Composing on-chip interconnects with configurable interfaces

• US 7,660,932 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Sonics Incorporated (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Chou, Chien Chun, Weber, Wolf-Dietrich, Wingard, Drew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): AUVE, GLENN ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US12/022,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 710/62, 710/65, 710/306, 370/401, 716/4, 716/5
• US Class Current: 710/306
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7825 Globally asynchronous, locally synchronous, e.g. network on chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods are described for a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, to cause the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a bridge agent, a first interconnect, and a second interconnect. The bridge agent is configured by bridge control signals to control transmission of a communication between the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The representation may be a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic in a computer simulation environment attributes derived from a projected fabricated hardware instance of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, causing the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus, comprising:

the apparatus includes

a bridge agent, a first interconnect, and a second interconnect;

the bridge agent has a first control input, a second control input, a first control output, a second control output, a first communication port, and a second communication port;

the first interconnect has a first control output, a first control input, and a communication port;

the first control input couples to receive the bridge agent first control output;

the first control output couples to transmit to the bridge agent first control input;

the communication port of the first interconnect couples to the first communication port of the bridge agent;

the second interconnect has a first control output, a first control input, and a communication port, where the first control input couples to receive the bridge agent second control output; and

the first control output couples to transmit to the bridge agent second control input, wherein the communication port of the second interconnect couples to the bridge agent second communication port; and

the bridge agent is configured by bridge control signals to control transmission of a communication between the first interconnect and the second interconnect.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the representation is a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic attributes derived from a projected hardware instance of the apparatus in a computer simulation environment.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuring of the bridge agent is a mode of operation selected from the group consisting of:

do not forward the communication from the first interconnect communication port to the second interconnect communication port, do not forward the communication from the second interconnect communication port to the first interconnect communication port, do not forward the communication, forward the communication from the first interconnect communication port to the second interconnect communication port, forward the communication from the second interconnect communication port to the first interconnect communication port, and forward the communication, and the bridge agent is configured at a point in time selected from the group consisting of at time of fabrication of the bridge agent, at a power up, at a reset, at an initialization prior to normal operation for the bridge agent, and dynamically during normal operation for the bridge agent.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the means for configuring one or more of the configurable agents further comprises parameters selected from the group consisting of:

address width, data width, command width, communication timing, receive only, transmit only, bidirectional, bridge, bridge agent, bridge proxy, internetworking proxy, reset, timer, administrator, bridge agent, bridge forward, fully connected, clock rate, reset into bridge X, performance enhance on/off, phase to phase delay, maximum request to data delay, minimum request to response delay, and maximum outstanding requests, and

the means for configuring one or more of the configurable agents further comprises means for configuring at a point in time selected from the group consisting of;

at time of fabrication, at a power up, at a reset, at an initialization prior to normal operation, and dynamically during normal operation.

4. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, causing the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus, comprising:

the apparatus includes

means for interconnecting one or more configurable agents in an integrated circuit;

means for interfacing one or more of the configurable agents to one or more configurable interfaces;

means for interfacing one or more of the configurable interfaces to one or more cores in the integrated circuit;

means for configuring one or more of the configurable agents, wherein at least one configurable agent is configured for topology and flooding control by a parameter selected from the group consisting of;

bridge agent, bridge forward, and fully connected; and

means for configuring one or more of the configurable interfaces.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the representation is a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic attributes derived from a projected fabricated hardware instance of the apparatus in a computer simulation environment.

7. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a machine, causing the machine to generate a representation of an apparatus, comprising:

the apparatus includes

means for interconnecting a bridge agent to one or more interconnects in an integrated circuit; and

means for configuring the bridge agent for communicating between the one or more interconnects, wherein the bridge agent is configured for clocking and reset by a parameter selected from the group consisting of;

clock rate, and reset into bridge X, wherein the bridge agent configuration is selected from a mode of operation selected from the group consisting of;

do not forward a communication from a first interconnect to a second interconnect, do not forward a communication from a second interconnect to a first interconnect, do not forward a communication, forward a communication from a first interconnect to a second interconnect, forward a communication from a second interconnect to a first interconnect, and forward a communication, and the bridge agent is configured at a point in time selected from the group consisting of;

at time of fabrication of the bridge agent, at a power up, at a reset, at an initialization prior to normal operation for the bridge agent, and dynamically during normal operation for the bridge agent.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the representation is a sequence of instructions written in a programming language to mimic attributes derived from a projected fabricated hardware instance of the apparatus in a computer simulation environment.