System and method for processing node interrupt status in a network
First Claim
1. A method of processing interrupt states in a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) maintaining intrinsic information at each leaf node about one or more interrupt states, and extrinsic information at each intermediate node, wherein said extrinsic information is derived from the interrupt states of those leaf nodes below the intermediate node in the hierarchy;
(b) navigating from said root node to a first leaf node having at least one set interrupt state;
(c) masking out said at least one set interrupt state at said first leaf node, such that it is no longer discernible to those nodes in the hierarchy above said first leaf node;
(d) updating the extrinsic information in any intermediate nodes above said first leaf node in the hierarchy in accordance with the fact that said at least one set interrupt state at the first leaf node is now masked out; and
.(e) repeating steps (b)–
(d) with respect to any other leaf nodes in the network having at least one set interrupt state.
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Abstract
The invention relates to the processing of state information such as interrupt status in a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration. There is a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy. Each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes. Each leaf node maintains information about one or more interrupt states, and each intermediate node maintains information derived from the interrupt states of leaf nodes below it in the hierarchy. This interrupt information is then processed by navigating from the root node to a first leaf node having at least one set interrupt state which is then masked out. The status of any intermediate nodes between this first leaf node and the root node is then updated if appropriate to reflect the fact that the particular interrupt state at the first leaf node is now masked out. These steps are then repeated with respect to all the other leaf nodes in the network having at least one interrupt state.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method of processing interrupt states in a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) maintaining intrinsic information at each leaf node about one or more interrupt states, and extrinsic information at each intermediate node, wherein said extrinsic information is derived from the interrupt states of those leaf nodes below the intermediate node in the hierarchy; (b) navigating from said root node to a first leaf node having at least one set interrupt state; (c) masking out said at least one set interrupt state at said first leaf node, such that it is no longer discernible to those nodes in the hierarchy above said first leaf node; (d) updating the extrinsic information in any intermediate nodes above said first leaf node in the hierarchy in accordance with the fact that said at least one set interrupt state at the first leaf node is now masked out; and
.(e) repeating steps (b)–
(d) with respect to any other leaf nodes in the network having at least one set interrupt state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of processing state information in a leaf node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) maintaining one or more information items at the leaf node, each of which is set according to whether or not a corresponding interrupt is present, and each of which may be individually masked out, wherein the leaf node is regarded as having a particular output state if at least one of said information items is set without being masked out, and wherein the leaf node does not initially have said particular output state; (b) setting at least one information item to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; (c) propagating a first change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy; (d) responsive to a command received over said network, masking out said at least one information item that has been set to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; and (e) propagating a second change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of processing state information in an intermediate node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) maintaining an extrinsic information item at the intermediate node representing a consolidated version of whether an interrupt state is present in any leaf node or intermediate node below it in the hierarchy; (b) maintaining one or more intrinsic information items, each of which may be set to indicate the presence of a corresponding interrupt state, and each of which may be individually masked out; (c) setting the intermediate node to have an overall interrupt state if at least one of said intrinsic or extrinsic information items indicates the presence of an interrupt state without being masked out; (d) responsive to a command from higher in the network, masking out any intrinsic information item that is set to indicate the presence of an interrupt state; and (e) propagating any change in the overall interrupt state of the intermediate node up the network hierarchy.
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19. Apparatus forming a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, wherein:
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each leaf node includes memory for maintaining intrinsic information about one or more interrupt states, a mask corresponding to each interrupt state, causing it to be disregarded if the mask is set, and a communications link to an intermediate node, wherein said leaf node is responsive to a change in said one or more interrupt states to notify the intermediate node accordingly over the communications link; each intermediate node includes memory for maintaining extrinsic information about the interrupt state of leaf nodes below it in the hierarchy; and said apparatus further includes logic for processing in turn each leaf node having at least one set interrupt state to mask out said at least one set interrupt state. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. Apparatus for use as a leaf node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising:
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memory for maintaining one or more information items at the leaf node, each of which is set according to whether or not a corresponding interrupt is present, and each of which may be individually masked out responsive to a command received over the network, wherein the leaf node is regarded as having a particular output state if at least one of said information items is set without being masked out, and wherein the leaf node does not initially have said particular output state; logic for setting at least one information item to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; and a communications link for connection to the intermediate node immediately above it in the hierarchy, wherein a change in the particular output state of the leaf node is propagated over said link. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. Apparatus for use as an intermediate node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising:
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a memory for storing an extrinsic information item representing a consolidated version of whether an interrupt state is present in any leaf node or intermediate node in the hierarchy below the intermediate node, and for storing one or more intrinsic information items, each of which may be set to indicate the presence of a corresponding interrupt state, and each of which may be individually masked out; logic for setting the intermediate node to have an overall interrupt state if any of said intrinsic or extrinsic information items indicates the presence of an interrupt without having been masked out, and, in response to a predetermined command from higher in the network, for masking out any intrinsic information items that indicate file presence of an interrupt; and a communications link for propagating any change in the overall interrupt state of the intermediate node up the network hierarchy.
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32. Apparatus for processing state information in a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising:
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means for maintaining intrinsic information at each leaf node about one or more interrupt states, and extrinsic information at each intermediate node, wherein said extrinsic information is derived from the interrupt states of those leaf nodes below the intermediate node in the hierarchy; means for navigating from said root node to a first leaf node having at least one set interrupt state; means for masking out said at least one set interrupt state at said first leaf node, such that it is no longer discernible to those nodes in the hierarchy above said first leaf node; and means for updating the extrinsic information in any intermediate nodes above said first leaf node in the hierarchy in accordance with the fact that said at least one set interrupt state at the first leaf node is now masked out.
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33. Apparatus for processing state information in a leaf node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes;
- and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising;
means for maintaining one or more information items at the leaf node, each of which is set according to whether or not a corresponding interrupt is present, and each of which may be individually masked out, wherein the leaf node is regarded as having a particular output state if at least one of said information items is set without being masked out, and wherein the leaf node does not initially have said particular output state; means for setting at least one information item to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present;
.means for propagating a first change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy; means, responsive to a command received over said network, for masking out said at least one information item that has been set to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; and means for propagating a second change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy.
- and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising;
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34. Apparatus for processing state information in an intermediate node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, said apparatus comprising:
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means for maintaining an extrinsic information item at the intermediate node representing a consolidated version of whether an interrupt state is present in any leaf node or intermediate node below it in the hierarchy; means for maintaining one or more intrinsic information items, each of which may be set to indicate the presence of an interrupt state, and each of which may be individually masked out; means for setting the intermediate node to have an overall interrupt state if at least one of said intrinsic or extrinsic information items indicates the presence of an interrupt state without being masked out; means, responsive to a command from higher in the network, for masking out any intrinsic information item that is set to indicate the presence of an interrupt state; and
.means for propagating any change in the overall interrupt state of the intermediate node up the network hierarchy.
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35. A computer program product comprising program instructions in machine readable form in a physical medium which, when loaded into one or more machines in a hierarchical network of nodes having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, cause said one or more machines to perform the steps of:
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(a) maintaining intrinsic information at each leaf node about one or more interrupt states, and extrinsic information at each intermediate node, wherein said extrinsic information is derived from the interrupt states of those leaf nodes below the intermediate node in the hierarchy; (b) navigating from said root node to a first leaf node having at least one set interrupt state; (c) masking out said at least one set interrupt state at said first leaf node, such that it is no longer discernible to those nodes in the hierarchy above said first leaf node; (d) updating the extrinsic information in any intermediate nodes above said first leaf node in the hierarchy in accordance with the fact that said at least one set interrupt state at the first leaf node is now masked out; and (e) repeating steps (b)–
(d) with respect to any other leaf nodes in the network having at least one set interrupt state. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A computer program product comprising program instructions in machine readable form in a physical medium which, when loaded into apparatus forming a leaf node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, cause said apparatus to perform the steps of:
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(a) maintaining one or more information items at the leaf node, each of which is set according to whether or not a corresponding interrupt is present, and each of which may be individually masked out, wherein the leaf node is regarded as having a particular output state if at least one of said information items is set without being masked out, and wherein the leaf node does not initially have said particular output state; (b) setting at least one information item to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; (c) propagating a first change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy; (d) responsive to a command received over said network, masking out said at least one information item that has been set to indicate that a corresponding interrupt is present; and (e) propagating a second change in said particular output state of the leaf node to the intermediate node above it in the hierarchy. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A computer program product comprising program instructions in machine readable form in a physical medium which, when loaded into apparatus representing an intermediate node in a hierarchical network of nodes, said network having a tree configuration comprising a root node at the top of the hierarchy, one or more intermediate nodes, and a plurality of leaf nodes at the bottom of the hierarchy, wherein each leaf node is linked to the root node by zero, one or more intermediate nodes, cause said apparatus to perform the steps of:
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(a) maintaining an extrinsic information item at the intermediate node representing a consolidated version of whether an interrupt state is present in any leaf node or intermediate node below it in the hierarchy; (b) maintaining one or more intrinsic information items, each of which may be set to indicate the presence of an interrupt state, and each of which may be individually masked out; (c) setting the intermediate node to have an overall interrupt state if at least one of said intrinsic or extrinsic information items indicates the presence of an interrupt state without being masked out; (d) responsive to a command from higher in the network, masking out any intrinsic information item that is set to indicate the presence of an interrupt state; and (e) propagating any change in the overall interrupt state of the intermediate node up the network hierarchy.
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Specification