Multi-level message passing descriptor

• US 9,501,436 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BiTMICRO, LLC (BiTMICRO Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BiTMICRO Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Chiw, Bernard Sherwin Leung, Somera, Margaret Anne Nadonga, Bruce, Ricardo H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alrobaye, Idriss N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Modo, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US14/217,041
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1673 using buffers
• 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 2213/2802 DMA using DMA transfer descriptors

Abstract

In an embodiment of the invention, a method for to use a two level linked list descriptor mechanism to pass information among flash, memory, and IO controller modules is presented. The method includes creating a first level data structure for one or more first level descriptors; creating a second level data structure for one or more second level descriptors, each second level descriptor having a pointer to tracking information that includes start information, running information, and rewind information for a data DMA; using the one or more second level descriptors, the one or more first level descriptors, and the tracking information for a data DMA; updating the tracking information during the data DMA; and updating the tracking information at the end of the data DMA.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor, a logic and a memory, wherein the processor, logic and memory are operable to configure a data structure comprising:

one or more second level descriptors; and

one or more first level linked lists corresponding to the one or more second level descriptors;

wherein each second level descriptor comprises a data descriptor address for pointing to a corresponding first level linked list;

wherein each first level linked list comprises one or more first level descriptors;

wherein each first level descriptor comprises a buffer address for pointing to a corresponding data buffer; and

wherein at least one first level linked list and the corresponding one or more first level descriptors are accessed by a first and second DMA channel for coordinated data transfer of the corresponding data buffer;

wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a plurality of DMA engines.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each second level descriptor further comprises a next address for forming a linked list of the one or more second level descriptors.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each second level descriptor further comprises an offset and a data group count for determining a beginning DMA location and an ending DMA location for the second DMA channel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each second level descriptor further comprises a track address for pointing to a tracking information table, the tracking information table comprising a start information table operable for storing one or more initial condition information, a running information table operable for storing one or more completed DMA transfer information and a rewind information table operable for storing one or more completed error-free DMA transfer information wherein a return point for one or more hardware retries is established.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the running information table and the rewind information table are updated by hardware in real time.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising one or more tracking index for accessing the one or more tracking information table wherein the one or more second level descriptors can be accessed in a non-sequential fashion.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more firmware pointers and one or more hardware registers wherein the one or more second level descriptors can be added in real time without pausing the coordinated data transfer of the first and second DMA channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each second level descriptor further comprises an optional instruction code and Input Output Controller specific (IOC-specific) frame, containing firmware instructions for an IO-Protocol Controller, and wherein the data portion for the instructions is defined in the second level descriptors to be processed by a second Input Output Controller (IOC) DMA engine which is one of the plurality of DMA engines.

9. A method for DMA data transfer, comprising:

processing one or more second level descriptors;

retrieving one or more first level descriptors from the one or more second level descriptors;

performing one or more DMA data transfers according to the one or more first level descriptors;

updating one or more rewind information to the one or more second level descriptors; and

rewinding the one or more DMA data transfers according to the current rewind information upon detecting one or more errors;

wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a plurality of DMA engines.

10. A method comprising:

creating a first level data structure for one or more first level descriptors;

creating a second level data structure for one or more second level descriptors, each second level descriptor having a pointer to tracking information that includes start information, running information, and rewind information for a data DMA;

using the one or more second level descriptors, the one or more first level descriptors, and the tracking information for a data DMA;

updating the tracking information during the data DMA; and

updating the tracking information at the end of the data DMA;

wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a plurality of DMA engines.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more second level descriptors has a pointer to tracking information for a data DMA.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more second level descriptors has a pointer to tracking information for a data DMA, comprising start information, running information and rewind information for a data DMA.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more second level descriptors has a pointer to tracking information for a data DMA, comprising start information, running information and rewind information for a data DMA, wherein the start information is controlled by firmware, and the running information and rewind information are controlled by hardware.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more second level descriptors has a pointer to tracking information for a data DMA, comprising start information, running information and rewind information for a data DMA, and wherein the tracking information can be located by using a tracking index.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more second level descriptors has a pointer to tracking information for a data DMA, comprising start information, running information and rewind information for a data DMA, and wherein the tracking information can be accessed by a DMA engine sequentially following a next address entry of the one or more second level descriptors or by jumping to the tracking information by using a tracking index.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a Flash DMA engine and a IOC DMA engine.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transient computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that permit a method comprising;

processing one or more second level descriptors;

retrieving one or more first level descriptors from the one or more second level descriptors;

performing one or more DMA data transfers according to the one or more first level descriptors;

updating one or more rewind information to the one or more second level descriptors; and

rewinding the one or more DMA data transfers according to the current rewind information upon detecting one or more errors;

wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a plurality of DMA engines.

18. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transient computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that permit a method comprising;

creating a first level data structure for one or more first level descriptors;

creating a second level data structure for one or more second level descriptors, each second level descriptor having a pointer to tracking information that includes start information, running information, and rewind information for a data DMA;

using the one or more second level descriptors, the one or more first level descriptors, and the tracking information for a data DMA;

updating the tracking information during the data DMA; and

updating the tracking information at the end of the data DMA;

wherein the one or more first level descriptors are shared by a plurality of DMA engines.