Access proxy for accessing peripheral component interconnect express endpoint device, PCIe exchanger and computer system

• US 9,477,632 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Du, Ge
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US14/703,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 710 8- 19, 710305-315, 710300-304, 710260-269
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/2802 DMA using DMA transfer descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A computer system and a method are provided for accessing a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) endpoint device. The computer system includes a processor, a PCIe bus, and an access proxy. The access proxy connects to the processor and the PCIe endpoint device; the processor acquires an operation instruction, where the operation instruction instructs the processor to access the PCIe endpoint device through the access proxy, and send an access request to the access proxy according to the operation instruction; and the access proxy sends a response message of the access request to the processor after receiving the access request sent by the processor. Because the processor does not directly access the PCIe endpoint device to be accessed but completes access through the access proxy, thereby avoiding a machine check exception (MCE) reset for the processor.

Claims

1. An access proxy, wherein the access proxy applies to a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a processor and a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus, wherein the PCIe bus connects to at least one PCIe endpoint device, wherein the access proxy connects to the processor and the PCIe endpoint device, and wherein the access proxy is implemented by a direct memory access (DMA) engine, and wherein the DMA engine is configured to:

receive a data migration request for accessing the PCIe endpoint device from the processor;

return a response message of the data migration request to the processor before performing data migration; and

migrate, according to the data migration request, data in a memory of the PCIe engine to a memory of the computer system, or migrate data in the memory of the computer system to the memory of the PCIe endpoint device.

2. The access proxy according to claim 1, wherein the response message of the data migration request returned by the DMA engine is a first notification message to the processor, and wherein the first notification message indicates that access to the PCIe endpoint device is successful.

3. The access proxy according to claim 1, wherein the response message of the data migration request returned by the DMA engine is a second notification message to the processor, and wherein the second notification message indicates that the access to the PCIe endpoint device fails.

4. The access proxy according to claim 1, wherein the DMA engine is packaged with the processor.

5. The access proxy according to claim 1, wherein the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor, and wherein the DMA engine is configured to send the response message of the data migration request to the processor using the fixed connection with the processor.

6. The access proxy according to claim 1, wherein that the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor comprises that the DMA engine is welded on a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting to the processor or the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor using connection firmware.

7. A peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) exchanger, wherein the PCIe exchanger applies to a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a processor and a PCIe bus, wherein the PCIe bus connects to at least one PCIe endpoint device, wherein an upstream port of the PCIe exchanger connects to the processor through the PCIe bus and a downstream port of the PCIe exchanger connects to the PCIe endpoint device through the PCIe bus, wherein the PCIe exchanger further comprises an access proxy, wherein the access proxy is implemented by a direct memory access (DMA) engine, and wherein the DMA engine configured to:

receive a data migration request for accessing the PCIe endpoint device from the processor;

return a response message of the data migration request to the processor before performing data migration; and

migrate, according to the data migration request, data in a memory of the PCIe engine to a memory of the computer system, or migrate data in the memory of the computer system to the memory of the PCIe endpoint device.

8. The PCIe exchanger according to claim 7, wherein the response message of the data migration request returned by the DMA engine is a first notification message to the processor, and wherein the first notification message indicates that access to the PCIe endpoint device is successful.

9. The PCIe exchanger according to claim 7, wherein the response message of the data migration request returned by the DMA engine is a second notification message to the processor, and wherein the second notification message indicates that the access to the PCIe endpoint device fails.

10. The PCIe exchanger according to claim 7, wherein the PCIe exchanger is packaged with the processor.

11. The PCIe exchanger according to claim 7, wherein the PCIe exchanger fixedly connects to the processor, and wherein the access proxy is configured to send the response message of the data migration request to the processor using the fixed connection with the processor.

12. The PCIe exchanger according to claim 7, wherein that the PCIe exchanger fixedly connects to the processor comprises that the access proxy is welded on a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting to the processor or the access proxy fixedly connects to the processor using connection firmware.

13. A computer system, wherein the computer system comprises:

a processor; and

a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) bus,

wherein the PCIe bus connects to at least one PCIe endpoint device,

wherein an access proxy is implemented by a direct memory access (DMA) engine,

wherein the DMA engine connects to the processor and the PCIe endpoint device, and

wherein the DMA engine is configured to;

receive a data migration request-for accessing the PCIe endpoint device from the processor;

return a response message of the data migration request to the processor before performing data migration; and

migrate, according to the data migration request, data in a memory of the PCIe engine to a memory of the computer system, or migrate data in the memory of the computer system to the memory of the PCIe endpoint device.

14. The computer system according to claim 13, wherein the DMA engine is packaged with the processor.

15. The computer system according to claim 13, wherein the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor, and wherein the DMA engine is configured to send the response message of the data migration request to the processor using the fixed connection with the processor.

16. The computer system according to claim 13, wherein that the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor comprises that the DMA engine is welded on a printed circuit board (PCB) connecting to the processor or the DMA engine fixedly connects to the processor using connection firmware.