Multiprocessor system
First Claim
1. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which a plurality of separate processor modules are interconnected for processing, each of the processor modules having a central processing unit and an associated main memory, at least a pair of the processor modules each having an input/output channel with each such channel being independent of other such channels, the input/output system comprising:
- a device controller for controlling the transfer of data between the pair of processor modules and a peripheral device, the device controller having multiple ports, with each such port being failure-independent of the other such ports and connected to a respective one of said input/output channels, each port including an enable latch operable in response to a disable command communicated to the port by the associated processor module to disable the port from any further data communication;
the device controller including interface logic means responsive to signaling from a one of the processor modules for selecting one of the ports to the exclusion of the other of the ports for data transfers between the peripheral device and the one processor module connected to the selected port through its associated input/output channel; and
interprocessor bus means communicating the pair of processor modules to one another for data transfer therebetween;
each of of processor modules being operable to provide a data communication path to the peripheral device for itself and for the other of the pair of processor modules.
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Abstract
In a multiprocessor system of the type in which two or more separate processor modules are connected by an interprocessor bus dedicated exclusively to interprocessor communication for parallel processing, there is provided an input/output system having multiported device controllers connected to the multiprocessor system by input/output buses. Each device controller is shared by pairs of the processor modules, and includes logic that ensures that only one port is selected for access at a time.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which a plurality of separate processor modules are interconnected for processing, each of the processor modules having a central processing unit and an associated main memory, at least a pair of the processor modules each having an input/output channel with each such channel being independent of other such channels, the input/output system comprising:
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a device controller for controlling the transfer of data between the pair of processor modules and a peripheral device, the device controller having multiple ports, with each such port being failure-independent of the other such ports and connected to a respective one of said input/output channels, each port including an enable latch operable in response to a disable command communicated to the port by the associated processor module to disable the port from any further data communication; the device controller including interface logic means responsive to signaling from a one of the processor modules for selecting one of the ports to the exclusion of the other of the ports for data transfers between the peripheral device and the one processor module connected to the selected port through its associated input/output channel; and interprocessor bus means communicating the pair of processor modules to one another for data transfer therebetween; each of of processor modules being operable to provide a data communication path to the peripheral device for itself and for the other of the pair of processor modules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which a plurality of separate processor modules are interconnected for parallel processing, said input/output system comprising:
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a plurality of device controllers each having a peripheral device coupled thereto, for controlling the transfer of data between a corresponding ones of the processor modules and the associated peripheral device; multiple ports in each device controller and multiple input/output buses for connecting each said port to a corresponding processor module for access by a corresponding one of the plurality of processor modules; each device controller having an interface common logic means operatively associated with the multiple ports of such device controller for insuring that only one port operatively connects the device controller to said multiprocessor system at a time; and said device controllers being connected in a star poll with at least one processor module by a multibit data bus and being divided into ranks of a plurality of groups and wherein groups are assigned relative priority among themselves and priority is also assigned among the device controllers within each group, and a priority resolve means in at least one processor module for determining which device controller has the highest priority within each group for connecting to the at least one process module the highest priority device controller making a reconnect request.
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15. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which a plurality of separate processor modules are interconnected for parallel processoring, each of said processor modules having a central processing unit and a memory, each of the processor modules having an input/output channel, said input/output system comprising:
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a plurality of device controllers, each having at least one peripheral device coupled thereto, for controlling the transfer of data between ones of the processor modules and the corresponding peripheral device; multiple ports in each device controller and multiple input/output buses for connecting each of the ports of each device controller for access by multiple different processor modules; interface common logic means operatively associated with each device controller for insuring that only one port operatively connects the device controller to said multiprocessor system at a time; the memory of each processor module includes an input/output control table containing an entry which defines a buffer area in the memory for a particular device controller and a entry specifying the remaining byte count length to be transferred for each peripheral device attached to the input/output channel of that processor module; and means causing the input/output channel of a corresponding processor module, in response to a reconnect request to that processor module by a device controller associated with that input/output channel when a count word in the input/output control table thereof is a predetermined count, to go to an abort state to protect the memory of that processor module from being overwritten by the associated failing device controller.
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16. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which separate processor modules are interconnected for parallel processing, said input/output system comprising:
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at least one device controller for controlling the transfer of data between a processor module and a peripheral device; multiple ports in each device controller and multiple input/output buses for connecting each device controller for access by multiple different processor modules; each device controller having interface common logic means for insuring that only one of the multiple ports operatively connects the corresoplnding device controller to said multiprocessor system at a time; a plurality of separate power supply means distributed and operatively associated with the process modules and the device controllers wherein each device controller has two separate and independent power supplies, the separate power supplies being connected so that any individual processor module or device controller can be powered off without affecting continued operation of the rest of the multiprocessor system an online maintenance can be performed on any individual processor module or device controller by powering down that processor module or device controller while the rest of the multiprocessor system is on-line and functional; and the device controller including power-on circuit means for sensing if power is within acceptable operating limits and for defining the operation of the device controller as power is turned on or off to protect the associated input/output bus from erroneous signals and to permit on-line maintenance. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. An input/output system for a multiprocessor system of the kind in which separate processor modules are interconnected for parallel processing, each of said processor modules having a central processing unit and a memory, at least some of the processor modules having an input/output channel, said input/output system comprising:
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device controller means for controlling the transfer of data between a processor module and a peripheral device; multiple ports in the device controller means and multiple input/output buses for connecting ports of each device controller for access by multiple different ones of the processor modules; interface common logic means operatively associated with each device controller, responsive to signaling from a one of the process modules, for insuring that only port operatively connects the device controller to said multiprocessor system at a time; and each device controller including buffer means for momentarily holding information for indicating the direction of data transfer to and from an input/output bus and the degree of full or empty condition of a buffer of said buffer, means the buffer means of each device controller including hold-off depth logic operable to delay for a certain amount of time after each input/output channel disconnection and before making a subsequent reconnect request to thereby allow lower priority devices access to the input/output channel. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. In a multiporcessor system of the type including a plurality of separate processor modules that are interconnected by an interprocessor bus means for processing and information communication therebetween, at least a pair of the processor modules each having an input/output channel with each such channel being independent of other such channels, the input/output system comprising:
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a plurality of device controllers, each operable to control the transfer of data between the pair of processor. modules and peripheral device connected to each of the plurality device controller, each of the device controllers having multiple ports, each port including enabling means responsive to a disable command from the processor module associated with said port to disable the port from further data communication; input/output bus means coupling the input/output channel of each of the pair of processor modules to a corresponding one of the ports of each of the device controllers; each of the device controllers including interface logic means responsive to signaling from the processor modules for selecting one of the ports to the exclusion of the other of the ports for data transfers between an associated one of the peripheral devices and the one processor module connected to the selected port through its associated input/output channel; and
each of the pair of processor modules being operable to provide a data communication path to the peripheral device for itself and for the other of the pair of processor modules.
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Specification