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Modular crossbar interconnection metwork for data transactions between system units in a multi-processor system

  • US 4,968,977 A
  • Filed: 02/03/1989
  • Issued: 11/06/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a multi-processing system of the kind having a system control unit (SCU) for operating a plurality of system units in a parallel fashion, said system units including a plurality of central processing units (CPUs), at least one input/output (I/O) unit and at least one main memory unit (MMU), interconnection means for establishing communication paths for data transactions between system units designated by communication commands as source and destination nodes, said interconnection means comprising:

  • at least two crossbar modules, each module adapted to establish a direct path or mapping between one of a fixed number of source nodes and one of the same fixed number of destination nodes defined thereupon, the source and destination nodes provided on one crossbar module corresponding to different ones of said system units than those provided on other crossbar modules,each of said modules including at least one expansion source node and at least one corresponding expansion destination node through which the crossbar modules are connectable in such a way as to establish a data path between source nodes defined on one of said crossbar modules and destination nodes defined on another of said crossbar modules,wherein said interconnection means further comprises;

    means for accepting control commands designating the source and destination nodes for executing a data transaction,means for determining whether the designated source and destination nodes are defined on a single crossbar module or are defined on separate crossbar modules,means for generating a control signal to said single crossbar module containing both the source and destination nodes in order to establish the required data path by a direct mapping between said nodes, andmeans for generating separate control signals to each of said crossbar modules on which the source and destination nodes are separately defined in order to establish the required data path by an indirect mapping between said nodes, said indirect mapping being established by (i) a first sub-mapping between the designated source node and the expansion node of the crossbar module containing said source node and (ii) a second sub-mapping between the designated destination node and the expansion node of the crossbar module containing said destination node.

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