Method and apparatus for synchronizing interrupts in a message passing queue oriented bus system

• US 6,622,193 B1
• Filed: 11/16/2000
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Avery, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US09/713,913
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 710/260, 710/263, 710/266, 710/28, 710/48, 710/52, 710/22, 709/228, 709/232, 709/238, 711/200
• US Class Current: 710/263
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/32 using combination of interrupt and burst mode transfer

Abstract

In a message-passing, queue-oriented bus system, a separate interrupt work queue assigned to each interrupt line for each PCI device sends interrupt information packets from the device to the host. To prevent an interrupt from being transmitted before another DMA data write has been completed, interrupt requests are held on the interrupt work queue until all outstanding data transfer requests have been acknowledged. A special data structure called an interrupt scoreboard is created for each interrupt work queue entry associated with a DMA write in order to track the DMA data transfer. When an interrupt is received, the interrupt scoreboard acquires a “snapshot” of the state of the pending data requests and tracks the pending DMA transfers. When acknowledgement messages have been received for all pending DMA transfer requests, then the interrupt data packet is transmitted so that the interrupt can be serviced.

Claims

1. Apparatus for synchronizing an interrupt and DMA data generated by the same device in a message-passing, queue-oriented bus system having a memory and a DMA mechanism that sends a series of data packets comprising portions of the DMA data, via the bus system, to the memory and receives an acknowledgement for each data packet sent, the apparatus comprising:

an interrupt queue that responds to the interrupt by generating and holding interrupt information;

a snapshot mechanism that responds to the interrupt by storing in the memory an indication of all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received; and

an interrupt synchronization mechanism that monitors received acknowledgements and cooperates with the snapshot mechanism to release the interrupt information when acknowledgements have been received for all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the snapshot mechanism comprises an interrupt scoreboard data structure having a field for storing tags indicating all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the interrupt scoreboard data structure is located in the memory at a location identified by a pointer in the DMA mechanism.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the interrupt synchronization mechanism uses the pointer to locate and update the interrupt scoreboard data structure.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the interrupt information comprises an interrupt vector that indicates the source of the interrupt.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a buffer memory which holds interrupt information and wherein the interrupt queue contains a pointer to the buffer memory.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the interrupt queue contains a size variable that indicates the total amount of interrupt information to be sent.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the interrupt information is sent as a plurality of interrupt data packets.

9. A method for synchronizing an interrupt and DMA data generated by the same device in a message-passing, queue-oriented bus system having a memory and a DMA mechanism that sends a series of data packets comprising portions of the DMA data, via the bus system, to the memory and receives an acknowledgement for each data packet sent, the method comprising:

(a) generating and holding interrupt information in an interrupt queue in response to the interrupt;

(b) in response to the interrupt, storing in the memory an indication of all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received; and

(c) monitoring received acknowledgements and releasing the interrupt information when acknowledgements have been received for all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein step (b) comprises creating an interrupt scoreboard data structure having a field for storing tags indicating all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the interrupt scoreboard data structure is created in the memory at a location identified by a pointer in the DMA mechanism.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein step (c) comprises using the pointer to locate and update the interrupt scoreboard data structure.

13. A method according to claim 9 wherein step (a) comprises generating and holding an interrupt vector that indicates the source of the interrupt.

14. A method according to claim 9 wherein step (a) comprises using a buffer memory hold interrupt information and placing a pointer to the buffer memory in the interrupt queue.

15. A method according to claim 9 wherein step (a) comprises creating a size variable in the interrupt queue that indicates the total amount of interrupt information to be sent.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein step (c) comprises sending the interrupt information as a plurality of interrupt data packets.

17. A computer program product for synchronizing an interrupt and DMA data generated by the same device in a message-passing, queue-oriented bus system having a memory and a DMA mechanism that sends a series of data packets comprising portions of the DMA data, via the bus system, to the memory and receives an acknowledgement for each data packet sent, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, including:

program code for generating and holding interrupt information in an interrupt queue in response to the interrupt;

program code operable in response to the interrupt for storing in the memory an indication of all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received; and

program code for monitoring received acknowledgements and releasing the interrupt information when acknowledgements have been received for all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein the program code operable in response to the interrupt for storing in the memory an indication of all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated comprises program code for creating an interrupt scoreboard data structure having a field for storing tags indicating all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18 wherein the program code for creating an interrupt scoreboard creates the interrupt scoreboard data structure in the memory at a location identified by a pointer in the DMA mechanism.

20. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for synchronizing an interrupt and DMA data generated by the same device in a message-passing, queue-oriented bus system having a memory and a DMA mechanism that sends a series of data packets comprising portions of the DMA data, via the bus system, to the memory and receives an acknowledgement for each data packet sent, the computer data signal comprising:

program code for generating and holding interrupt information in an interrupt queue in response to the interrupt;

program code operable in response to the interrupt for storing in the memory an indication of all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated for which acknowledgements have not been received; and

program code for monitoring received acknowledgements and releasing the interrupt information when acknowledgements have been received for all data packets sent before the interrupt was generated.