Computing system fabric and routing configuration and description

• US 20040193706A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Willoughby, Brian D., Mattress, Michael V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A technique for configuring a computing system that allows for multiple computing systems and device populations to be supported by a single BIOS implementation is presented. In one embodiment, the technique includes processing topology map parameters that describe physical connections of a computing system, wherein the computing system includes a plurality of processing nodes; determining routing paths for traffic between the plurality of processing nodes; and determining a population of the plurality of processing nodes. In one embodiment, the determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS build time. In another embodiment, the determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS run time.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a computing system comprising:

processing topology map parameters that describe physical connections of a computing system, wherein the computing system includes a plurality of processing nodes;

determining routing paths for traffic between the plurality of processing nodes; and

determining a population of the plurality of processing nodes.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS build time.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the population occurs after the determining the routing paths.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising loading the routing paths into a node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the loading is terminated upon encountering a first unpopulated processing node.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising after the determining the population modifying the node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes wherever the node table references an unpopulated node.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS run time.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the population occurs prior to determining the routing paths.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising renumbering the plurality of processing nodes when one of the plurality of processing nodes is unpopulated.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the determining the routing paths comprises loading the routing paths into a node table of each processing node as the routing paths are determined.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the routing paths comprises determining the routing of request, response, and broadcast packets between the plurality of processing nodes.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein broadcast packets are received only once by each of the plurality of processing nodes.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the routing paths comprises performing a distance algorithm to find a shortest routing path.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the population of the plurality of processing nodes comprises determining the population of every processing node.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining the population of the plurality of processing nodes comprises sequentially checking for population and stopping the checking upon finding a first unpopulated processing node.

16. A computer program product for configuring a system comprising:

a set of software instructions stored on computer readable media, the set of software instructions configured to;

process topology map parameters that describe physical connections of a computing system, wherein the computing system includes a plurality of processing nodes;

determine routing paths for traffic between the plurality of processing nodes; and

determine a population of the plurality of processing nodes.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions is configured to determine the routing paths during BIOS build time.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions is configured to determine the population after determining the routing paths.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 18, the set of software instructions is further configured to load the routing paths into a node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the set of software instructions is configured to terminate the loading upon encountering a first unpopulated processing node.

21. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the set of software instructions is further configured to modify the node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes wherever the node table references an unpopulated node after determining the population.

22. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions is configured to determine the routing paths during BIOS run time.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions is configured to determine the population prior to determining the routing paths.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, the set of software instructions is further configured to renumber the plurality of processing nodes when one of the plurality of processing nodes is unpopulated.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the routing paths is configured to load the routing paths into a node table of each processing node as the routing paths are determined.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the routing paths is configured to determine the routing of request, response, and broadcast packets between the plurality of processing nodes.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 26, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the routing paths is configured to send broadcast packets only once to each of the plurality of processing nodes.

28. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the routing paths is configured to perform a distance algorithm to find a shortest routing path.

29. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the population of the plurality of processing nodes is configured to determine the population of every processing node.

30. The computer program product as recited in claim 16, wherein the set of software instructions to determine the population of the plurality of processing nodes is configured to sequentially check for population and stop the checking upon finding a first unpopulated processing node.

31. An apparatus comprising:

means for processing topology map parameters that describe physical connections of a computing system, wherein the computing system includes a plurality of processing nodes;

means for determining routing paths for traffic between the plurality of processing nodes; and

means for determining a population of the plurality of processing nodes.

32. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS build time.

33. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the population occurs after the determining the routing paths.

34. The apparatus as recited in claim 33, further comprising means for loading the routing paths into a node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes.

35. The apparatus as recited in claim 34, wherein the means for loading is terminated upon encountering a first unpopulated processing node.

36. The apparatus as recited in claim 34, further comprising after the means for determining the population means for modifying the node table in each of the plurality of processing nodes wherever the node table references an unpopulated node.

37. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the routing paths is performed during BIOS run time.

38. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the population occurs prior to determining the routing paths.

39. The apparatus as recited in claim 38, further comprising means for renumbering the plurality of processing nodes when one of the plurality of processing nodes is unpopulated.

40. The apparatus as recited in claim 38, wherein the means for determining the routing paths comprises means for loading the routing paths into a node table of each processing node as the routing paths are determined.

41. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the routing paths comprises means for determining the routing of request, response, and broadcast packets between the plurality of processing nodes.

42. The apparatus as recited in claim 41, wherein broadcast packets are received only once by each of the plurality of processing nodes.

43. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the routing paths comprises means for performing a distance algorithm to find a shortest routing path.

44. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the population of the plurality of processing nodes comprises means for determining the population of every processing node.

45. The apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein the means for determining the population of the plurality of processing nodes comprises means for sequentially checking for population and stopping the checking upon finding a first unpopulated processing node.