Scalable low bandwidth multicast handling in mixed core systems

• US 20030212743A1
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Sonics Incorporated (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Weber, Wolf-Dietrich, Chou, Chien-Chun, Masri, Nabil N., Wingard, Drew Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,302,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership

Abstract

A method and apparatus for multicast handling in mixed core systems have been described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to create a broadcast group; and

creating the broadcast group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the broadcast group is encoded in an address.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the encoding in the address is in a group of contiguous address bits.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the broadcast group.

5. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 1.

6. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 1.

7. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request to create a broadcast group;

means for creating the broadcast group.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising means for encoding the broadcast group.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for encoding the broadcast group in an address.

10. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 7.

11. An apparatus comprising:

an initiator with an output;

a communications link having an input and an output, the input coupled to receive the initiator output;

a plurality of targets each having an input and a register, each input coupled to receive the communications link output, and each register coupled to receive a bit pattern.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

the communications link having a second input and a second output;

the initiator having an input, the input coupled to receive the communications link second output; and

the plurality of targets each having an output, each output coupled to the communications link second input.

13. A system comprising circuitry, which when operating, performs the following:

receives an input signal; and

compares the input signal to a broadcast group register.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising generating an output signal in response to the comparison.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the input signal is an address.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the comparison is to a subset of the full address.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising transferring a payment and/or a credit.

18. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast group; and

determining if a device is a member of the broadcast group.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the broadcast group is encoded in an address.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the encoding in the address is in a group of contiguous address bits.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising generating the broadcast group and transmitting the broadcast group.

22. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 18.

23. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 18.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a broadcast group;

means for comparing the broadcast group.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising means for decoding the broadcast group.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising means for decoding the broadcast group in an address.

27. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 24.

28. A method comprising:

receiving a multicast; and

determining if the multicast is intended for a core;

and if so, then transmitting the multicast within the core.

29. The method of claim 28 where in transmitting the multicast within the core further comprises cascaded multicasting within the core.

30. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 28.

31. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 28.

32. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a multicast; and

means for determining if the multicast is intended for a core.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 further comprising means for cascaded multicasting within the core.

34. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver having an input, an output, the input coupled to receive a group broadcast;

a register having output contents;

a comparator having a first input, a second input, and an output, the comparator coupled to receive the group broadcast on the first input, the comparator coupled to receive the register contents on the second, and the output generating a comparison signal; and

a transmitter having an first input, a second input, and an output, the first input coupled to receive the group broadcast, the second input coupled to receive the comparison signal, the output having the group broadcast if the comparison signal indicates the broadcast group and register contents are equal.

35. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 34.

36. A method comprising:

receiving a broadcast command from a first address space; and

mapping the broadcast command to a new form selected from the group consisting of a write, and a second address space.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising mapping the write to an address space.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the second address space is a plurality of different address spaces.

39. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 36.

40. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 36.

41. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a broadcast command from a first address space; and

means for mapping the broadcast command to a new form selected from the group consisting of a write, and a second address space.

42. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 41.

43. A method comprising:

defining a broadcast group;

initializing broadcast group registers in a plurality of targets;

(a) creating a request;

(b) choosing a group;

(c) sending the request to the group; and

repeating (a) through (c) if other requests are pending.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising:

defining a broadcast group; and

initializing broadcast group registers in a plurality of targets.

45. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 43.

46. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 43.

47. An apparatus comprising:

means for defining a broadcast group;

means for initializing broadcast group registers in a plurality of targets;

means for (a) creating a request, (b) choosing a group, (c) sending the request to the group; and

means for repeating (a) through (c) if other requests are pending.

48. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 47.

49. A method comprising:

extracting a broadcast group from a request;

expanding the broadcast group into a bit vector;

comparing the bit vector with a previously stored broadcast group register;

determining if there is a match between the bit vector and the group register; and

if so then, accepting the request.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising;

examining a core capability; and

determining if the core capability requires the accepted request to be reformatted by an operation selected from the group consisting of no reformatting needed, reformatting to match the core, reformatting for a cascaded broadcast, reformatting into a write command, reformatting into a different address space, reformatting into a different width.

51. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 50.

52. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 50.

53. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a broadcast;

means for examining a core capability; and

means for determining if the received broadcast needs to be reformatted by an operation selected from the group consisting of no reformatting needed, reformatting to match the core, reformatting for a cascaded broadcast, reformatting into a write command, reformatting into a different address space, reformatting into a different width.

54. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 53.

55. A method comprising:

receiving a nobackpressure thread; and

receiving a backpressure thread.

56. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving said threads in a single queue.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein said threads may be received in any order.

58. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving the nobackpressure thread in a nobackpressure queue, and receiving the backpressure thread in a backpressure queue.

59. The method of claim 58 wherein said threads may be received in any order.

60. The method of claim 55 wherein said receiving further comprises receiving over a single interface.

61. The method of claim 55 further comprising a connection identification to identify said threads.

62. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving a plurality of nobackpressure threads.

63. The method of claim 62 wherein two or more of the plurality of nobackpressure threads are received in a single queue.

64. The method of claim 62 wherein two or more of the plurality of nobackpressure threads are received by a single queue.

65. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving a burst of requests through a nobackpressure queue.

66. The method of claim 55 further comprising receiving multiple bursts of requests and accepting them into a backpressure queue and nobackpressue queue.

67. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 55.

68. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 55.

69. A method comprising:

sending a nobackpressure thread; and

sending a backpressure thread.

70. The method of claim 69 wherein said sending further comprises sending over a single interface.

71. A processing system comprising a processor, which when executing a set of instructions performs the method of claim 69.

72. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed performs the method of claim 69.

73. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a nobackpressure thread; and

means for receiving a backpressure thread.

74. The apparatus of claim 73 further comprising a connection identification means to identify said nobackpressure and backpressure threads.

75. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon information representing the apparatus of claim 73.

76. An apparatus comprising:

a first queue having an input and an output, the input coupled to receive nobackpressure communications;

a second queue having an input and an output, the input coupled to receive backpressure communications;

a receiver having a first input and a second input, the first input coupled to receive the first queue output, the second input coupled to receive the second queue output.

77. The apparatus of claim 76 wherein the nobackpressure communications further comprises a plurality of mixed threads.

78. The apparatus of claim 76 further comprising a transmitter having an output for sending payment and/or a credit information.