System and method for communicating command parameters between a processor and a memory flow controller
US7386636B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 19, 2005 |
| Grant date | Jun 10, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 1, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/1642
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for communicating command parameters between a processor and a memory flow controller are provided. The system and method make use of a channel interface as the primary mechanism for communicating between the processor and a memory flow controller. The channel interface provides channels for communicating with processor facilities, memory flow control facilities, machine state registers, and external processor interrupt facilities, for example. These channels may be designated as blocking or non-blocking. With blocking channels, when no data is available to be read from the corresponding registers, or there is no space available to write to the corresponding registers, the processor is placed in a low power “stall” state. The processor is automatically awakened, via communication across the blocking channel, when data becomes available or space is freed. Thus, the channels of the present invention permit the processor to stay in a low power state.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.