Methods and apparatus for managing a buffer of events in the background

• US 7,032,226 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARM Finance Overseas Limited (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MIPS Technologies Incorporated (Wave Computing, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nemirovsky, Mario, Sankar, Narendra, Nemirovsky, Adolfo, Musoll, Enric
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANYA, CHARLES E
• Application Number:
  US09/608,750
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 710 20- 27, 710 1- 74, 719313-318, 709201-250, 718/103, 718/104, 718/106, 718/107, 711101-173
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/126 and has means for transferring I/O instructions and statuses between control unit and main processor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/546 Xcast
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A background event buffer manager (BEBM) for ordering and accounting for events in a data processing system having a processor includes a port for receiving event identifications (IDs) from a device, a queuing function enabled for queuing event IDs received, and a notification function for notifying the processor of queued event IDs. The BEBM handles all event ordering and accounting for the processor. The BEBM in preferred embodiments queues events by type with priority and by priority within type, and also handles sending acknowledgement to the device when processing on each event is concluded, and buffers the acknowledgement process. In particular embodiments the apparatus and method is taught as a packet processing router engine.

Claims

1. A background event buffer manager (BEBM) for ordering and accounting for events in a data processing system having a processor, the BEBM comprising:

a port for receiving event identifications (IDs) from a device;

a queuing function enabled for queuing event IDs received; and

a notification function for notifying the processor of queued event IDs;

wherein the BEBM handles ordering and accounting for the processor;

wherein the queuing function queues event IDs by type, and by event priority within type queues, and also associates an acknowledgment (ack) with each event; and

wherein the ack has multiple states, and acks for events first queued are set in a processor unaware state.

2. The BEBM of claim 1 wherein, after notification to the processor the ack state for the queued event is changed to a state of processor”

aware.

3. The BEBM of claim 2 comprising a function for receiving notification from the processor of processing completed on an event, and wherein, upon receiving such a notification the state of the ack for the event is changed to ready.

4. The BEBM of claim 3 further comprising a function for sending acks in ready state back to the device that originally sent the event associated with the ack, and buffering the process of sending the acks.

5. The BEBM of claim 1 wherein the processor is notified of events in order of type priority first, and then by event priority within type.

6. The BEBM of claim 1 wherein the events are arrival of packets to be processed in a network packet router.

7. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a background event buffer manager BEBM coupled to the processor, the BEBM including a port for receiving event identifications (IDs) from a device, a queuing function enabled for queuing event IDs received, and a notification function for notifying the processor of queued event IDs;

wherein the BEBM handles event ordering and accounting for the processors

wherein the queuing function queues event IDs by type, and by even priority within type queues, and also associates an acknowledgement (ack) with each event; and

wherein the ack has multiple states, and acks for events first queued are set in a processor unaware state.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein, after notification to the processor the ack state for the queued event is changed to a state of processor aware.

9. The data processing system of claim 8 comprising a function for receiving notification from the processor of processing completed on an event, and wherein, upon receiving such a notification the state of ack for the event is changed to ready.

10. The data processing system of claim 9 further comprising a function for sending acks in a ready state back to the device that originally sent the event associated with the ack, and for buffering the sending process.

11. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the processor is notified of events in order of type priority first, and then by event priority within type.

12. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the events are arrival of packets to be processed in a network packet router, and the system is a packet processing engine.

13. A network packet router, comprising:

an input/output (I/O) device for receiving and sending packets on the network;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a background event buffer manager BEBM coupled to the processor, the BEBM including a port for receiving event identifications (IDs) of arriving packets from the I/O device, a queuing function enabled for queuing event identifications IDs received, and a notification function for notifying the processor of queued event identifications IDs for processing;

wherein the BEBM handles event ordering and account for the processors;

wherein the queuing function queues event IDs by type, and by event priority within type queues, and also associates an acknowledgement (ack) with each event; and

wherein the ack has multiple states, and acks for events first queued are set in a processor unaware state.

14. The network packet router of claim 13 wherein, after notification to the processor the ack state for the queued event is changed to a state of processor aware.

15. The network packet router of claim 14 comprising a function for receiving notification from the processor of processing completed on an event, and wherein, upon receiving such a notification the state of the ack for the event is changed to ready.

16. The network packet router of claim 15 further comprising a function for sending acks in a ready state back to the device that originally sent the event associated with the ack, and for buffering the sending process.

17. The network packet router of claim 13 wherein the processor is notified of events in order of type priority first, and then by event priority within type.

18. The network packet router of claim 13 wherein the events are arrival of packets to be processed in a network packet router, and the system is a packet processing engine.

19. A method for ordering and accounting for events in a data processing system having a processor, the method comprising steps of:

(a) generating event identifications (IDs) by a device;

(b) sending the event IDs to a background event buffering manager (BEBM) by the device;

(c) queuing event IDs received by the BEBM; and

(d) notifying the processor by the BEBM of events queued for processing, such that the BEBM handles all event ordering and accounting for the processors;

wherein, in step (c), event IDs are queued by type, and by event priority within type queues, and an acknowledgement (ack) is associated with each event; and

wherein in step (c), event IDs are queued by type, and by event priority within type queues, and an acknowledgement (ack) is associated with each event.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein, after notification to the processor the ack state for the queued event is changed to a state of processor aware.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising a further step for receiving, at the BEBM, notification from the processor of processing completed on an event, and wherein, upon receiving such a notification the state of the ack for the event is changed to ready.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising a step of sending acks in a ready state back to the device that originally sent the event associated with the ack, and for buffering the sending process.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the processor is notified of events in order of type priority first, and then by event priority within type.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the events are arrival of packets to be processed in a network packet router, and the system is a packet processing engine.