System and method for transmitting a sequence of messages in an interconnection network

• US 8,031,730 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arteris SAS (Arteris Incorporated)
• Inventors: Douady, César, Boucard, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US10/988,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 370/443, 370/322, 370/341, 370/414, 370/416, 370/418
• US Class Current: 370/414
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/565 Sequence integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports

Abstract

Method for transmitting a sequence of messages in a point-to-point interconnection network comprising message initiating agents, message destination agents and message transmission agents. During a transmission of an indivisible sequence of messages from an initiating agent to a destination agent, an output of a message transmission agent is locked onto an input of the transmission agent, the other inputs of the said transmission agent being able to transmit messages to the other outputs of the said transmission agent.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a sequence of messages in a point-to-point interconnection network comprising message initiating agents, message destination agents and message transmission agents, wherein an indivisible sequence of messages generated by an initiating agent and destined for a destination agent starts with a locking message comprising an address identifying the destination agent, and an operation code containing information indicating that the sequence is indivisible, wherein, during a transmission of an indivisible sequence of messages from an initiating agent to a destination agent, an output of a message transmission agent is locked onto an input of the message transmission agent, the other inputs of said transmission agent being able to transmit messages to other outputs of the said message transmission agent, and wherein said indivisible sequence of messages is terminated by an unlocking message comprising the address identifying the destination agent and the operation code interpreted as an unlocking code for ending the locking of the output of the message transmission agent onto the input of the message transmission agent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the said operation code is interpreted as a locking code and is also interpreted as a command.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the locking message propagates, to successive message transmission agents between the initiating agent and the destination agent, a locking of a specified output of each of the said successive message transmission agents onto an input of each of said successive message transmission agents through which the locking message arrived.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the messages of the said indivisible sequence of messages following the locking message are transmitted by the successive message transmission agents through a path that is locked the locked path preventing a message coming from another initiating agent from being inserted in the said indivisible sequence of messages.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the unlocking message propagates, to the successive transmission agents between the initiating agents and the destination agent, an unlocking of the successive outputs locked onto their respective input.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the said operation code interpreted as an unlocking code is interpreted as a command.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the said locking message also comprises the number of messages in the indivisible sequence of messages.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein each message of an indivisible sequence of messages generated by an initiating agent and destined for a destination agent comprises information indicating that it is linked in an indivisible manner with the following message, the first message in the said sequence furthermore comprising an address identifying the destination agent.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

on the successive message transmission agents between the initiating agent and the destination agent, a specified output of each of the said successive message transmission agents onto the input through which has arrived a first message of the indivisible sequence comprising information that it is linked in an indivisible manner with the following message, is locked;

the following messages of the indivisible sequence are transmitted, through the locked path; and

the said locked outputs are unlocked on transmission of a last message of the indivisible sequence, which contains information indicating that it is not linked in an indivisible manner with the following message.

10. A system for transmitting a sequence of messages in a point-to-point interconnection network comprising message initiating agents, message destination agents and message transmission agents, wherein an indivisible sequence of messages generated by an initiating agent and destined for a destination agent starts with a locking message comprising an address identifying the destination agent, and an operation code containing information indicating that the sequence is indivisible, wherein said indivisible sequence of messages is terminated by an unlocking message comprising the address identifying the destination agent and the operation code interpreted as an unlocking code, wherein it comprises a transmission agent which comprises at least one output comprising a means of authorization, said means of authorization recognizes the locking operation code and then locks the said output onto an input of the transmission agent, the other inputs of the said transmission agent being able to transmit messages to the other outputs of the said transmission agent, and to unlock the said locked output, and said means of authorization recognizes the unlocking code in the unlocking message and therefore ends the locking of the output onto the input.