Virtual path

• US 20040088668A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bell Semiconductor, LLC (Hilco Inc. (d/b/a Hilco Global))
• Original Assignee: LSI Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamlin, Christopher L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,322,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/30 Circuit design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/343 Logical level

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a system and method for specifying links, connectivity and bandwidth in an interconnect fabric. For example, a method for allocating connectivity and bandwidth of an integrated circuit may include receiving an interconnect fabric description, the described interconnect fabric having a plurality of platforms linked over an isochronous interconnect fabric. An arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric is virtualized based on bandwidth. An arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric is virtualized based on connectivity. The links are allocated on the basis of the virtualized link arrangements based on bandwidth and connectivity.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of platforms communicatively coupled utilizing an interconnect fabric; and

a program of instructions suitable for being performed by the plurality of platforms, wherein the program of instructions configures the plurality of platforms to aggregate bandwidth between platforms.

2. The system as described in claim 1, further comprising allocating bandwidth between a first platform and a second platform of the plurality of platforms that includes bandwidth that otherwise would not have been utilized by a third platform.

3. The system as described in claim 2, wherein the bandwidth is allocated on the basis of a virtualized arrangement of links based on bandwidth and a virtualized arrangement of links based on connectivity.

4. The system as described in claim 2, further comprising reallocating bandwidth at a second episode in time in a manner which is different from a previous allocation of bandwidth in the plurality of platforms at a first episode in time.

5. The system as described in claim 1, wherein a substantial portion of the plurality of platforms include switches which operate to direct traffic within the fabric interconnect.

6. The system as described in claim 5, wherein the switches of the substantial portion of the plurality of platforms are separate and apart from the respective platforms.

7. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the program of instructions includes a protocol which determines a transmission process that a particular physical wire of the interconnect fabric is implicated in at a particular episode of time.

8. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the fabric is isochronous.

9. The system as described in claim 1, wherein a first set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to connectivity and a second set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to bandwidth, the first set of platforms being different than the second set of platforms.

10. A method for allocating connectivity and bandwidth of an integrated circuit, comprising:

receiving an interconnect fabric description, the described interconnect fabric having a plurality of platforms linked over an isochronous interconnect fabric;

virtualizing an arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric based on bandwidth;

virtualizing an arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric based on connectivity; and

allocating the links based on the virtualized link arrangements based on bandwidth and connectivity so that connectivity of the fabric is distributed independently of the bandwidth of the fabric.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the links are allocated so that the plurality of platforms aggregate bandwidth between at least a portion of the platforms.

12. The method as described in claim 10, wherein bandwidth is allocated between a first platform and a second platform of the plurality of platforms that includes bandwidth that otherwise would not have been utilized by a third platform.

13. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising reallocating bandwidth at a second episode in time in a manner which is different from a previous allocation of bandwidth in the plurality of platforms at a first episode in time.

14. The method as described in claim 10, wherein a substantial portion of the plurality of platforms include switches which operate to direct traffic within the fabric interconnect.

15. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the switches of the substantial portion of the plurality of platforms are separate and apart from the respective platforms.

16. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the program of instructions includes a protocol which determines a transmission process that a particular physical wire of the interconnect fabric is implicated in at a particular episode of time.

17. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the fabric is isochronous.

18. The method as described in claim 10, wherein a first set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to connectivity and a second set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to bandwidth, the first set of platforms being different than the second set of platforms.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving an interconnect fabric description, the described interconnect fabric having a plurality of platforms linked over an isochronous interconnect fabric;

virtualizing an arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric based on bandwidth;

virtualizing an arrangement of links of the received interconnect fabric based on connectivity; and

allocating the links based on the virtualized link arrangements based on bandwidth and connectivity.

20. The method as described in claim 19, wherein bandwidth is allocated between a first platform and a second platform of the plurality of platforms that includes bandwidth that otherwise would not have been utilized by a third platform.

21. The method as described in claim 19, wherein the links are allocated so that the plurality of platforms aggregate bandwidth between at least a portion of the platforms.

22. The method as described in claim 19, further comprising reallocating bandwidth at a second episode in time in a manner which is different from a previous allocation of bandwidth in the plurality of platforms at a first episode in time.

23. The method as described in claim 19, wherein a substantial portion of the plurality of platforms include switches which operate to direct traffic within the fabric interconnect.

24. The method as described in claim 23, wherein the switches of the substantial portion of the plurality of platforms are separate and apart from the respective platforms.

25. The method as described in claim 19, wherein the program of instructions includes a protocol which determines a transmission process that a particular physical wire of the interconnect fabric is implicated in at a particular episode of time.

26. The method as described in claim 19, wherein the fabric is isochronous.

27. The method as described in claim 19, wherein a first set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to connectivity and a second set of platforms of the plurality of platforms follow a power-law distribution with respect to bandwidth, the first set of platforms being different than the second set of platforms.