Upbound input/output expansion request and response processing in a PCIe architecture

• US 8,645,606 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gregg, Thomas A., Craddock, David F., Lais, Eric N.
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US12/821,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 710/306, 710/311, 710/313, 710/314, 710/315
• US Class Current: 710/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to upbound input/output expansion requests and response processing in a PCIE architecture. A first request to perform an operation on a host system is intitiated. The first request is formatted for the first protocol and includes data that is required in order to process the first request. A second request is created in response to the first request, the second request includes a header and is formatted according to the second protocol. The data required to process the first request in the header of the second request is stored, and the second request is sent to the host system.

Claims

1. A system for implementing non-standard I/O adapters in a standardized input/output (I/O) architecture, the system comprising:

an I/O adapter configured to communicatively couple to an I/O hub via an I/O bus, the I/O adapter configured to communicate in a first protocol, the I/O bus configured to communicate in a second protocol different than the first protocol, and the system is configured to perform;

initiating a first request to perform an operation on a host system, the first request formatted for the first protocol and comprising data required to process the first request;

creating a second request based on the first request, the second request comprising a header and formatted according to the second protocol, the creating comprising storing the data required to process the first request in the header of the second request; and

sending the second request to the host system; and

the I/O hub, wherein the system is further configured to perform;

receiving the second request at the I/O hub;

converting the second request from the second protocol to a third request, the third request formatted for the first protocol; and

sending the third request to the host system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the I/O bus is a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first protocol is an I/O expansion protocol and the second protocol is PCIe.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the I/O adapter comprises an I/O expansion adapter that shares the I/O bus with at least one PCIe adapter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the reformatted request is in a format not supported by the I/O adapter and the host system.

6. A system for implementing non-standard input/output (I/O) adapters in a standardized I/O architecture, the system comprising:

an I/O adapter configured to communicatively couple to an I/O hub via an I/O bus, the system configured to perform;

receiving a request from a requester to perform an operation on the I/O adapter, the requester requiring a completion status;

performing the operation resulting in a response, the response comprising the completion status;

generating a new request in accordance with a first protocol based on the performing;

modifying a header of the new request to include the response; and

sending the new request as the completion status to the requester in accordance with a second protocol; and

the I/O hub, wherein the system is further configured to perform;

receiving the new request at the I/O hub;

converting the new request into a second request, the second request in a format supported by the host system; and

sending the second request to the host system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the I/O bus is a PCIe bus.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the format of the response is an I/O expansion format.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the I/O adapter comprises an I/O expansion adapter, the I/O expansion adapter sharing the I/O bus with at least one PCIe adapter.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the new request is in a format not supported by the I/O adapter and the host system.