Methods and system for message resource pool with asynchronous and synchronous modes of operation

• US 6,553,438 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Coffman, Jerrie L., Tillier, Fabian S., Hefty, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casiano, Angel L
• Application Number:
  US09/556,318
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 710/52, 710/19, 710/20, 710/29, 710/36, 710/53, 710/54, 710/56, 710/61, 709/104, 709/248, 709/314, 709/245, 709/313, 709/316, 711/5, 370/450
• US Class Current: 710/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes

Abstract

Methods and system for a message resource pool with asynchronous and synchronous modes of operation. One or more buffers, descriptors, and message elements are allocated for a user. Each element is associated with one descriptor and at least one buffer. The allocation is performed by the message resource pool. The buffers and the descriptors are registered with a unit management function by the message resource pool. Control of an element and associated descriptor and at least one buffer is passed from the message resource pool to the user upon request by the user. The control of the element and associated descriptor and at least one buffer is returned from the user to the message resource pool once use of the element and associated descriptor and at least one buffer by the user has completed.

Claims

1. A method for a message resource pool comprising:

allocating at least one buffer, at least one descriptor, and at least one message element, each at least one element being associated with one at least one descriptor and at least one at least one buffer, the allocating being performed by a message resource pool;

registering the at least one buffer and the at least one descriptor with a unit management function, the registering being performed once by the message resource pool;

passing control of one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one at least one buffer from the message resource pool to a user based on a request from the user; and

returning the control of the one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one at least one buffer from the user to the message resource pool once use of the one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one buffer by the user has completed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating is based on a request from the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving an element count, buffer sizes, and a maximum scatter-gather entries number from the user before the allocating.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the passing occurs in response to an asynchronous request from the user for the at least one element.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising receiving a parameter from the user, the parameter notifying the message resource pool that control of all requested at least one element must be passed to the user at the same time.

6. The method according to claim 5, the parameter notifying the message resource pool that more that control of some of the requested at least one element may be passed to the user until control of all requested at least one element have been passed to the user.

7. The method according to claim 6, comprising queuing the asynchronous request from the user until control of all requested at least one element have been passed to the user.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the passing occurs in response to a synchronous request from the user for at least one element.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein no control of the requested at least one element is passed to the user in response to the synchronous request if an asynchronous request has been queued.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising receiving a parameter from the user notifying the message resource pool that control of all requested at least one element must be given to the user at the same time.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one buffer, the at least one descriptor, and the at least one message element is aligned on a specific memory boundary.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein each at least one descriptor is aligned on a 64 byte memory boundary.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein the user is a device driver.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating is for information transfer by one of a processor and an application.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising multiple allocating for information transfer by one of a processor and an application.

16. A program, embodied in a tangible medium, when executed causes a computing device to perform:

allocating at least one buffer, at least one descriptor, and at least one message element, each at least one element being associated with one at least one descriptor and at least one buffer, the allocating being performed by a message resource pool;

registering the at least one buffer and the at least one descriptor with a unit management function, the registering being performed once by the message resource pool;

passing control of one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one at least one buffer from the message resource pool to a user based on a request from the user; and

returning the control of the one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one at least one buffer from the user to the message resource pool once use of the one at least one element and associated descriptor and at least one at least one buffer by the user has completed.

17. The program according to claim 16, wherein the allocating is based on a request from the user.

18. The program according to claim 16, wherein the passing occurs in response to an asynchronous request from the user for the at least one element.

19. The program according to claim 18, comprising receiving a parameter from the user, the parameter notifying the message resource pool that control of all requested at least one element must be passed to the user at the same time.

20. The program according to claim 19, the parameter notifying the message resource pool that control of some of the requested at least one element may be passed to the user until control of all requested at least one element have been passed to the user.

21. The program according to claim 20, comprising queuing the asynchronous request from the user until control of all requested at least one element have been passed to the user.

22. The program according to claim 16, wherein the passing occurs in response to a synchronous request from the user for at least one element.

23. The program according to claim 22, wherein no control of the requested at least one element is passed to the user in response to the synchronous request if an asynchronous request has been queued.

24. The program according to claim 22, comprising receiving a parameter from the user notifying the message resource pool that control of all requested at least one element must be given to the user at the same time.

25. The program according to claim 16, wherein the allocating is for information transfer by one of a processor and an application.

26. The program according to claim 16, comprising multiple allocating for information transfer by one of a processor and an application.

27. A message resource pool system comprising:

a descriptor pool, the descriptor pool containing at least one descriptor;

a buffer pool, the buffer pool containing at least one buffer, each at least one descriptor being associated with at least one at least one buffer;

an element pool, the element pool containing at least one element, each at least one element containing pointers to one at least one descriptor and at least one at least one buffer; and

a request queue, the request queue buffering uncompleted requests for at least one element from a user,

wherein the message resource pool is allocated for use by a user, the message resource pool registering the contents of the message resource pool upon allocation and passing control of a specific number of at least one element to the user upon request for the specific number of at least one element by the user.

28. The message resource pool system according to claim 27, the at least one descriptor comprising information regarding data movement using the associated at least one buffer.

29. The message resource pool system according to claim 27, the at least one descriptor being associated with multiple at least one buffer that may be in noncontiguous memory locations.