Bus arbitration with routing and failover mechanism

• US 10,423,554 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BiTMICRO, LLC (BiTMICRO Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BiTMICRO Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Bruce, Ricardo H., Ponce, Cyrill Coronel, Espuerta, Jarmie Dela Cruz
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Christopher B
• Application Number:
  US15/790,299
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 710110-111, 710305, 710313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/366 using a centralised polling arbiter

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a system architecture for bus masters and bus arbiters are provided to support routing and failover. The system comprises large pools of bus masters, a plurality of sets can be configured to control a plurality of slave devices wherein each set contains a collection of bus masters attached to central arbiter driving one of the system buses. Each set controls a group(s) of slave device that are primarily controlled by the bus master(s) within the set. Hence, a system can therefore include of a plurality of sets and can control a group of slave devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of bus masters comprising a first set of bus masters and a second set of bus masters;

a plurality of bus arbiters comprising a first arbiter and a second arbiter;

wherein the first arbiter is directly coupled to the first set of bus masters and wherein the second arbiter is directly coupled to the second set of masters;

an arbiter priority select coupled by a messaging link to the first arbiter and to the second arbiter;

a slave controller coupled by a first bus to the first arbiter and coupled by a second bus to the second arbiter;

wherein the slave controller is coupled to a plurality of slave devices; and

wherein the arbiter priority select permits a given bus master in the second set to access the first bus via the second arbiter, via the messaging link, via the arbiter priority select, and via the first arbiter if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the given bus master is not able to access the second bus due to a bus failure of the second bus or due to a long transaction in the second bus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first arbiter and the second arbiter perform bus arbitration and health monitoring on the first bus and the second bus, respectively.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to promote flexibility, the arbiter priority select determines which one of the first bus or the second bus is to be utilized or re-used for re-routing or failover of the bus masters.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the given bus master is coupled by a default path to the second arbiter and is coupled by an alternative path to the first arbiter.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arbiter priority select sends a priority signal through the messaging link to the first arbiter in order to permit the given bus master to access the first bus.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slave devices comprises a first plurality of slave devices and a second plurality of slave devices;

wherein the first plurality of slave devices receives signals from the first set and wherein the second plurality of slave devices receives signals from the second set; and

wherein the arbiter priority select permits the given bus master in the second set to access the first bus if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus so that at least one of the second plurality of slave devices receives signals via the first bus from the given bus master.

6. A method, comprising:

permitting, by an arbiter priority select in an apparatus, a given bus master to access a first bus;

wherein the apparatus further comprises;

a plurality of bus masters comprising a first set of bus masters and a second set of bus masters;

a plurality of bus arbiters comprising a first arbiter and a second arbiter;

wherein the first arbiter is directly coupled to the first set of bus masters and wherein the second arbiter is directly coupled to the second set of masters;

wherein the arbiter priority select is coupled by a messaging link to the first arbiter and to the second arbiter;

a slave controller coupled by the first bus to the first arbiter and coupled by a second bus to the second arbiter;

wherein the slave controller is coupled to a plurality of slave devices; and

wherein the arbiter priority select permits the given bus master in the second set to access the first bus via the second arbiter, via the messaging link, via the arbiter priority select, and via the first arbiter if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the given bus master is not able to access the second bus due to a bus failure of the second bus or due to a long transaction in the second bus.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first arbiter and the second arbiter perform bus arbitration and health monitoring on the first bus and the second bus, respectively.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein to promote flexibility, the arbiter priority select determines which one of the first bus or the second bus is to be utilized or re-used for re-routing or failover of the bus masters.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the given bus master is coupled by a default path to the second arbiter and is coupled by an alternative path to the first arbiter.

18. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, the arbiter priority select, a priority signal through the messaging link to the first arbiter in order to permit the given bus master to access the first bus.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of slave devices comprises a first plurality of slave devices and a second plurality of slave devices;

wherein the first plurality of slave devices receives signals from the first set and wherein the second plurality of slave devices receives signals from the second set; and

wherein the method further comprises permitting, by the arbiter priority select, the given bus master in the second set to access the first bus if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus so that at least one of the second plurality of slave devices receives signals via the first bus from the given bus master.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions operable to permit an apparatus to perform a method comprising;

permitting, by an arbiter priority select in the apparatus, a given bus master to access a first bus;

wherein the apparatus further comprises;

a plurality of bus masters comprising a first set of bus masters and a second set of bus masters;

a plurality of bus arbiters comprising a first arbiter and a second arbiter;

wherein the first arbiter is directly coupled to the first set of bus masters and wherein the second arbiter is directly coupled to the second set of masters;

wherein the arbiter priority select is coupled by a messaging link to the first arbiter and to the second arbiter;

a slave controller coupled by the first bus to the first arbiter and coupled by a second bus to the second arbiter;

wherein the slave controller is coupled to a plurality of slave devices; and

wherein the arbiter priority select permits the given bus master in the second set to access the first bus via the second arbiter, via the messaging link, via the arbiter priority select, and via the first arbiter if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the given bus master is not able to access the second bus due to a bus failure of the second bus or due to a long transaction in the second bus.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the first arbiter and the second arbiter perform bus arbitration and health monitoring on the first bus and the second bus, respectively.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein to promote flexibility, the arbiter priority select determines which one of the first bus or the second bus is to be utilized or re-used for re-routing or failover of the bus masters.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the given bus master is coupled by a default path to the second arbiter and is coupled by an alternative path to the first arbiter.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

sending, the arbiter priority select, a priority signal through the messaging link to the first arbiter in order to permit the given bus master to access the first bus.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the plurality of slave devices comprises a first plurality of slave devices and a second plurality of slave devices;

wherein the first plurality of slave devices receives signals from the first set and wherein the second plurality of slave devices receives signals from the second set;

and wherein the method further comprises;

permitting, by the arbiter priority select, the given bus master in the second set to access the first bus if the given bus master is not able to access the second bus so that at least one of the second plurality of slave devices receives signals via the first bus from the given bus master.