Method and apparatus for using advanced host controller interface to transfer data

• US 20060075164A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ooi, Eng Hun
• Application Number:
  US10/948,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075164A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for entering a mode of a host controller and omitting a state of a state machine sequence of the host controller for data exchange by the host controller are disclosed. For one embodiment, the method and apparatus include setting a bit before a command information is transmitted to a separate device and exchanging data without sending the command information to the separate device. The bit of the embodiment indicates a current task file status.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

entering a mode of a Host Controller; and

omitting a state of a state machine sequence of the Host Controller prior to data exchange by the Host Controller.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

clearing a bit to indicate the Host Controller is not busy upon entering the mode;

setting the bit to indicate the Host Controller is busy upon entering a subsequent state in the state machine sequence prior to the data exchange; and

exchanging data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the bit indicates a current task file status.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the bit is set before a command information is transmitted that is to be received by a separate device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein omitting the state for data exchange includes omitting at least one of:

transmitting a command that is to be received by a device; and

receiving an acknowledgement that the command was transmitted successfully.

6. The method of claim 5 further includes omitting at least one of:

waiting for the device to determine if the device is ready to accept data; and

receiving a verified response that the device is ready to accept data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data exchange is one of a data transmission or a data reception.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the Host Controller is an Advanced Host Controller Interface Host Controller.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mode is a test mode.

10. A method comprising:

a Host Controller fetching a command;

the Host Controller receiving the command; and

the Host Controller exchanging data without transmitting a command information that is to be received by a separate device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the Host Controller receiving a command further includes the Host Controller receiving a command with a modified command structure.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the modified command structure is a command with Command Frame Information Structure length equal to zero.

13. A method comprising:

a Host Controller fetching a command;

the Host Controller receiving the command with a modified command structure; and

the Host Controller exchanging data without transmitting a command that is to be received by a separate device.

14. The method of claim 13 further includes the Host Controller exchanging data without waiting for the separate device to acknowledge the command was received.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the modified command structure includes a Command Frame Information Structure Length equal to zero.

16. An apparatus comprising:

means for entering a mode of a Host Controller; and

means for omitting a state of a state machine sequence of the Host Controller prior to data exchange by the Host Controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

means for clearing a bit to indicate the Host Controller is not busy upon entering the mode;

means for setting the bit to indicate the Host Controller is busy upon entering a subsequent state in the state machine sequence prior to the data exchange; and

means for exchanging data.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein means for omitting the state for data exchange includes a means for omitting at least one of:

means for transmitting a command that is to be received by a separate device; and

means for receiving an acknowledgement that the command was transmitted successfully.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further includes omitting at least one of:

means for waiting for the separate device to determine if the separate device is ready to accept data; and

means for having a verified response that the separate device is ready to accept data.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for fetching a command;

means for receiving the command; and

means for exchanging data without transmitting a command information that is to be received by a separate device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the Host Controller receiving a command further includes the Host Controller receiving a command with a modified command structure.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the modified command structure is a command with Command Frame Information Structure length equal to zero.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for fetching a command;

means for receiving a command;

means for exchanging data without transmitting a command information that is to be received by a separate device; and

means for exchanging data without waiting for the separate device to acknowledge the command information was received.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprises means for receiving the command information with a modified command structure.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the command information with a modified command structure is a command with a Command Frame Information Structure Length equal to zero.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a host controller, the host controller to;

fetch a command from a memory;

receive the command from the memory; and

exchange data with the host controller between the memory and a separate device without transmitting a command information that is to be received by the device.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the Host Controller is a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment Advanced Host Controller Interface Host Controller.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the device is a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment device.

29. A system comprising:

a system bus;

a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory; and

a Host Controller coupled to the bus, the Host Controller to;

fetch a command from system memory;

receive the command from system memory; and

exchange data with the host controller between a separate device and system memory without transmitting a command information that is to be received by the separate device.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein exchange data is one of a transmit data or a receive data.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the Host Controller is a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment Advanced Host Controller Interface Host Controller.

32. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising,

a Host Controller fetching a command from a memory;

the Host Controller receiving the command from the memory; and

the Host Controller exchanging data between a separate device and the memory without transmitting a command information that is to be received by the separate device.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32 wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data that cause the machine to perform operations comprising the Host Controller exchanging data without receiving an acknowledgement that the command was transmitted successfully.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 33 wherein the Host Controller is a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment Advanced Host Controller Interface Host Controller.