Distributed interconnect bus apparatus

• US 9,075,926 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Elboim, Yaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R
• Application Number:
  US12/021,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20090024782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,717 Days
• Field of Search: 710/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4045 where the bus bridge performs an extender function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4059 where the synchronisation uses buffers, e.g. for speed matching between buses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express

Abstract

A distributed interconnect bus apparatus for connecting peripheral devices. The apparatus can be utilized to wirelessly connect peripheral devices or to allow the connectivity of such devices over a network. The apparatus includes a first bridge coupled to a root component of an interconnect bus; and a second bridge coupled to an endpoint component of an interconnect bus. The apparatus may further include an acknowledgment (ACK) termination for generating at least an ACK signal; and a flow control mechanism including at least one receiver buffer for temporarily saving data packets of multiple different transactions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enabling a distributed connection of peripheral devices, comprising:

a first bridge coupled to a root component of a PCI Express (PCIe), the first bridge comprising;

a first acknowledgment (ACK) termination configured as a data link layer of the PCIe bus; and

a first flow control mechanism,

the first ACK termination being adapted to send, to the root component, an ACK signal upon reception of each PCIe transaction layer packet; and

a second bridge communicatively coupled to the first bridge over a distributed medium, wherein;

the first bridge and the second bridge are configured to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets over the distributed medium,

the second bridge is also coupled to an endpoint component of the PCIe bus,

the second bridge comprises a second ACK termination and a second flow control mechanism,

the second ACK termination is configured to send, to the endpoint component, an ACK signal upon reception of each transaction layer packet received from the endpoint component,

the second ACK termination is configured as a data link layer of the PCIe bus, and

the first flow control mechanism and the second flow control mechanism are each configured to store multiple PCIe transaction layer packets to compensate for a transmission delay of PCIe transaction layer packets over the distributed medium between the first and second bridge.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first flow control mechanism comprises at least one receiver buffer for temporarily storing multiple transaction layer packets of multiple different PCIe transactions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the multiple PCIe transaction layer packets comprise data packets sent from at least one of:

the root component or the second bridge.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second flow control mechanism comprises at least one receiver buffer for temporarily storing multiple PCIe transaction layer packets of multiple different PCIe transactions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the multiple PCIe transaction layer packets comprise data packets sent from at least one of:

the endpoint component or the first bridge.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the root component or the endpoint comprises:

a PCIe root, a PCIe switch, or a PCIe endpoint.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first wireless transceiver coupled to the first bridge;

a second wireless transceiver coupled to the second bridge, wherein the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver are communicatively coupled to a wireless medium to enable the first bridge and the second bridge to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets over the wireless medium.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver comprises a wireless modem.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first network adapter coupled to the first bridge;

a second network adapter coupled to the second bridge, wherein the first network adapter and the second network adapter are communicatively coupled to the distributed medium to enable the first bridge and the second bridge to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets over the distributed medium.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network includes at least one of:

a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a metropolitan area network (MAN).

11. A method for enabling a distributed connection of peripheral devices, comprising:

sending, from a first ACK termination of a first bridge, to a root component coupled to the first bridge, a first ACK signal upon reception of each PCI express (PCIe) transaction layer packet sent from the root component during a first PCIe transaction;

storing, at a first flow control mechanism of the first bridge, each PCIe transaction layer packet received from the root component during the first PCIe transaction to compensate for a transmission delay of PCIe transaction layer packets over a distributed medium between the first and a second bridge;

sending, from a second ACK termination of the second bridge, to an endpoint component coupled to the second bridge, a second ACK signal upon reception of each PCIe transaction layer packet received from the endpoint component during the first PCIe transaction;

storing, at the second flow control mechanism, each PCIe transaction layer packet received from the endpoint component during the first PCIe transaction to compensate for a transmission delay of PCIe transaction layer packets over the distributed medium between the first and second bridge; and

exchanging the received PCIe transaction layer packets between the first bridge and the second bridge communicatively coupled over the distributed medium.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at the first bridge, from the second ACK termination, a third ACK signal for each PCIe transaction layer packet successfully received by the second bridge from the first bridge;

deleting, at the first flow control mechanism, each stored PCIe transaction layer packet for which the third ACK signal is received;

receiving, at the second bridge, from the first ACK termination, a fourth ACK signal for each PCIe transaction layer packet successfully received by the first bridge from the second bridge; and

deleting, at the second flow control mechanism, each stored PCIe transaction layer packet for which the fourth ACK signal is received.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at the first bridge, PCIe transaction layer packets for a second PCIe transaction from the root component in response to sending the first ACK signal;

storing the PCIe transaction layer packets for the second PCIe transaction in the first flow control mechanism;

sending, from the first ACK termination, a third ACK signal to the root component upon reception of each PCIe transaction layer packet for the second PCIe transaction; and

forwarding the PCIe transaction layer packets for the second PCIe transaction to the second bridge.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, at the second bridge, PCIe transaction layer packets for a second PCIe transaction from the endpoint component in response to sending the second ACK signal;

storing the PCIe transaction layer packets for the second PCIe transaction in the second flow control mechanism;

sending, from the second ACK termination, a third ACK signal to the endpoint component upon reception of each PCIe transaction layer packet for the second PCIe transaction; and

forwarding the PCIe transaction layer packets for the second PCIe transaction to the first bridge.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first bridge comprises a first wireless transceiver;

the second bridge comprises a second wireless transceiver; and

the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver are communicatively coupled to a wireless medium to enable the first bridge and the second bridge to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets over the wireless medium.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first bridge comprises a first network adapter;

the second bridge comprises a second network adapter; and

the first network adapter and the second network adapter are communicatively coupled to a wireless medium to enable the first bridge and the second bridge to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets over the wireless medium.

17. A distributed interconnect bus, comprising:

one or more wireless transceivers;

a first bridge coupled to a root component of a PCI Express (PCIe) bus, the first bridge comprising;

a first acknowledgment (ACK) termination configured as a data link layer of the PCIe bus; and

a first flow control mechanism; and

a second bridge communicatively coupled to the first bridge, wherein;

the first bridge and the second bridge are configured to exchange PCIe transaction layer packets via the wireless transceivers,

the first ACK termination is adapted to send, to the root component, an ACK signal upon reception of each PCIe transaction layer packet

the second bridge is also coupled to an endpoint component of the PCIe bus,

the second bridge comprises a second ACK termination and a second flow control mechanism,

the second ACK termination is configured to send to the endpoint component, an ACK signal upon reception of each transaction layer packet received from the endpoint component,

the second ACK termination is configured as a data link layer of the PCIe bus, and

the first flow control mechanism and the second flow control mechanism are each configured to store multiple PCIe transaction layer packets to compensate for a transmission delay of PCIe transaction layer packets over a distributed medium between the first and second bridge.