Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes an apparatus having an adapter to communicate according to a personal computer (PC) protocol and a second protocol. A first interface coupled to the adapter is to perform address translation and ordering of transactions received from upstream of the adapter. The first interface is coupled in turn via one or more physical units to heterogeneous resources, each of which includes an intellectual property (IP) core and a shim, where the shim is to implement a header of the PC protocol for the IP core to enable its incorporation into the apparatus without modification. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enhancing/extending a serial point-to-point interconnect architecture, such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) is herein described. Temporal and locality caching hints and prefetching hints are provided to improve system wide caching and prefetching. Message codes for atomic operations to arbitrate ownership between system devices/resources are included to allow efficient access/ownership of shared data. Loose transaction ordering provided for while maintaining corresponding transaction priority to memory locations to ensure data integrity and efficient memory access. Active power sub-states and setting thereof is included to allow for more efficient power management. And, caching of device local memory in a host address space, as well as caching of system memory in a device local memory address space is provided for to improve bandwidth and latency for memory accesses.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a consuming logic to request and process data including a critical data portion and a second data portion, the data stored in a memory coupled to a processor interposed between the apparatus and the memory. In addition, the apparatus includes a protocol stack logic coupled to the consuming logic to issue a read request to the memory via the processor to request the data and to receive a plurality of completions responsive to the read request. In an embodiment, the protocol stack logic includes a completion handling logic to send data of a first of the completions to the consuming logic before protocol stack processing is completed on the completions. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In an example, a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) provides pseudorandom bit sequences (PRBSs) to an interconnect for training, testing, and scrambling purposes. The interconnect may include a state machine, with states including LOOPBACK, CENTERING, RECENTERING, and ACTIVE states, among others. The interconnect is permitted to move from “CENTERING” to “LOOPBACK” via a sideband signal. In LOOPBACK, CENTERING, and RECENTERING, PRBSs are used for training and testing purposes to electrically characterize and test the interconnect, and to locate a midpoint for a reference voltage Vref. A unique, noncorrelated PRBS is provided to each lane, calculated using one common output bit.

Abstract: A system-on-a-chip, such as a logical PHY, may be divided into hard IP blocks with fixed routing, and soft IP blocks with flexible routing. Each hard IP block may provide a fixed number of lanes. Using p hard IP blocks, where each block provides n data lanes, h=n*p total hard IP data lanes are provided. Where the system design calls for k total data lanes, it is possible that k?h, so that [k/n] hard IP blocks provide h=n*p available hard IP data lanes. In that case, h?k lanes may be disabled. In cases where lane reversals occur, such as between hard IP and soft IP, bowtie routing may be avoided by the use of a multiplexer-like programmable switch within the soft IP.

Abstract: A device to process data packets for communication across PHY layers which are of different respective communication protocols. In an embodiment, the device includes a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack which are each for a PCIe™ communication protocol. The first protocol stack and a second protocol stack may interface, respectively, with a first physical (PHY) layer and a second PHY layer of the device. The first protocol stack and the second protocol stack may exchange packets to facilitate communications via both the first PHY layer and the second PHY layer. In another embodiment, the first PHY layer is for communication according to the PCIe™ communication protocol and the second PHY layer is for communication according to another, comparatively low power communication protocol.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enhancing/extending a serial point-to-point interconnect architecture, such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) is herein described. Temporal and locality caching hints and prefetching hints are provided to improve system wide caching and prefetching. Message codes for atomic operations to arbitrate ownership between system devices/resources are included to allow efficient access/ownership of shared data. Loose transaction ordering provided for while maintaining corresponding transaction priority to memory locations to ensure data integrity and efficient memory access. Active power sub-states and setting thereof is included to allow for more efficient power management. And, caching of device local memory in a host address space, as well as caching of system memory in a device local memory address space is provided for to improve bandwidth and latency for memory accesses.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and method for synchronizing port entry into a lowest power state are described. All logic of a port placed into an intermediate state prior to entry into the lowest power state.

Abstract: An interconnect architecture device of an aspect includes a processor to generate a transaction that is of a different interconnect protocol than LLI. The interconnect architecture device also includes conversion logic coupled with the processor. The conversion logic is to convert the transaction, which is of the different interconnect protocol than LLI, to an LLI packet. The interconnect architecture device also includes an LLI controller coupled with the conversion logic. The LLI controller is to couple the interconnect architecture device with an LLI link. The LLI controller is to transmit the LLI packet on the LLI link.

Abstract: A system on a chip (SoC) is provided with a multicore processor, a level-2 (L2) cache controller, an L2 cache, an integrated memory controller, and a serial point-to-point link interface to enable communication between the multicore processor and a device. The interface implements a protocol stack and includes a transmitter to transmit serial data to the device and a receiver to deserialize an incoming serial stream. The protocol stack supports a plurality of power management states, including an active state, a first off state, in which a supply voltage is to be provided to the device, and a second off state, in which the supply voltage is not to be provided to the device. In response to an indication the device is ready to enter the active state, the protocol stack provides for accessing the device prior to expiration of a default recovery time to complete the transition.

Abstract: A serial point-to-point link interface to enable communication between a processor and a device, the high speed serial point-to-point link interface including a transmitter to transmit serial data, a receiver to deserialize serial data, and control logic to implement a protocol stack. The protocol stack supports a plurality of power management states, including an active state, a first off state, in which a supply voltage is maintained, and a second off state, in which the supply voltage is not to be provided to the device. The protocol stack provides a default recovery time to allow the device to begin a transition from the first off state to the active state prior to accessing the device. The protocol stack further provides for accessing the device prior to expiration of the default recovery time to complete the transition based on a device-advertised recovery time.

Abstract: A device to process data packets for communication across PHY layers which are of different respective communication protocols. In an embodiment, the device includes a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack which are each for a PCIe™ communication protocol. The first protocol stack and a second protocol stack may interface, respectively, with a first physical (PHY) layer and a second PHY layer of the device. The first protocol stack and the second protocol stack may exchange packets to facilitate communications via both the first PHY layer and the second PHY layer. In another embodiment, the first PHY layer is for communication according to the PCIe™ communication protocol and the second PHY layer is for communication according to another, comparatively low power communication protocol.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a first field of a first link capabilities register of a first device having a protocol stack including a transaction layer and a link layer according to a first communication protocol and a physical layer of the protocol stack having a physical unit of a second communication protocol, using the first field as a pointer value to a location in a second link capabilities register of the first device, and using information from the location in the second link capabilities register to perform a configuration operation for a physical link coupled to the device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In an example, a high-performance interconnect (HPI) is provisioned without a separate stream lane. To provide equivalent functionality, stream lane data are provided within data lines during idle periods. Because one stream lane may be provided per 20 data lanes, elimination of the stream lane saves approximately 5% of area. In a pre-data time, the 20 data lanes may be brought high from midrail to represent one species of data (for example, Intel® in-die interconnect (IDI)), and brought low to represent a second species of data (for example, Intel® on-chip system fabric (IOSF)). To represent additional species of data, such as link control packets (LCPs) for example, lanes can be divided into two or more groups, and a single bit can be encoded into each group. LCP can also be encoded into a post-data time, for example by ceasing flit traffic and manipulating a “VALID” lane from midrail to 0 or 1.

Abstract: In an example, a system and method for centering in a high-performance interconnect (HPI) are disclosed. When an interconnect is powered up from a dormant state, it may be necessary to “center” the clock signal to ensure that data are read at the correct time. A multi-phase method may be used, in which a first phase comprises a reference voltage sweep to identify an optimal reference voltage. A second phase comprises a phase sweep to identify an optimal phase. A third sweep comprises a two-dimensional “eye” phase, in which a plurality of values within a two-dimensional eye derived from the first two sweeps are tested. In each case, the optimal value is the value that results in the fewest bit error across multiple lanes. In one example, the second and third phases are performed in software, and may include testing a “victim” lane, with adjacent “aggressor” lanes having a complementary bit pattern.

Abstract: Data is sent to correspond to a load/store-type operation associated with shared memory over a link according to a memory access link protocol and the memory access link protocol is to be overlaid on another, different link protocol. A request is sent to enter a low power state, where the request is to include a data value encoded in a field of a token, the token is to indicate a start of packet data and is to further indicate whether subsequent data to be sent after the token is to include data according to one of the other link protocol and the memory access link protocol.

Abstract: Techniques for transmitted data through a USB port using a PCIe protocol are described herein. In one example, a method includes detecting a coupling of an apparatus and a PCIe compatible device via a Type-C connector and sending at least one vendor defined message to the PCIe compatible device. The method can also include receiving an alternate mode indicator corresponding to a data transfer via a PCIe protocol and sending an enter mode command to the PCIe compatible device to enable the data transfer between the apparatus and the PCIe compatible device via the PCIe protocol. Furthermore, the method can include transferring data between the apparatus and the PCIe compatible device via the Type-C connector with the PCIe protocol.

Abstract: Techniques for transmitted data through a USB port using a PCIe protocol are described herein. In one example, an apparatus includes a host controller, a root port, a multiplexor coupled to the host controller and the root port and a power delivery module. The power delivery module and the multiplexor can transmit and receive a request via a multimode input/output (I/O) interface and the power delivery module can detect a presence of an external device in response to the external device being coupled to the multimode I/O interface. The power delivery module can also send a first request to the external device to discover a vendor identifier of the external device, send a second request to discover at least one alternate mode supported by the external device, and send a third request to enable data transfer via the protocol.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a counter to count between a start value and an end value according to a local clock signal, a first register to store an output of the counter, a mirror elastic buffer to store samples of the counter output received from the first register, where the mirror elastic buffer is to mirror an elastic buffer of a receiver circuit, and a resolution logic to receive a counter output sample from the mirror elastic buffer and a current counter value output from the counter, and to determine a transit latency for a data element to traverse the receiver circuit based at least in part on the counter output sample and the current counter value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to device power management state transition latency advertisement for faster boot time are described. In some embodiments, a storage unit stores a value corresponding to a requisite transition delay period for a first agent to exit from a low power consumption state. The first agent writes the value to the storage unit and a second agent waits for the requisite transition delay period (after the first agent initiates its exit from the low power consumption state) before the second agent attempts to communicate with the first agent via a link. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.