Systems, network devices and methods for highly configurable peer-to-peer communications between network devices communicating via a common bus
First Claim
1. A system for initiating peer-to-peer communications via a network bus, said system comprising:
- a bus controller in electrical communication with the network bus for controlling communications on the network bus, wherein said bus controller is capable of transmitting commands onto the network bus; and
at least one network device in electrical communication with the network bus, wherein said at least one network device collectively comprise at least first and second data channels, wherein the first data channel is configured for Surrogate operation by including an initiator command and a surrogate command, wherein when said bus controller transmits a command onto the network bus that matches the initiator command of the first data channel, at least the second data channel is capable of executing the initiator command and at least the first data channel is capable of subsequently executing the respective surrogate command to thereby permit peer-to-peer communications between at least the first and second data channels.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided for initiating peer-to-peer communications via a network bus. The system includes a bus controller in electrical communication with the network bus for controlling communications on the network bus, such as by transmitting commands onto the network bus. The system also includes at least one network device in electrical communication with the network bus, where the network devices collectively comprise at least first and second data channels. The first data channel is configured for Surrogate operation and includes an initiator command and a surrogate command. When the bus controller transmits a command onto the network bus that matches the initiator command of at least the first data channel, at least the second data channel is capable of executing the initiator command and at least the first data channel is capable of executing the respective surrogate command.
-
Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A system for initiating peer-to-peer communications via a network bus, said system comprising:
-
a bus controller in electrical communication with the network bus for controlling communications on the network bus, wherein said bus controller is capable of transmitting commands onto the network bus; and
at least one network device in electrical communication with the network bus, wherein said at least one network device collectively comprise at least first and second data channels, wherein the first data channel is configured for Surrogate operation by including an initiator command and a surrogate command, wherein when said bus controller transmits a command onto the network bus that matches the initiator command of the first data channel, at least the second data channel is capable of executing the initiator command and at least the first data channel is capable of subsequently executing the respective surrogate command to thereby permit peer-to-peer communications between at least the first and second data channels. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method of initiating peer-to-peer communications in a network comprising at least one network device communicating via a common network bus and collectively having at least first and second data channels including at least a first data channel configured for Surrogate operation, wherein at least the first data channel configured for Surrogate operation includes an initiator command and a surrogate command, said method comprising:
-
transmitting at least one command onto the network bus;
detecting a command on the network bus that matches the initiator command of at least the first data channel;
executing the initiator command via at least the second data channel; and
thereafter executing the respective surrogate command via at least the first data channel to thereby permit peer-to-peer communications between at least the first and second data channels. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A network device capable of peer-to-peer communications via a network bus, the network device comprising:
-
a first data channel configured for Surrogate operation;
a memory capable of storing an initiator command and a surrogate command associated with the first data channel; and
a surrogate processing module capable of detecting a command on the network bus that matches the initiator command, wherein when said surrogate processing module detects a command on the network bus that matches the initiator command, said surrogate processing is capable of transmitting the surrogate command to said first data channel such that said first data channel is capable of executing the surrogate command to thereby permit peer-to-peer communications between at least the first and second data channels. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
Specification