General input/output architecture, protocol and related methods to provide isochronous channels

• US 20030131179A1
• Filed: 08/22/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Jiang, Hong, Ajanovic, Jasmin, Harriman, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/362 with centralised access control

Abstract

An enhanced general input/output communication architecture, protocol and related methods are presented.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for isochronous communication resources within a general input/output (GIO) fabric of an electronic appliance; and

determining whether one or more operating requirements associated with the received request can be accommodated by an appropriate subset of the GIO fabric to support the requested isochronous communication.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request is received from at least one of a requester/completer pair of the requested isochronous communication.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request is received at a bandwidth manager of a root complex of the GIO fabric.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operating parameters include one or more of bandwidth and service latency.

5. A method according to claim 1, the element of determining comprising:

identifying a communication capability of at least a subset of the GIO fabric composing a communication path from a requester of the isochronous communication resources to a completer of the isochronous communication resources; and

determining whether the identified communication capability is sufficient to accommodate the one or more operating requirements associated with the received request for isochronous communication resources.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating an isochronous contract between a requester of the isochronous communication and the GIO fabric, the isochronous contract detailing one or more operating parameters under which the isochronous communication will be supported by the GIO fabric.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

providing at least a subset of GIO elements participating in the isochronous communication information associated with the isochronous contract; and

regulating and policing injection requests of the requester or completer in accordance with the generated isochronous contract.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

regulating and policing isochronous transactions using a time-based, weighted round-robin, port arbitration mechanism.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

maintaining transaction service allocation in one or more data structures in accordance with the generated isochronous contract.

10. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

selectively invoking flow-control by one or more elements of an established isochronous communication channel to retard injection requests exceeding one or more privileges provided under the isochronous contract.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of communication requirements and/or capability from at least a subset of elements within the GIO fabric upon a reset event of a host electronic appliance.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

generating a capability table based, at least in part, on the indications received from at least the subset of elements within the GIO fabric.

13. A method according to claim 12, the element of determining comprising:

identifying a communication capability for at least a subset of the GIO elements composing a communication path between a requester and completer of the isochronous communication from the capability table; and

determining whether the identified communication capability is sufficient to accommodate the one or more operating requirements associated with the received request.

14. A method according to claim 1, the isochronous communication resources comprising one or more virtual timeslots in a communication link between two or more elements composing a GIO communication path between a requester and a completer of isochronous traffic.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of general input/output (GIO) elements composing a GIO communication fabric; and

a bandwidth manager, responsive to at least a subset of the GIO elements, to identify a communication capability of at least a subset of such GIO elements, and selectively grant isochronous bandwidth to a requester/completer pair of isochronous communication.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the bandwidth manager is implemented within a root complex of the GIO fabric.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein at least a subset of the GIO elements expose their communication requirements and capability to the bandwidth manager.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the bandwidth manager selectively grants isochronous bandwidth to the requester/completer pair based, at least in part, on the identified communication capability of intervening GIO elements

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the communication capability includes one or more of available communication bandwidth and service latency.

20. An article of manufacture comprising content which, when executed by an accessing machine, causes the machine to implement a method including,

receiving a request for isochronous communication resources within a general input/output (GIO) fabric of an electronic appliance;

and

determining whether one or more operating requirements associated with the received request can be accommodated by an appropriate subset of the GIO fabric to support the requested isochronous communication.

21. An article of manufacture according to claim 20, further comprising content to selectively generate an isochronous contract between a requester of the isochronous communication and the GIO fabric, the isochronous contract detailing one or more operating parameters under which the isochronous communication will be supported by the GIO fabric, if the one or more operating requirements can be accommodated.

22. An article of manufacture according to claim 20, further comprising content to transmit at least a subset of the isochronous contract to one or more elements of the GIO fabric that will facilitate the isochronous communication between the requester and the completer, and to police adherence to the isochronous contract by the requester and/or completer.

23. An article of manufacture according to claim 20, wherein the content to determine whether the isochronous communication can be supported comprises identifying a communication capability of at least intervening elements between the requester and the completer, and to compare such identified capability against operating requirements associated with the received request.

24. A general input/output (GIO) element comprising:

one or more input/output (I/O) ports, coupled to one or more other (GIO) elements of a GIO fabric; and

a bandwidth manager, to receive requests for isochronous communication resources from a requester/completer pair, and to selectively grant the requested isochronous communication resources upon determining that at least a subset of the GIO fabric can support one or more operating requirements associated with the isochronous communication.

25. A GIO element according to claim 24, wherein the bandwidth manager receives an indication of communication capability from at least a subset of the coupled GIO elements from which to make the determination whether to grant the request for isochronous communication resources.

26. A GIO element according to claim 25, wherein the bandwidth manager compares the operating requirements associated with the isochronous request against the communication capability of at least a subset of GIO elements between the requester and the completer in determining whether to grant the request for isochronous resources.

27. A GIO element according to claim 25, wherein the bandwidth manager establishes an isochronous contract between the requester/completer pair and the GIO fabric denoting one or more operating parameters under which the isochronous communication resources have been allocated to the requester/completer pair.

28. A GIO element according to claim 27, wherein the bandwidth manager provides each intervening GIO element between the requester/completer pair with the isochronous contract to enforce the operating parameters denoted in the contract.

29. A GIO element according to claim 28, wherein the intervening GIO element(s) regulate and police isochronous transactions using a time-based, weighted round-robin, port arbitration mechanism.

30. A GIO element according to claim 28, wherein the intervening GIO element(s) contains a or more programmable data structures that contain transaction service allocation according with the generated isochronous contract.

31. A GIO element according to claim 28, wherein the intervening GIO element(s) selectively invoke a flow-control mechanism to retard a proposed injection into the isochronous communication resources that fails to adhere to the isochronous contract.

32. A GIO element according to claim 24, wherein the GIO element is a root complex.

33. A GIO element according to claim 24, wherein the GIO element is a switch.