Method of accessing information and system therefor

• US 7,353,311 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Fitzsimmons, Michael D., Murdock, Brett W., Moyer, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen; Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rehman; Mohammed H
• Application Number:
  US11/142,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 710/110, 710/244, 712/235
• US Class Current: 710/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence

Abstract

A method is disclosed whereby a priority amongst transactions capable of being processed at a common time is determined based upon a transaction identifier associated with each of the transaction. The transaction identifier can either directly indicate a priority amongst the transactions, or use to index storage locations that indicate priority values. The transaction identifiers can be selected to be associated with a transaction by the requesting device or other priority determination module based upon predefined criteria.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first indicator that a first information requested by a first transaction requested by a first device is available for processing, the first transaction associated with a first transaction identifier;

receiving a second indicator that a second information requested by a second transaction requested by the first device is available for processing, the second transaction associated with a second transaction identifier selected to indicate a priority of the second transaction relative the first transaction;

accessing stored information in one of a plurality of locations to determine a priority of the first information relative to the second information, wherein which of the plurality of locations to be accessed is determined by accessing select information stored at a select location; and

transmitting the first information and the second information to the first device in an order based on the priority of the first information relative to the second information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second indicators are received from second and third devices, respectively, indicating that the first information and the second information is ready for transfer to the first device from the second and third devices, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the priority is in response to the first and second indicators indicating that the first information and the second information are available for processing at a common time.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising

transmitting the first information prior to the second information in response to determining the priority of the first information is higher than a priority of the second information;

and

transmitting the second information prior to the first information in response to determining the priority of the first information is lower than a priority of the second information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

associating the first and second transaction identifiers with the first and second transaction is performed by the first device;

receiving the first indicator comprises receiving the first indicator from a second device indicating availability of the first information for transfer to the first device from the second device;

receiving the second indicator comprises receiving the second indicator from a third device indicating availability of the second information for transfer to the first device from the third device;

determining the priority is in response to the first and second indicators indicating that the first and second information are available for transfer at a common time comprises accessing stored information to determine the priority of the first information relative to the second information; and

the method further comprising;

transmitting the first information prior to the second information in response to determining the priority of the first information is greater than a priority of the second information; and

transmitting the second information prior to the first information in response to determining the priority of the first information is less than a priority of the second information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the second transaction identifier is at least partially selected based upon transaction request information provided by the first device.

7. An electronic system comprising:

a first device comprising;

a bus port; and

a transaction identification module comprising an output coupled to the bus port to provide transaction identifiers to transaction requests initiated by the first device;

a first storage location to store first indicators representative of priorities of corresponding transaction identifiers;

a second storage location to store transaction identifiers representative of transactions awaiting processing by a second device; and

the second device comprising;

a controller comprising;

a first bus port coupled to the bus port of the first device; and

a priority module comprising an input coupled to the first and second storage locations, and an output to indicate a transaction associated with a transaction identifier stored in the second storage location to be processed to determine a relative priority of transactions awaiting processing based upon indexing the first location with a transaction identifier stored in the second storage location.