of the subsystem bus is released and the requesting subsystem device can transfer data between the subsystem and host.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.