Direct memory access channel architecture and method for reception of network information

• US 5,805,927 A
• Filed: 09/24/1997
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Bowes, Michael J., Childers, Brian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep T.
• Application Number:
  US08/936,806
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: 395/842, 395/843, 395/854, 395/872
• US Class Current: 710/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/128 for dedicated transfers to a network for protocol converters G06F13/387

Abstract

An ethernet receive channel, corresponding to an ethernet controller, is contained within a direct memory access (DMA) controller. The DMA controller is connected to the CPU bus of a computer system through a bus interface and is also connected to an I/O bus, which is coupled to one or more I/O controllers, including an ethernet controller. The ethernet receive channel contains a buffer and multiple register sets storing the number of packets to be received for a particular DMA transfer, the address where the next byte of the incoming ethernet packet will be written in memory, and control information for the transfer. The address registers are initially programmed with the starting location for the transfer in main memory, which correspond to segments within chains of contiguous physical memory. During a transfer, the address registers are updated to contain the location where the next portion of the incoming ethernet packet will be written in memory.

Claims

1. A method for transferring packets of data from an input/output (I/O) device to a main memory of a computer system with a direct memory access (DMA) controller, wherein the computer system includes a first bus and a second bus coupled to the DMA controller, and wherein the DMA controller includes a buffer and at least one register set which includes an address register, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing at least one buffer in said main memory, wherein each of said at least one buffer in said main memory comprises at least one segment, and wherein each of said at least one segment corresponds to one of said packets of data;

determining a first packet of said packets of data;

initially setting a number of most significant bits of said address register equal to corresponding most significant bits of an address of a first memory location of said corresponding segment in said main memory;

initially setting a next higher least significant bit over a number of least significant bits of said address register to one;

transferring a portion of said first packet from said I/O device to said buffer in said DMA controller via said second bus;

transferring said portion of said first packet from said buffer in said DMA controller to a location of said corresponding segment in said main memory, via said first bus, wherein said location is indicated by an address stored in said address register, wherein said number of least significant bits of said address register are hardwired to zero, and wherein a number of memory locations corresponding to addresses represented by said number of least significant bits is equal in size to said portion of said first packet;

incrementing said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of said first packet after transferring each said portion of said first packet from said buffer in said DMA controller to said corresponding segment in said main memory;

repeating said transferring said portion steps and said incrementing said address register step until said first packet is completely transferred to said corresponding segment in said main memory;

transferring status data from a status register of said I/O device to said buffer in said DMA controller in response to a final portion of said first packet being transferred to said corresponding segment;

resetting said number of most significant bits of said address register equal to said corresponding most significant bits of said address of said first memory location of said corresponding segment in said main memory, in response to transferring said final portion of said first packet;

resetting said next higher least significant bit over said number of least significant bits of said address register to zero, wherein an address of a beginning location of said corresponding segment is indicated by said address stored in said address register;

transferring said status data from said buffer in said DMA controller to said beginning location of said corresponding segment;

incrementing said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of said first packet after transferring said status data from said buffer in said DMA controller to said beginning location of said corresponding segment;

incrementing said address register by an amount equal to a size of one of said at least one segment in response to a final portion of said status data being transferred to said corresponding segment; and

decrementing a packet count by one in response to said final portion of said status data being transferred to said corresponding segment.

2. The method for transferring data as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining a second packet of said packets of data; and

repeating said initially setting said number of most significant bits through said decrementing said packet count for said second packet.

3. The method for transferring data as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one segment is a plurality of contiguous segments.

4. The method for transferring data as claimed in claim 1 wherein each segment of said at least one segment comprises a status portion and a data portion.

5. A computer system having a first bus coupled to a memory unit, a second bus attached to an input/output (I/O) device, and a direct memory access (DMA) controller coupled to said first bus and said second bus, and having at least one channel for transferring portions of packets of network information from said first bus to said second bus, said computer system comprising:

at least one register set associated with each channel of said at least one channel, wherein each said at least one register set includes an address register and a count register, wherein a number of least significant bits of said address register are hardwired to zero, and wherein a number of memory locations corresponding to addresses represented by said number of least significant bits is equal in size to one of said portions of said packets;

at least one DMA data buffer associated with said DMA controller which stores said portions of said packets being transferred from said second bus to said first bus;

at least one memory buffer contained within said memory unit, said at least one memory buffer comprising at least one buffer segment, wherein each of said at least one buffer segment corresponds to one of said packets of network information; and

a control logic unit, associated with said DMA controller, which initially sets a number of most significant bits of said address register equal to corresponding most significant bits of an address of a first memory location of said corresponding segment in said memory unit of one of said packets, initially sets a next higher least significant bit over said number of least significant bits of said address register to one, increments said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of one of said packets after transferring each said portion of one of said packets to said corresponding segment in said memory unit, resets said number of most significant bits of said address register equal to said corresponding most significant bits of said address of said first memory location of said corresponding segment in said memory unit of one of said packets in response to transferring a final portion of one of said packets, resets said next higher least significant bit over said number of least significant bits of said address register to zero so that an address of a beginning location of said corresponding segment is indicated by said address stored in said address register, transfers status data from a status register of said I/O device to said beginning location of said corresponding segment via said DMA controller when said final portion of one of said packets is received by said memory unit, increments said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of one of said packets after transferring said status data to said beginning location of said corresponding segment, and wherein said control logic also increments said address register by amount equal to a size of said at least one buffer segment when a final portion of said status data is received by said corresponding segment, and decrements said count register by one when said final portion of said status data is received by said corresponding segment.

6. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said at least one buffer segment is a plurality of contiguous segments contained within said at least one memory buffer.

7. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 wherein each buffer segment of said at least one buffer segment comprises a status portion and a data portion.

8. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 wherein each register set of said at least one register set comprises a counter.

9. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 wherein each register set of said at least one register set comprises a command/status register.

10. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 further comprising at least one control register corresponding to individual channels of said at least one channel and corresponding to said at least one register set associated with each channel of said at least one channel, wherein different channels correspond to different chains of network information being transferred.

11. A computer system as claimed in claim 10 wherein only one register of said at least one register set associated with each channel can be active at any given moment and each control register of said at least one control register contains a portion which denotes said active register set.

12. A computer system as claimed in claim 10 wherein each control register of said at least one control register contains a portion which denotes whether said channel is able to transfer data at any given moment.

13. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 wherein each register set of said at least one register set contains a portion which denotes programming of said at least one register set is complete and that said at least one register set is ready to transfer data.

14. A direct memory access (DMA) controller having at least one channel coupled to a first bus and a second bus, said first bus being coupled to a memory unit having at least one memory buffer, each memory buffer of said at least one memory buffer comprising at least one buffer segment, each of said at least one buffer segment corresponding to a packet of network information, said second bus being attached to an input(output (I/O) device, said DMA controller comprising:

a control logic unit;

at least one register set associated with each channel of said at least one channel, wherein each register set of said at least one register set comprises a counter which maintains a count of a number of network information packets remaining to be received and an address register which maintains an address where a next portion of one of said network information packets is to be stored, wherein a number of least significant bits of said address register are hardwired to zero and a number of memory locations corresponding to addresses represented by said number of least significant bits is equal in size to one of said portions of said packets, and wherein the control logic unit initially sets a number of most significant bits of said address register equal to corresponding most significant bits of an address of a first memory location of said corresponding segment in said memory unit of one of said packets, initially sets a next higher least significant bit over said number of least significant bits of said address register to one, increments said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of one of said packets after transferring each said portion of one of said packets to said corresponding segment in said memory unit, resets said number of most significant bits of said address register equal to said corresponding most significant bits of said address of said first memory location of said corresponding segment in said memory unit of one of said packets in response to transferring a final portion of one of said packets, resets said next higher least significant bit over said number of least significant bits of said address register to zero wherein an address of a beginning location of said corresponding segment is indicated by said address stored in said address register, transfers status data from a status data register of said I/O device to said beginning location of said corresponding segment via said DMA controller when said final portion of one of said network information packets is received, increments said address register by an amount equal in size to said portion of one of said packets after transferring said status data to said beginning location of said corresponding segment, and increments said address register by an amount equal to a size of one of said at least one buffer segments when said final portion of said status data is received; and

a DMA data buffer associated with each channel of said at least one channel, wherein said DMA data buffer stores portions of said network information packets being transferred between said second bus and said first bus.

15. A direct memory access controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein said DMA data buffer is configured such that said DMA data buffer operates in a first in-first out manner.

16. A direct memory access controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein each register set of said at least one register set comprises a command/status register.

17. A direct memory access controller as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a plurality of control registers corresponding to individual channels of said at least one channel and corresponding to said at least one register set associated with each channel of said at least one channel.