Input/output (I/O) expansion response processing in a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) environment

• US 9,298,659 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• 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): Patel, Nimesh G
• Application Number:
  US13/674,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to non-standard input/output (I/O) adapters in a standardized I/O architecture. An aspect of the invention includes implementing non-standard I/O adapters in a standardized I/O architecture. A request is received at an I/O adapter from a requester to perform an operation on one of the I/O adapters. It is determined that the request is in a format other than a format supported by an I/O bus and that the requester requires a completion response for the request. The request is transformed into the format supported by the I/O bus, and is transmitted to the I/O adapter. The completion response is received from the I/O adapter, and includes an indicator that the request has been completed. The completion response is in the format supported by the I/O bus. The completion response is transmitted to the requester.

Claims

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

receiving, at an I/O hub, a request from a requester to perform an operation on one of the I/O adapters;

determining that the request is in a format other than a format supported by an I/O bus;

determining that the requester requires a completion response for the request;

determining whether the operation generates the completion response;

based on determining that the operation generates the completion response;

transforming the request into the format supported by the I/O bus;

transmitting the request to the I/O adapter;

receiving the completion response from the I/O adapter, the completion response comprising an indicator that the request has been completed, the completion response in the format supported by the I/O bus; and

transmitting the completion response to the requester; and

based on determining that the operation does not generate the completion response;

generating a new request, the new request in a format supported by an I/O bus;

transforming the header of the new request to include the address of the I/O adapter; and

sending the new request to the host system via the I/O bus,

wherein the completion response is in a format not supported by the I/O bus and the new request is in a format not supported by the I/O adapter and a requester, the requester initiating the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the I/O bus is a PCIe bus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the format of the request an I/O expansion format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the I/O adapter comprises at least one I/O expansion adapter and at least one PCIe adapter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformed request is in a format not supported by the I/O adapter and the requester.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the request is a request to store data; and

storing information about the requester in the I/O hub in response to the determining, the information comprising;

the requester address;

the operation code, the operation code identifying the operation that is to be performed; and

an indicator indicating that a response is required.

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

receiving, at an I/O adapter, a request for an operation, the request indicating that a completion response to the request is required, the completion response comprising an address of the I/O adapter and a response code;

determining that the operation does not generate the completion response;

generating a new request, the new request in a format supported by an I/O bus;

transforming the header of the new request to include the address of the I/O adapter; and

sending the new request to the host system via the I/O bus,

wherein the completion response is in a format not supported by the I/O bus and the new request is in a format not supported by the I/O adapter and a requester, the requester initiating the request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the I/O bus is a PCIe bus.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the format of the completion response is an I/O expansion format.

10. The method of claim 7, 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.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the new request is generated in response to determining that the request is a write request.