Method and apparatus for border node behavior on a full-duplex bus

• US 7,352,708 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Whitby-Strevens, Colin, Hauck, Jerrold V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung; Min
• Application Number:
  US10/635,593
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/257, 370/447, 370/462, 370/401, 370/402, 370/408, 710/306, 710/8, 710/10
• US Class Current: 370/257
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport

Abstract

A method and apparatus relating to the behavior of border nodes within a high performance serial bus system is disclosed.

A method for determining and communicating the existence of a hybrid bus is disclosed. A method for determining a path to a senior border node is disclosed, as is a method for identifying a senior border node Various methods for properly issuing gap tokens within a beta cloud are disclosed.

A method for returning control to the senior border node is disclosed. A method for determining whether a BOSS node may issue a grant is disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, generate data for arbitrating on a high performance serial bus, wherein said data is adapted to indicate that a PHY or link layer from a Legacy cloud wishes to arbitrate within a beta cloud;

wherein one or more non-border nodes within the beta cloud do not comprise a gap timer.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said data comprises a legacy request symbol.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein said legacy request symbol comprises a priority.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein said priority is higher than that of any asynchronous and isochronous requests present on said beta cloud.

5. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, generate data for arbitrating on a high performance serial bus, wherein said data is adapted to indicate that a device or link from a Legacy cloud wishes to arbitrate within a beta cloud;

wherein one or more non-border nodes within the beta cloud do not comprise a gap timer.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein said data symbol comprises a legacy request symbol.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein said legacy request symbol comprises a priority.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein said priority is higher than of any asynchronous and isochronous requests present on said beta cloud.

9. In a full-duplex communications system comprising one or more border nodes and a non-border node within a beta cloud, a method for issuing gap tokens within a beta cloud comprising:

selecting one border node among said one or more border nodes to be a BOSS node;

detecting a period of idle bus activity; and

having said BOSS node generate a gap token upon said detection of said period of idle bus activity,

wherein said non-border node does not comprise a gap timer.

10. In a full-duplex communications system comprising one or more border nodes and a non-border node within a beta cloud, one of the border nodes being a senior border node, a method for issuing gap tokens within a beta cloud comprising giving exclusive responsibility for issuing gap tokens in the beta cloud to the senior border node, wherein said non-border node does not comprise a gap timer.

11. In a hybrid communications system comprising a plurality of nodes with at least one beta node comprising a senior port and at least one junior port, each node in said plurality of nodes comprising a port;

a method for returning control to a senior border node comprising;

determining by the beta node whether an end of subaction has been reached;

having said beta node send a DATA_END out of said beta node'"'"'s senior port and out of each of said beta node'"'"'s junior ports if an end of subaction has not been reached;

if a subaction has been reached, further determining by said beta node whether there are any in-phase requests to grant from a requesting port, wherein said requesting port is a port from a node in said plurality of nodes other than said beta node;

if there are any in-phase requests, sending by said beta node a GRANT to said requesting port, and sending a DATA_NULL to all other ports of nodes other than said beta node;

if there are no in-phase requests;

further determining by said beta node whether said beta node is a senior border node;

having said beta node send a DATA_END out of said beta node'"'"'s senior port and out of each of said beta node'"'"'s junior ports if said beta node is a senior border node; and

sending a GRANT out of said beta node'"'"'s senior port and sending a DATA_END out of each of said beta node'"'"'s junior ports if said beta node is not a senior border node.

12. In a communication system having a plurality of nodes and having at least one hybrid bus comprising a first serialized protocol and a second serialized protocol, a method for issuing an inactivity-related communication to one of said plurality of nodes, said method comprising:

timing a period of idle bus activity in at least a portion of said hybrid bus operating according to said first serialized protocol; and

generating an inactivity-related communication in one or more border nodes corresponding to said period of idle bus activity, wherein said one or more border nodes retain exclusive responsibility for generating said inactivity-related communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first serialized protocol comprises an IEEE-1394a compliant protocol, and said second protocol comprises an IEEE-1394b compliant protocol.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said act of generating is performed exclusively by a senior border node within said system.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said inactivity related communication comprises a gap token.

16. A control method for use by a beta node of a hybrid communication system comprising a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes comprising a port, said beta node comprising a senior port and at least one junior port, wherein said control method comprises:

issuing a first signal from said beta node'"'"'s senior port and each of said beta node'"'"'s junior ports if an end of a subaction has not been reached;

if an end of a subaction has been reached, determining whether a port of any node other than said beta node has issued an in-phase request; and

if an in-phase request has issued from said port of any other node, sending a second signal to said issuing port, and sending a third signal to all other ports;

if there are no in-phase requests, determining whether said beta node is a senior border node;

sending said first signal out of said beta node'"'"'s senior port and out of each of said beta node'"'"'s junior ports if said beta node is a senior border node; and

sending said second signal out of said beta node'"'"'s senior port and sending a said first signal out of each of said beta nodes junior ports if said beta node is not a senior border node.

17. A method for use by a senior border node of a hybrid communication system comprising a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes comprising a port, said senior border node comprising a senior port and at least one junior port, wherein said method comprises:

issuing a first signal from said senior border node'"'"'s senior port and each of said senior border node'"'"'s junior ports if an end of a subaction has not been reached;

if an end of a subaction has been reached, determining whether a port of any node other than said senior border node has communicated an in-phase request; and

if there are no in-phase requests, sending a first signal out of said senior border node'"'"'s senior port and out of each of said senior node'"'"'s junior ports.

18. In a hybrid communications system having a plurality of nodes including a senior border node, and a device having at least one senior port and at least one and junior port, a method for returning control to said senior border node comprising:

identifying an end of an asynchronous action condition, said condition further comprising a condition where no in-phase arbitration requests are pending; and

determining whether said device is a senior border node and if so, sending a first signal out all of said device'"'"'s senior and junior ports, and if not;

sending a second signal out of said device'"'"'s at least one senior port; and

sending said first signal out of said device'"'"'s at least one junior port.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said second signal comprises a signal indicating control is to be granted to a node communicating with said at least one senior port, and said first signal comprises a signal indicating that control is not to be granted to a node communicating with said at least one junior port.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said hybrid system comprises a hybrid IEEE-1394a/IEEE 1394b system.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said device comprises a beta device.

22. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer generate data for arbitrating on a high performance serial bus, said serial bus comprising first and second serialized protocols, wherein said data is adapted to indicate that a physical layer or link layer from a network cluster operating according to said first protocol wishes to arbitrate within a cluster operating according to said second protocol.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein said first protocol comprises the IEEE-1394a protocol, and said second protocol comprises the IEEE-1394b protocol.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein said data comprises a legacy request symbol.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein said legacy request symbol comprises a priority.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein said priority is higher than that of any asynchronous and isochronous requests present on said network cluster operating according to said second protocol.

27. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, generate data for arbitrating on a high performance serial bus, wherein said data is adapted to indicate that a device or link from a network cluster operating according to said first protocol wishes to arbitrate within a network cluster operating according to said second protocol.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein said first protocol comprises the IEEE-1394a protocol, and said second protocol comprises the IEEE-1394b protocol.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein said data comprises a legacy request symbol.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein said legacy request symbol comprises a priority.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein said priority is higher than that of any asynchronous and isochronous requests present on said network cluster operating according to said second protocol.

32. In a hybrid bus comprising a first set of nodes adapted to utilize a first serial bus protocol, and a second set of nodes adapted to utilize a second serial bus protocol, wherein said first and second sets of nodes are adapted to being connected at a border node;

a method comprising;

determining, using only the border node, a period of idle bus activity in at least a portion of said hybrid bus operating according to the first serial bus protocol; and

generating via the border node an inactivity-related communication corresponding to said period of idle bus activity.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the period of idle bus activity comprises a subaction gap.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the inactivity-related communication comprises an asynchronous start command.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the period of idle bus activity comprises a gap relating to a reset event.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the inactivity-related communication comprises an arbitration reset communication.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the inactivity-related communication comprises an arbitration reset communication.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein the second serial bus protocol comprises the IEEE-1394b standard.

39. A method for use by a senior border node of a hybrid communication system comprising a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes comprising a port, said senior border node comprising a senior port and at least one junior port, wherein said method comprises:

issuing a first signal from at least one of said senior border node'"'"'s ports if an end of an action has not been reached;

if an end of an action has been reached, determining whether a port of any node other than said senior border node has communicated an in-phase request; and

if there are no in-phase requests, sending a first signal out of at least one of said senior border node'"'"'s senior or junior ports.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said sending a first signal comprises sending a data end signal.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said hybrid communication system comprises a first high-speed serialized protocol and a second high-speed serialized protocol.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said first serialized protocol comprises an IEEE-1394a compliant protocol, and said second protocol comprises an IEEE-1394b compliant protocol.