Direct memory access system and method using the same

• US 9,021,153 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Lu, Kuo-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Titus
• Application Number:
  US13/899,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 710/22
• US Class Current: 710/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention discloses a DMA system capable of being adapted to various interfaces. The DMA system includes the following advantages: 1) the software porting effort can be reduced when different interfaces are integrated into a SoC; 2) a flexible DMA that could provide protocol transparency and could be ported into different interfaces easily; 3) a scalable DMA that can support unlimited TX/RX scattering/gathering data segments; 4) a reusable DMA that provides user defined TX information (or RX information) and TX message (or RX message) field; and 5) a high performance DMA that support unaligned segment data pointers and unlimited scattering/gathering data segments, so as to reduce extra memory copies by CPU.

Claims

1. A direct memory access (DMA) system for directly accessing a memory and coupled to an interface for transmitting packets between a host terminal and a client terminal, wherein the host terminal comprises the memory storing a TX packet and a corresponding TX descriptor including a TX information, the DMA system comprising:

a DMA transmitter for transmitting the TX information and the TX packet to the interface according to the TX descriptor, and appending the TX information to the head of the TX Packet based on the TX descriptor, wherein the TX information is predetermined to be used for the host terminal communicating with the client terminal by the interface, and the TX information does not contain data which the DMA transmitter having to use;

a DMA receiver for receiving an RX packet and an RX information from the interface according to a RX descriptor, wherein the RX information is predetermined to be used for the client terminal communicating with the host terminal by the interface, and the RX information does not contain data which the DMA receiver having to use;

wherein the TX descriptor comprises at least one pointer, at least one length of the TX packet, and the TX information;

wherein the RX descriptor comprises at least one pointer, at least one length of RX packet, and the RX information; and

wherein the DMA transmitter selectively appends a TX message between the TX packet and the TX information, and the DMA receiver selectively appends an RX message between the RX packet and the RX information, wherein the TX message and the RX message are predetermined to be used for communication between the host terminal and the client terminal.

2. The DMA system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the TX message and the RX message has a variable length.

3. The DMA system of claim 1, further comprising at least two first hardware indexes and at least two second hardware indexes, wherein the first hardware indexes are used for indicating an ownership of the TX descriptor, and the second hardware indexes are used for indicating an ownership of the RX descriptor.

4. The DMA system of claim 1, wherein the TX descriptor is a TX descriptor ring, and the RX descriptor is an RX descriptor ring.

5. The DMA system of claim 4, further comprising a scheduler for arranging the sequence of accessing the TX descriptor ring.

11. The DMA system of claim 1, wherein the DMA receiver is further utilized for appending a RX information to the tail of the RX packet based on the RX descriptor.

12. The DMA system of claim 1, wherein the TX information comprises at least one of checksum offload, cyclic redundancy check calculation, and packet destination port, and the RX information comprises a receiving status of the RX packet.

13. The DMA system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the TX information and the RX information can be defined by at least one user.

6. A method for transmitting/receiving a packet in a direct memory access (DMA) system, the DMA system being used for directly accessing a memory and coupled to an interface for transmitting packets between a host terminal and a client terminal, wherein the host terminal comprises the memory storing a TX packet and a corresponding TX descriptor including a TX information, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting the TX packet and the TX information to the interface according to a TX descriptor, and appending the TX information to the head of the TX Packet based on the TX descriptor, wherein the TX information is predetermined to be used for the host terminal communicating with the client terminal by the interface, and the TX information does not contain data which the DMA transmitter having to use;

receiving an RX packet and an RX information from the interface according to an RX descriptor, wherein the RX information is predetermined to be used for the client terminal communicating with the host terminal by the interface, and the RX information does not contain data which the DMA receiver having to use;

selectively appends a TX message between the TX packet and the TX information; and

selectively appends an RX message between the RX packet and the RX information;

wherein the TX message and the RX message are predetermined to be used for communication between the host terminal and the client terminal; and

wherein the TX descriptor comprises at least one pointer, at least one length of the TX packet, and the TX information;

wherein the RX descriptor comprises at least one pointer, at least one length of the RX packet, and the RX information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the TX message and the RX message has a variable length.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

indicating an ownership of the TX descriptor with at least two first hardware indexes; and

indicating an ownership of the RX descriptor with at least two second hardware indexes.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the TX descriptor is a TX descriptor ring, and the RX descriptor is an RX descriptor ring.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

arranging the sequence of accessing the TX descriptor ring with a scheduler.

14. The method of claim 6 further comprises appending a RX information to the tail of the RX packet based on the RX descriptor.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the TX information comprises at least one of checksum offload, cyclic redundancy check calculation, and packet destination port, and the RX information comprises a receiving status of the RX packet.

16. The DMA system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the TX information and the RX information can be defined by at least one user.