Method and apparatus for transferring data on a split bus in a data processing system
US6240479A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 31, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 29, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/364
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A bus protocol for a split bus (50, 60) where each device (10, 20, 30) coupled to the bus has an age-based queue (12, 24, 34) of pending transactions. Queues are updated as transactions are executed. A central arbiter (40) has a copy of each device's queue (44). A priority transaction is determined from among all the queues in the arbiter. A data transaction index (DTI) is broadcast during the data tenure to all devices indicating the position in the queue of the next transaction. The index allows out-of-order data transfers without the provision of a static tag during the address tenure. Queues maintain a history of pending transactions. In one embodiment, each device receives a separate data bus grant (DBG), allowing a single provision of the index to both a source and a sink device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.