M&A for dynamically generating and maintaining frame based polling schedules for polling isochronous and asynchronous functions that guaranty latencies and bandwidths to the isochronous functions
First Claim
1. An apparatus for generating and maintaining frame based polling schedules that guaranty latencies and bandwidths to isochronous functions of isochronous peripherals coupled to a system unit of a computer system, along with asynchronous peripherals, said apparatus comprising:
- first means for conducting a plurality of configuration management transactions between the system unit and the peripherals, isochronous as well as asynchronous, to dynamically determine a plurality of operating characteristics for each of the peripherals, including latency requirement of the isochronous functions and transmit times of isochronous data, as well as transactional requirements of the asynchronous peripherals and transmit times of transactions;
second means for generating and maintaining a polling schedule for the system unit to poll the peripherals, the polling schedule being generated and maintained in accordance with the determined operating characteristics, and consisting of a superframe having a plurality of soft frames that are replications of one or more base frames, wherein polling of each of the isochronous functions is scheduled in multiple ones of the soft frames by virtue of said replications and scheduling polling of the isochronous function in at least one of the one or more base frames, and polling of each of the asynchronous peripherals is scheduled in at most one of the soft frames.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Circuitry and complementary logic are provided to a bus controller, a number of 1:n bus signal distributors, and a number of bus interfaces of an hierarchical serial bus assembly for the bus controller to dynamically generate and maintain a frame based polling schedule for polling the functions of the bus agents connected to the serial bus assembly and the serial bus elements themselves. The hierarchical serial bus assembly is used to serially interface a number of isochronous and asynchronous peripherals to the system unit of a computer system. These circuitry and complementary logic of the serial bus elements support gathering of various critical operating characteristics by the bus controller. The circuitry and logic provided to the bus controller in turn generate the frame based polling schedule in accordance to these gathered critical operating characteristics, guaranteeing latencies and bandwidths to the isochronous functions of the isochronous peripherals. In certain embodiments, the circuitry and logic provided to the bus controller further adapts in real time its frame based polling schedule in like manner, responsive to live attachment/detachment of serial bus elements.
156 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for generating and maintaining frame based polling schedules that guaranty latencies and bandwidths to isochronous functions of isochronous peripherals coupled to a system unit of a computer system, along with asynchronous peripherals, said apparatus comprising:
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first means for conducting a plurality of configuration management transactions between the system unit and the peripherals, isochronous as well as asynchronous, to dynamically determine a plurality of operating characteristics for each of the peripherals, including latency requirement of the isochronous functions and transmit times of isochronous data, as well as transactional requirements of the asynchronous peripherals and transmit times of transactions; second means for generating and maintaining a polling schedule for the system unit to poll the peripherals, the polling schedule being generated and maintained in accordance with the determined operating characteristics, and consisting of a superframe having a plurality of soft frames that are replications of one or more base frames, wherein polling of each of the isochronous functions is scheduled in multiple ones of the soft frames by virtue of said replications and scheduling polling of the isochronous function in at least one of the one or more base frames, and polling of each of the asynchronous peripherals is scheduled in at most one of the soft frames. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a computer system comprising a system unit, a plurality of isochronous peripherals and a plurality of asynchronous peripherals, wherein the peripherals, both isochronous as well as asynchronous, are coupled to the system unit, a method for generating and maintaining frame based polling schedules that guaranty latencies and bandwidths to isochronous functions of the isochronous peripherals, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) conducting a plurality of configuration management transactions between the system unit and the peripherals, synchronous as well as asynchronous, to dynamically determine a plurality of operating characteristics for each of the peripherals, including latency requirement of the isochronous functions and transmit time of isochronous data, as well as transactional requirements for the asynchronous peripherals and transmit times for transactions; and b) generating and maintaining a polling schedule for the system unit to poll the peripherals, the polling schedule being generated and maintained in accordance with the determined operating characteristics, and consisting of a superframe having a plurality of soft frames that are replications of one or more base frames, wherein polling of each of the isochronous functions is scheduled in multiple ones of the soft frames by virtue of said replications and scheduling polling of each of the isochronous functions in at least one of the one or more base frames, and polling of each of the asynchronous peripherals is scheduled in at most one of the soft frames. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification