Method and system for quarantine during bus topology configuration

• US 6,810,452 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2000
• Issued: 10/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fairman, Bruce, James, David V., Scheel, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Application Number:
  US09/531,080
• Time in Patent Office: 1,683 Days
• Field of Search: 710/305-317, 710/104, 710/8-19, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 709/220-222, 709/225, 709/238, 709/242
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2821 Avoiding conflicts related to the use of home appliances cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40058 Isochronous transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40065 Bandwidth and channel allocation home automation networks H04L12/2803; flow control H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40071 Packet processing; Packet format adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific network H04N21/2381, H04N21/4363, H04N21/4381; packet switches H04L49/00; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40078 Bus configuration home automation networks H04L12/2803; arrangements for maintenance or administration H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40091 Bus bridging LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; single bridge functionality H04L12/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 : of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 : for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 : Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5053 : Lease time; Renewal aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 : Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 : Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 : by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A method and system for quarantine during bus topology configuration are described. In one embodiment, the invention is a method. The method includes quarantining a set of devices coupled to a bus. The method further includes establishing a topology of the bus. The method may also include receiving a reset signal and quarantining in response to the reset signal. In an alternate embodiment, the invention is a system. The system includes a bus having a reset signal and a plurality of data signals. The system also includes a set of devices, with each device of the set of devices coupled to the bus. The system further includes a controller. The controller having a memory configured to store device identifiers corresponding to the devices of the set of devices. The memory further configured to store quarantine information relating to the devices of the set of devices.

Claims

1. A method of allowing reuse of a bus id while preventing stale address translations, the method comprising

receiving an indication of a possible change in a topology of a net;

establishing node ids consistent with the possible change;

quarantining a set of devices coupled to the net, the quarantining causing the use of stale address translations to result in rejected transactions; and

allowing reuse of identifiers of devices of the set of devices after a predetermined interval of time elapses following the quarantining.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the indication is a bus reset; and

the quarantining occurs in response to the bus reset.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the quarantining includes setting a quarantine bit corresponding to each device of the set of devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the establishing includes testing whether previously established identifiers of each device of the set of devices continue to refer to the same devices of the set of devices.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the establishing includes testing whether a previously established identifier of a first device of the set of devices still refers to the first device, the identifier included in a transaction request, the first device quarantined.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the set of devices includes legacy devices having no capability for quarantine and controllers corresponding to the legacy devices, the controllers maintaining quarantine information related to the legacy devices, the controllers establishing whether previously established identifiers of the legacy devices still refer to the same legacy devices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the establishing includes assigning a new device identifier to a first device which does not respond to a previously established device identifier corresponding to the first device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the establishing includes assigning a device identifier to a second device, no previously established device identifier corresponding to the second device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the bus is comprises an IEEE 1394 standard serial bus.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the quarantining occurs when it appears advantageous to recycle node ids.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the quarantining occurs when free node ids are below an acceptable quantity.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the establishing includes maintaining a set of free device identifiers, a set of used device identifiers and a set of dirty device identifiers, the set of used device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers currently assigned to devices, the set of dirty device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers recently assigned to device identifiers and unassignable to other devices, the set of free device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers assignable to other devices.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the establishing includes determining whether dirty device identifiers may be reused.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

determining whether dirty device identifiers may be reused includes determining whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed and after the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, redefining the dirty device identifiers as free device identifiers.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the predetermined amount of time is a transaction time limit of the bus.

16. A method of allowing reuse of a bus id while preventing stale address translations, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a possible change in a topology of a net;

establishing node ids consistent with the possible change by maintaining a set of free device identifiers, a set of used device identifiers and a set of dirty device identifiers, the set of used device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers currently assigned to devices, the set of dirty device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers recently assigned to device identifiers and unassignable to other devices, the set of free device identifiers corresponding to device identifiers assignable to other devices, and

quarantining a set of devices coupled to the net, the quarantining causing the use of stale address translations to result in rejected transactions.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the establishing includes determining whether dirty device identifiers may be reused.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

determining whether dirty device identifiers may be reused includes determining whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed and after the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, redefining the dirty device identifiers as free device identifiers.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein:

the predetermined amount of time is a transaction time limit of the bus.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the indication is a bus reset; and

the quarantining occurs in response to the bus reset.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the quarantining includes setting a quarantine bit corresponding to each device of the set of devices.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the establishing includes testing whether previously established identifiers of each device of the set of devices continue to refer to the same devices of the set of devices.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the establishing includes testing whether a previously established identifier of a first device of the set of devices still refers to the first device, the identifier included in a transaction request, the first device quarantined.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the set of devices includes legacy devices having no capability for quarantine and controllers corresponding to the legacy devices, the controllers maintaining quarantine information related to the legacy devices, the controllers establishing whether previously established identifiers of the legacy devices still refer to the same legacy devices.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the establishing includes assigning a new device identifier to a first device which does not respond to a previously established device identifier corresponding to the first device.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein:

the establishing includes assigning a device identifier to a second device, no previously established device identifier corresponding to the second device.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the bus comprises an IEEE 1394 standard serial bus.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the quarantining occurs when it appears advantageous to recycle node ids.

29. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the quarantining occurs when free node ids are below an acceptable quantity.

30. A system comprising:

a bus having a reset signal and having a plurality of data signals;

a set of devices, each device of the set of devices coupled to the bus; and

a controller, the controller having a memory configured to store device identifiers corresponding to the devices of the set of devices, the memory further configured to store quarantine information relating to the devices of the set of devices.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein:

the controller further having logic configured to determine whether a first device identifier of the memory corresponding to a first device addresses the first device when the quarantine information related to the first device indicates the reset signal has been active.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein:

the devices of the set of devices have logic configured to receive the reset signal and to halt activity of the devices.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein:

a subset of the devices of the set of devices having no logic configured to halt activity of the devices of the subset of devices in response to reception of the reset signal.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein:

the controller further having logic configured to restart activity of the devices of the subset of devices in response to reception of the reset signal.

35. An apparatus comprising:

means for storing device identifiers corresponding to a set of devices coupled to a bus, the means for storing further storing quarantine information relating to the devices; and

means for receiving data signals on the bus.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 further comprising:

means for determining whether a device identifier corresponding to a first device addresses the first device when the quarantine information related to the first device indicates a reset signal has been active on the bus.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein each of the devices further comprises:

means for receiving the reset signal; and

means for halting activity of the device.

38. The apparatus of claim 36 further comprising:

means for restarting activity of a subset of the set of devices in response to receiving the reset signal, wherein the subset of devices cannot halt activity in response to receiving the reset signal.