System for supporting DMA I/O device using PCI bus and PCI-PCI bridge comprising programmable DMA controller for request arbitration and storing data transfer information

• US 5,968,144 A
• Filed: 06/27/1996
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VLSI Technology, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: VLSI Technology, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Nalubola, Rishi, Story, Franklyn H., Walker, Gary, Jirgal, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yuan, Chien
• Application Number:
  US08/673,243
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 395/842, 395/848, 395/847, 395/856, 395/306, 395/308, 395/309, 395/281, 395/500, 364/242.3
• US Class Current: 710/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for supporting DMA I/O devices. A PCI-PCI bridge is provided to support DMA I/O devices on the PCI bus. Through the use of two signal lines and a serial link, DMA transfers may be accomplished over the PCI bus. A PCI-ISA dock bridge is also provided to allow the system to support DMA I/O devices and ISA masters (i.e., any device including DMA I/O devices on the ISA bus that generates ISA cycles) on the ISA bus.

Claims

1. A system for supporting a Direct Memory Access (DMA) Input/Output (I/O) device comprising, in combination:

a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus;

peripheral controller means having said DMA I/O device incorporated therein and coupled to said PCI bus for signalling a DMA request from said DMA I/O device;

PCI-PCI bridge means coupled to said peripheral controller means for decoding said DMA request from said DMA I/O device and for initiating PCI bus access for transferring data to and from said DMA I/O device;

Central Processing Unit (CPU) means for programming said PCI-PCI bridge means with information concerning said data transferring; and

system controller means coupled to said CPU means and to said peripheral controller means for translating CPU cycles to PCI master cycles.

2. A system for supporting a DMA I/O device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

first signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said DMA I/O device;

second signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said peripheral controller means when said PCI-PCI bridge means acknowledges said valid DMA transfer has been granted; and

third signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for transmitting real time status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said DMA I/O device.

3. A system for supporting a DMA I/O device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus; and

Peripheral Component Interconnect to Industry Standard Architecture (PCI-ISA) dock bridge means coupled to said PCI-PCI bridge means for forwarding DMA cycles and ISA Master cycles which originate on said ISA bus to said PCI bus.

4. A system for supporting a DMA I/O device in accordance with claim 3 further comprising:

an ISA DMA I/O device coupled to said ISA bus;

first signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said ISA device via said PCI-ISA dock bridge means;

second signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-ISA dock bridge means when said PCI-PCI bridge means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means acknowledges said DMA transfer has been granted; and

third signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling real time status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said ISA DMA I/O device.

5. A system for supporting a DMA I/O device in accordance with claim 3 further comprising ISA bus mastering means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means for issuing a DMA request on said ISA bus.

6. A system for supporting a DMA I/O device comprising, in combination:

a PCI bus;

peripheral controller means having said DMA I/O device incorporated therein and coupled to said PCI bus for signalling a DMA request from said DMA I/O device;

PCI-PCI bridge means coupled to said peripheral controller means for decoding said DMA request from said DMA I/O device and for initiating PCI bus access for transferring data to and from said DMA I/O device;

CPU means for programming said PCI-PCI bridge means with information concerning said data transferring;

system controller means coupled to said CPU means and to said peripheral controller means for translating CPU cycles to PCI master cycles;

first signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said DMA I/O device;

second signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said peripheral controller means when said PCI-PCI bridge means acknowledges said valid DMA transfer has been granted;

third signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for transmitting real time status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said DMA I/O device;

an ISA bus;

an ISA DMA I/O device coupled to said ISA bus;

PCI-ISA dock bridge means coupled to said ISA bus and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for translating PCI cycles to ISA cycles;

first signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said ISA DMA I/O device via said PCI-ISA dock bridge means;

second signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-ISA dock bridge means when said PCI-PCI bridge means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means acknowledges said DMA transfer has been granted;

third signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling real time status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said ISA DMA I/O device; and

ISA bus mastering means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means for issuing a DMA request on said ISA bus.

7. A system for supporting DMA I/O device in accordance with claim 7 wherein said PCI-PCI bridge means comprises programmable DMA controller means for storing said programmed information concerning said transfer of data and for arbitrating between all DMA requests in said system and to designate a PCI bus to use.

8. A method for performing DMA transfers comprising the steps of:

providing a system for supporting a DMA I/O device comprising;

a PCI bus;

peripheral controller means having said DMA I/O device incorporated therein and coupled to said PCI bus for signalling a DMA request from said DMA I/O device;

PCI-PCI bridge means coupled to said peripheral controller means for decoding said PCI bus request from said DMA I/O device and for initiating PCI bus access for transferring data to and from said DMA I/O device;

CPU means for programming said PCI-PCI bridge means with information concerning said data transferring;

system controller means coupled to said CPU means and to said peripheral controller means for translating CPU cycles to PCI master cycles;

first signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said DMA I/O device;

second signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said peripheral controller means when said PCI-PCI bridge means acknowledges said valid DMA transfer has been granted; and

third signal line means coupled to said peripheral controller means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for transmitting real time status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said DMA I/O device;

programming said PCI-PCI bridge means by said CPU with said information concerning said transfer of data;

signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when said valid DMA transfer has been requested by said DMA I/O device;

signalling said peripheral controller means when said PCI-PCI bridge means acknowledges said valid DMA transfer has been granted;

signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means a current status of a DMA request signal (DRQ) from said DMA device; and

transferring said data.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of programming said PCI-PCI bridge means by said CPU with said information concerning said transfer of data further comprises the steps of:

programming said PCI-PCI bridge means of an address where said data to be transferred is located;

programming said PCI-PCI bridge means of a size of said data to be transferred;

programming said PCI-PCI bridge means of a direction said data is to be transferred; and

programming said PCI-PCI bridge means of a mode said data is to be transferred.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of transferring data further comprises the steps of:

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI memory read cycle; and

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI I/O write cycle.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of transferring data further comprises the steps of:

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI I/O read cycle; and

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI memory write cycle.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of providing a system for supporting a DMA I/O device further comprises the steps of:

providing an ISA bus;

providing an ISA DMA I/O device coupled to said ISA bus;

providing PCI-ISA dock bridge means coupled to said ISA bus and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for translating PCI to ISA cycles on said ISA bus to said PCI bus;

providing first signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-PCI bridge means when a valid DMA transfer has been requested by said ISA DMA I/O device coupled to said ISA bus; and

providing second signal line means coupled to said PCI-ISA dock bridge means and to said PCI-PCI bridge means for signalling said PCI-ISA dock bridge means when said PCI-PCI bridge means acknowledges said DMA transfer has been granted.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of transferring data further comprises the steps of:

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI memory read cycle;

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI I/O write cycle; and

converting by said PCI-ISA dock bridge means said PCI I/O write cycle into a standard DMA cycle on said ISA bus.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of transferring data further comprises the steps of:

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means said PCI I/O read cycle;

converting by said PCI-ISA dock bridge means said PCI I/O read cycle into a standard DMA cycle on said ISA bus; and

executing by said PCI-PCI bridge means a PCI memory write cycle.