By Command Chaining Patents (Class 710/24)
  • Patent number: 7191318
    Abstract: A copy instruction executed by a functional-level instruction-set computing (FLIC) processor copies a variable-length data block from one resource to another resource through a cross-bar switch. Resources include general-purpose registers, input, output, and execution buffers, DRAM, SRAM, and other memory. A copy-with-validate instruction has an operand pointing to a first rule in an immediate rule table. The first rule controls validation of a first data-item in the data being copied. Validation includes range and equality checking of the data-item. The value of the data-item or the current offset can be written to a register. A format field in the rule indicates the size of the data-item, or the size is read from the data-item for variable-size formats. The current offset is incremented by the size. The next data-item is validated by a next rule, and other rules in the immediate table control validation of other data-items in the data block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
    Inventors: Tarun Kumar Tripathy, Millind Mittal, Kaushik L. Popat, Amod Bodas
  • Patent number: 7155541
    Abstract: A direct memory access (DMA) descriptor table to control DMA of information in a memory is disclosed. The DMA descriptor table includes one or more DMA descriptor lists stored in the memory. Each DMA descriptor lists may include one or more pointers and information regarding the type of data being directly memory accessed. The pointers may point to a starting address in the memory from which to directly memory access data, prior state information, or program code from and to the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kumar Ganapathy, Ruban Kanapathippillai, Saurin Shah, George Moussa, Earle F. Philhower, III, Ruchir Shah
  • Patent number: 7139848
    Abstract: According to one embodiment a system is described. The system includes a direct memory access (DMA) controller and an input/output (I/O) device coupled to the DMA controller. The DMA controller is adaptable to operate in a normal mode and a descriptor mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventors: James Murray, Jean-Didier Allegrucci
  • Patent number: 7130933
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for handling Input/Output (I/O) requests. A bus enables communication with an initiator, target device and device controller, wherein the device controller accesses the target device to execute I/O commands directed to the target device. An I/O request command is received to access the target device. The initiator is configured to transmit at least one data request on the bus to one memory address in a predefined address window of the device controller. The device controller is enabled to claim the data request to the memory address in the predefined address window from the initiator on the bus to execute the data request against the target device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Sailesh Bissessur, Richard P. Mackey, Mark A. Schmisseur, David R. Smith
  • Patent number: 7113937
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for improving the performance of computer-implemented I/O operations for complex applications, such as databases. Applications that are ported to the IBM OS/390 UNIX System Services may be enhanced by the present invention to improve I/O performance. That is, the present invention may be implemented by augmenting general-purpose I/O access features with specialized I/O access operations that are tailored to enhance I/O access performance for complex applications, such as databasbes, on the IBM OS/390 UNIX System Services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Harold Goode, William Earl Malloy
  • Patent number: 7058735
    Abstract: An apparatus for local direct memory access control includes a processor unit for generating a direct memory access designator when needed data is not available and continuing processing which does not require the unavailable data. A memory access designator holder receives the memory access designator, and a local data memory access controller performs a data memory access transaction in accordance with the content of a descriptor. Staging registers hold components of a data memory access designator and transfer the components to a selected portion of the data memory access designator holder. The data memory access controller transfers the contents of the staging registers to the data memory access designator holder when one of the staging registers is written to by the processor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Emulex Design & Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas Vincent Spencer
  • Patent number: 7054959
    Abstract: A processing section reserves a number of transfers for an isochronous packet which includes isochronous data in an transfer number reservation register TNREG. A DMAC1 reads that isochronous packet from SRAM, and the thus-read isochronous packet is transferred automatically to a BUS1 (IEEE 1394 or USB) side at each isochronous transfer cycle until the number of transfers reserved in TNREG reaches zero. An SRAM header area is divided into page K and page L areas, and registers TNREGK and TNREGL are provided for reserving a number of transfers for each of the page K and L areas. During a special reproduction, a data pointer is used to select a TS packet which includes an I picture, for automatic transfer to the BUS1 side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Saito, Daisuke Sato, Yoshimi Oka
  • Patent number: 7028120
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing LDRQ input pin count of a low pin count (LPC) host are provided. The LPC host is series of connecting with a plurality of peripheral devices, the peripheral device having a LDRQ control device within. The LDRQ control device comprises a LDRQ to DRQ decoder, a DRQ arbiter, and a DRQ to LDRQ encoder. In the LDRQ control device, a LDRQ signal is decoded into a DRQ signal via the LDRQ to DRQ decoder and then the DRQ signal is priority arbitrated via the DRQ arbiter. Next, the arbitrated DRQ signal is transferred into a LDRQ signal via DRQ to LDRQ encoder. Following, the LDRQ signal is outputted into the next stage peripheral device or to output into a LDRQ input pin of the LPC host, so as the LPC host only need one LDRQ input pin for purposing to effectively reduce the LDRQ input pin count and lower the manufacturing cost of the LPC host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chih-Wei Hu, Chia-Chun Lien, Wallace Huang
  • Patent number: 7013353
    Abstract: A host system is provided with one or more host-fabric adapters installed therein for connecting to a switched fabric of a data network. The host-fabric adapter may comprise at least one Micro-Engine (ME) arranged to establish connections and support data transfers, via a switched fabric, in response to work requests from a host system for data transfers; interface blocks arranged to interface the switched fabric and the host system, and send/receive work requests and/or data messages for data transfers, via the switched fabric, and configured to provide context information needed for said Micro-Engine (ME) to process work requests for data transfers, via the switched fabric, wherein the Micro-Engine (ME) is implemented with a pipelined instruction execution architecture to handle one or more ME instructions and/or one or more tasks in parallel in order to process data messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Balaji Parthasarathy, Dominic J. Gasbarro
  • Patent number: 7003635
    Abstract: A system and method provides active inheritance on memory writes such that entities issuing later writes ensure that the effects of earlier writes to the same memory block will be seen. A write chain is preferably formed by storing information and state in miss address file (MAF) entries maintained by the entities. The write chain links the entities requesting write access to the memory block. When the desired memory block becomes available, the information and state stored at the MAF entries is then utilized by each entity in ensuring that all earlier writes are complete before its write is allowed to complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Stephen R. Van Doren
  • Patent number: 7003593
    Abstract: A computer system architecture and memory controller for close-coupling within a hybrid computing system using an adaptive processor interface port (“APIP”) added to, or in conjunction with, the memory and I/O controller chip of the core logic. Memory accesses to and from this port, as well as the main microprocessor bus, are then arbitrated by the memory control circuitry forming a portion of the controller chip. In this fashion, both the microprocessors and the adaptive processors of the hybrid computing system exhibit equal memory bandwidth and latency. In addition, because it is a separate electrical port from the microprocessor bus, the APIP is not required to comply with, and participate in, all FSB protocol. This results in reduced protocol overhead which results higher yielded payload on the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: SRC Computers, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon M. Huppenthal, Thomas R. Seeman, Lee A. Burton
  • Patent number: 6993598
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing direct memory access transfers. Monitoring is performed for an event to pass ownership of a direct memory access resource to a new thread. A buffer of the new thread is added by an operating system component to the end of a direct memory access chain of requests from the current thread. The addition of this buffer to the end of a direct memory access chain provides an anchor point for the new thread to add additional requests for the direct memory access resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Anthony Pafumi, Robert Paul Stelzer, Wei Kuo
  • Patent number: 6954806
    Abstract: A data transfer apparatus and method that can make efficient use of a memory and a common bus by controlling a DMA controller through descriptor control, and can thereby achieve a data transfer with increased communication processing speed. The data transfer apparatus, which executes a DMA transfer by controlling the DMA controller through the use of a descriptor, includes: a first storage mechanism for storing descriptor common information that can be shared among a plurality of descriptors; a second storage mechanism for storing descriptor individual information that differs for each individual descriptor; and a conversion circuit for taking as inputs the descriptor common information read out of the first storage mechanism and the descriptor individual information read out of the second storage mechanism, and for outputting descriptor information to be supplied to the DMA controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Atuyuki Yosimoto, Kazumi Hayasaka, Hiroshi Saito, Yoshimasa Suetsugu
  • Patent number: 6944682
    Abstract: Direct memory access (DMA) controllers are used in digital processing of image data in image processing devices such as digital copiers, scanners, printers and fax machines. The DMA controllers are controlled for memory access by a predetermined resume signal that is sent from one DMA controller to another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomonori Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6941391
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing transfer latencies in fencepost buffering requires that a cache is provided between a host and a network controller having shared memory. The cache is divided into a dual cache having a top cache and a bottom cache. A first and second descriptor address location are fetched from shared memory. The two descriptors are discriminated from one another in that the first descriptor address location is a location of an active descriptor and the second descriptor address location is a location of a reserve/lookahead descriptor. The active descriptor is copied to the top cache. A command is issued to DMA for transfer of the active descriptor. The second descriptor address location is then copied into the first descriptor address. The next descriptor address location from external memory is then fetched and placed in the second descriptor address location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Christian D. Kasper
  • Patent number: 6938105
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus improves speed and efficiency of transfer of bit data, especially, multivalue data bit plane. For this purpose, a memory 50 holds four 8-bit multivalue data per 1 word, and bit plane coding processing is made by 4×4 (=16) multivalue data (processing block). In a memory area 51, the most significant bit (bit 7) of respective multivalue data (data 0 to 15 in FIG. 5) is collected in the order of multivalue data, and stored in one position (hatched portions in FIG. 5). Similarly, bit 6 is collected from the respective multivalue data and stored in one position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kinya Osa
  • Patent number: 6934770
    Abstract: A single hardware I/O control block is used to efficiently abort a target I/O command for a target I/O device, e.g., one target I/O device in a plurality of target I/O devices. The abort command is included in the same hardware I/O control block that specified the target I/O command to be aborted. Execution of both the target I/O command and the abort command returns only one hardware I/O control block pointer and generates only one interrupt to a host system when both the target I/O command and the abort command are completed. All time relationships between the execution of the abort command and execution of the original target I/O command are supported. There are no holes where the abort command is lost or where the host system is advised of target I/O command completion prematurely, or is not advised of completion at all.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Adaptec, Inc.
    Inventor: B. Arlen Young
  • Patent number: 6922741
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a status register for each channel of a DMA controller. The status register may be used to monitor and record events that occur during DMA data transfers, including timeouts and aborts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Burton, Jennifer Wang, Aniruddha Joshi
  • Patent number: 6914606
    Abstract: A video output controller has a video output buffer, a DMA controller, and a display controller. The display controller has a DMA command list processor configured to determine which of the DMA commands contained in the DMA command list must be issued, an initialize signal port configured to receive an initialize signal for starting initialization, a step signal port configured to receive a step signal for starting the issuance of the DMA command, and an external signal processor configured to provide the DMA command list processor with a timing signal for issuing a DMA command according to the initialize signal and step signal .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Jiro Amemiya, Kouki Uesugi
  • Patent number: 6901463
    Abstract: A method for linking work requests in a work queue with entries on a queue of completed requests. For each work queue, a tracking list is created. Each tracking list is linked to one queue of completed requests. When a work request is added to a given work queue, an entry is added to the associated tracking list. The entry in the tracking list contains all of the information needed to uniquely associate a completion queue entry to the work request that caused the completion queue entry. When a completion queue entry is retrieved from the completion queue, the tracking list for the work queue is searched for an entry corresponding to the completion queue entry. The work request that caused the completion queue entry is then identified from the information in the tracking list entry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen A. Jay, Mark R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6898657
    Abstract: A multi-processor arrangement having an interprocessor communication path between each of every possible pair of processors, in addition to I/O paths to and from the arrangement, having signal processing functions configurably embedded in series with the communication paths and/or the I/O paths. Each processor is provided with a local memory which can be accessed by the local processor as well as by the other processors via the communications paths. This allows for efficient data movement from one processor's local memory to another processor's local memory, such as commonly done during signal processing corner turning operations. Configurable signal processing logic may be configured to host one or more signal processing functions which allow data to be autonomously accessed from the processor local memories, processed, and re-deposited in a local memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Tera Force Technology Corp.
    Inventor: Winthrop W. Smith
  • Patent number: 6883088
    Abstract: The ManArray processor is a scalable indirect VLIW array processor that defines two preferred architectures for indirect VLIW memories. One approach treats the VIM as one composite block of memory using one common address interface to access any VLIW stored in the VIM. The second approach treats the VIM as made up of multiple smaller VIMs each individually associated with the functional units and each individually addressable for loading and reading during XV execution. The VIM memories, contained in each processing element (PE), are accessible by the same type of LV and XV Short Instruction Words (SIWs) as in a single processor instantiation of the indirect VLIW architecture. In the ManArray architecture, the control processor, also called a sequence processor (SP), fetches the instructions from the SIW memory and dispatches them to itself and the PEs. By using the LV instruction, VLIWs can be loaded into VIMs in the SP and the PEs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: PTS Corporation
    Inventors: Edwin Frank Barry, Gerald G. Pechanek
  • Patent number: 6862631
    Abstract: A single host adapter hardware I/O control block contains information used to specify a transfer of data from a host system to a first target device and in addition information that specifies whether the data is to be mirrored, and if so, optionally identifies a second target device on which the data is to be mirrored. After transferring the single hardware I/O control block to the host adapter integrated circuit, the host adapter integrated circuit determines whether the hardware I/O control block specifies a mirrored transaction. If a mirrored transaction is specified, the host adapter integrated circuit generates a second hardware I/O control block for the second target device using the information in the first hardware I/O control block. When the execution of both hardware I/O control blocks is complete, the host adapter integrated circuit provides a single completion notification to the host system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Adaptec, Inc.
    Inventor: B. Arlen Young
  • Patent number: 6826634
    Abstract: The present invention manages memory buffers in network device drivers in a flexible operating system (e.g., the Solaris operating system) that increase performance of the operating system at high throughputs with no detriment to the flexible nature of the operating system. Embodiments of the present invention reuse the (same) allocated and dma_binded memory buffers again and again, eliminating the repeated memory management of each data packet. In one embodiment, an rx-descriptor ring is treated as a true circular ring. A new data structure named rxbuffer_id is also defined along with a device-freemsg( ) function. In another embodiment, a device driver allocates and links a memory block (e.g., a rxbuffer_id data structure) with a message block at the time of allocating the message block for relocating incoming data packets. The memory block contains all the needed information for reuse of the message block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Raman Viswa Nath
  • Patent number: 6810448
    Abstract: A message-based I/O architecture comprising a list describing one or more source buffers and a message header. The list may be segmented in multiple memory locations. The message header may be configured to (i) indicate whether the list is segmented and (ii) provide information for linking the list when the list is segmented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen B. Johnson, Timothy E. Hoglund, Guy W. Kendall
  • Patent number: 6804698
    Abstract: A data reception unit for receiving a plurality of data streams over a data channel. The data streams are received as amounts of data, each amount of data comprising a data portion including data from a data stream and an identity portion identifying that data stream. The data reception unit comprises a data stream memory comprising a plurality of data stream storage areas and a buffer, a first storage information memory for holding first storage information, a processing unit, and a data storage controller. The data storage controller, for each received amount of data, receives the identity portion of the amount of data and performs a storage operation based on the identity portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics Limited
    Inventors: Neil Richards, Gajinder Singh Panesar, John Carey, Peter Thompson
  • Patent number: 6801958
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system (10) for data transfer is disclosed that comprises a transfer memory (24) having one or more buffers (40, 42, 44, 46, and 48). Accessing units comprising direct memory access units (20 and 22) are coupled to the transfer memory (24) and are operable to access the transfer memory (24). Pointers (50, 52, and 54) stored in the transfer memory (24) direct the accessing units (20 and 22) to selected ones of the buffers (44, 46, and 48) such that no two accessing units (20 and 22) are simultaneously accessing one buffer (44, 46, and 48). More specifically, the pointers (50, 52, and 54) may also direct a memory control unit (30) to a buffer that is not being accessed by an accessing units (20 and 22). According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for data transfer is disclosed. First, a transfer memory (24) comprising one or more buffers (40, 42, 44, 46, and 48) is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Robert Glenn Gugel
  • Patent number: 6799232
    Abstract: A physical interface card for connection to a data bus associated with a data network node is provided. The physical interface card is adapted to perform without supervision from other data bus connected devices: byte ordering, byte alignment and byte scattering/gathering in conveying data between a data bus connected central memory block and at least one data channel associated with the physical interface card. The functionality is provided via a special function direct memory address device operating in accordance with byte ordering specifications for: data stored in the shared memory block and data conveyed via the at least one data channel. The byte alignment is enabled by direct byte addressing techniques as well as the use of an orphan counter to keep track of processed bytes. An implementation of the orphan counter as a state machine reduces processing overheads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor V.N., Inc.
    Inventor: Yi-Wen Wang
  • Patent number: 6754734
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer products that improve the performance of computer-implemented I/O operations for complex applications, such as a database, that are ported to target computer systems that are not tailored to support the high-performance services that may benefit applications. Complex applications, such as a database, often manage I/O access operations by a caching mechanism that is tailored to the needs of the application. When porting an application to a target computer system that does not support certain I/O access features, I/O performance of the application may be limited. The present invention may be implemented by introducing specialized I/O access features that are tailored to enhance I/O access performance for complex applications, such as a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Harold Goode, William Earl Malloy
  • Patent number: 6738837
    Abstract: A digital system having a split transaction memory access. The digital system can access data from a system memory through a read buffer (FIFO) located between the processor of the digital system and the system bus. The read buffer is implemented with two FIFOs, a first incoming data FIFO for reading data, and a second outgoing address FIFO for transmitting read requests. The processor of the digital system can access the data FIFO and read data while the data transfer is still in progress. This decreases the processing latency, which allows the processor to be free to perform additional tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Cradle Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: David C. Wyland
  • Patent number: 6735642
    Abstract: A method of direct memory access (DMA) includes receiving a first notification at a DMA engine that a first list of descriptors has been prepared, each of the descriptors in the list including an instruction for execution by the DMA engine and a link to a succeeding one of the descriptors, except for a final descriptor in the list, which has a null link. The DMA engine reads and executes the descriptors in the first list. When the DMA engine receives a second notification that a second list of the descriptors has been prepared, it rereads at least a part of the final descriptor in the first list to determine a changed value of the link, indicating a first descriptor in the second list. It then reads and executes the descriptors in the second list responsive to the changed value of the link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Mellanox Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Michael Kagan, Ariel Shahar, Diego Crupnicoff
  • Patent number: 6728797
    Abstract: A DMA controller has a cycle register in which the number of data transfer cycles to be performed in response to a single DMA transfer request is set, a cycle counter for counting the number of data transfer cycles actually performed, and a transfer counter for holding a value that is updated every time the number of data transfer cycles as held in the cycle register are completed. From the start to the end of the data transfer cycles, the number held in the cycle register is kept unchanged, and the data transfer cycles are performed until the value held in the transfer counter becomes equal to a predetermined value. In this configuration, even in a case where a predetermined number of DMA transfer cycles are performed in response to a single DMA transfer request and a plurality of DMA transfer requests are made in succession, the CPU has to set in the DMA controller only once the addresses of the source and destination locations and the values to be held in the cycle register and the transfer counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Rohm Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Miura
  • Patent number: 6728791
    Abstract: A single host adapter hardware I/O control block contains information used to specify a transfer of data from a first target device to a host system and in addition information that specifies whether the data is mirrored, and if so, identifies a second target device on which the data is to be read. After transferring the single hardware I/O control block to the host adapter integrated circuit, the host adapter integrated circuit determines whether the hardware I/O control block specifies a mirrored transaction. If a mirrored transaction is specified, the host adapter integrated circuit generates a second hardware I/O control block for the second target device using the information in the first hardware I/O control block. When the execution of both hardware I/O control blocks is complete, the host adapter integrated circuit provides a single completion notification to the host system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Adaptec, Inc.
    Inventor: B. Arlen Young
  • Patent number: 6718405
    Abstract: A controller generally comprising a DMA engine, a processor, and a circuit. The DMA engine may be configured to copy from a system memory to a local memory. The processor may be configured to process a message written in the local memory. The circuit may operate independently of the processor. The circuit may be configured to (i) monitor writes to the local memory for the message having a first pointer and (ii) program the DMA engine to copy a first buffer identified by the first pointer in response to the first pointer having a non-null value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Rogers
  • Patent number: 6704857
    Abstract: The ManArray processor is a scalable indirect VLIW array processor that defines two preferred architectures for indirect VLIW memories. One approach treats the VIM as one composite block of memory using one common address interface to access any VLIW stored in the VIM. The second approach treats the VIM as made up of multiple smaller VIMs each individually associated with the functional units and each individually addressable for loading and reading during XV execution. The VIM memories, contained in each processing element (PE), are accessible by the same type of LV and XV Short Instruction Words (SIWs) as in a single processor instantiation of the indirect VLIW architecture. In the ManArray architecture, the control processor, also called a sequence processor (SP), fetches the instructions from the SIW memory and dispatches them to itself and the PEs. By using the LV instruction, VLIWs can be loaded into VIMs in the SP and the PEs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: PTS Corporation
    Inventors: Edwin Frank Barry, Gerald G. Pechanek
  • Patent number: 6697885
    Abstract: An automated direct memory access system is implemented as an advanced ATA host IC for mother board or adapter applications. The system transfers data from two independent ATA channels using the ATA Ultra-100 protocols. The ADMA implements a command chaining technique to de-couple the host command sequence from channel execution. Software builds a command chain for hardware execution. The ADMA hardware independently reads command chain requests from memory and executes the next task on the list. When the ADMA hardware completes a task, it interrupts the host in order to inform the host that the task is complete, but immediately proceeds to the next task without waiting for interrupt servicing by the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Anthony E. B. Goodfellow
  • Patent number: 6691178
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing transfer latencies in fencepost buffering requires that a cache is provided between a host and a network controller having shared memory. The cache is divided into a dual cache having a top cache and a bottom cache. A first and second descriptor address location are fetched from shared memory. The two descriptors are discriminated from one another in that the first descriptor address location is a location of an active descriptor and the second descriptor address location is a location of a reserve/lookahead descriptor. The active descriptor is copied to the top cache. A command is issued to DMA for transfer of the active descriptor. The second descriptor address location is then copied into the first descriptor address. The next descriptor address location from external memory is then fetched and placed in the second descriptor address location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Christian D. Kasper
  • Patent number: 6678755
    Abstract: A direct memory access (DMA) controller for controlling memory access operations in a memory. During a memory access operation, the DMA controller executes a chain of DMA commands stored in a memory and having a respective address. The DMA controller can enter a self-linking mode where additional DMA commands can be appended to the end of the command chain without terminating the memory access operation, regardless of whether the last DMA command of the command chain has been executed by the DMA controller. The self-linking mode is entered when a link-address provided by the last DMA command matches a code. The code to cause the DMA controller to enter the self-linking mode may be a link address which points to the last executed DMA command, or alternatively, a predetermined bit pattern. The DMA controller exits the self-linking command and continues the memory access operation upon detecting a new link address for a new DMA command that is to be appended to the command chain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James R. Peterson, Aaftab Munshi, Mohammed Sriti
  • Patent number: 6668287
    Abstract: Apparatus and a method for generating an interrupt when a direct memory access by an I/O device is desired, suspending the operation of the microprocessor in response to the interrupt, placing state of the morph host to a last known correct state in response to the interrupt, determining the memory operation commanded by the I/O device, and utilizing the microprocessor to execute the memory operation commanded by the I/O device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Transmeta Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick Boyle, David Keppel, Alex Klaiber, Edmund Kelly
  • Publication number: 20030229733
    Abstract: Related DMA transfers are chained by detecting a memory access to a selectable location corresponding to a first DMA transfer. A second DMA transfer may be initiated without CPU intervention in response to the detected memory access. Data transfers such as those related to data communications may be overlapped without waiting for reception of the entire communication. The present invention increases system throughput while reducing data latency and is particularly useful within systems that use intelligent peripherals or controllers. The architecture of the present invention permits deployment within existing systems using both chainable and conventional DMA devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Publication date: December 11, 2003
    Inventors: David Frank Hepner, Andrew Dale Walls
  • Patent number: 6640258
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for hard disk drive command queue ordering. A command received from a host is placed in a rotational order command list. A fraction of the rotational order command list is analyzed. Commands are analyzed with a maximum selection probability. A maximum analysis time before the currently executing command is completed is determined. The total analysis time cannot exceed the maximum analysis time. The fraction of the rotational order command list is analyzed in a first pass. A skip-sort interval is selected based upon the maximum analysis time and a current queue depth of the rotational order command list. In a second pass, the number of commands analyzed corresponds with the number of commands that can be analyzed in the remaining available processing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Adam Michael Espeseth, David Robison Hall
  • Patent number: 6629161
    Abstract: A data processing system comprises: a plurality of data processing modules for performing a series of data processing, wherein each of the plurality of data processing modules processes data; a bus connected to each of the plurality of data processing modules; a memory controller for writing the data processed by each of the plurality of data processing modules into a memory via the bus, and for reading out the written data from the memory via the bus; a DMA controller for determining operation of each of the plurality of data processing modules, and outputting an address to the memory controller, the data processed by said data processing module being written at the address and the DMA controller including a data parallel processing control section. The plurality of data processing modules includes first and second data processing modules, and the second data processing module is subsequent to the first data processing module in the series of processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsuki, Kensuke Takai
  • Publication number: 20030179712
    Abstract: The quality and performance of the connectionless communications system are improved. When a BOM is received, the destination address DA of the L3-PDU stored in the payload of the BOM is retrieved, and the tag information is obtained from the DA (S11). The output message identifier MID is reserved (S12), and the tag information and output MID are assigned to the BOM (S13). Then, the tag information and output MID are written to the table. When a COM is received, the tag information and output MID are retrieved using the MID of the COM as a key, and the information is provided for the COM (S31 and S32). When an EOM is received, the tag information and output MID are retrieved using the MID of the EOM as a key, and the information is provided for the EOM (S41 and S42). Then, the output MID is released (S43).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 1999
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Inventors: YASUSI KOBAYASHI, YOSHIHIRO WATANABE, HIROSHI NISHIDA, MASAMI MURAYAMA, NAOYUKI IZAMA, YASUHIRO ASO, YOSHIHIRO UCHIDA, HIROMI YAMANAKA, JIN ABE, YOSHIHISA TSURUTA, YOSHIHARU KATO, SATOSHI KAKUMA, SHIRO URIU, NORIKO SAMEJIMA, EIJI ISHIOKA, SHIGERU SEKINE, YOSHIYUKI KARAKAWA, ATSUSHI KAGAWA, MIKIO NAKAYAMA, MIYUKI KAWATAKA, SATOSHI ESAKA, NOBUYUKI TSUTSUI, FUMIO HIRASE, ATSUKO SUZUKI, SHOUJI KOHIRA, KENICHI OKABE, TAKASHI HATANO, YASUHIRO NISHIKAWA, JUN ITOH, SHINICHI ARAYA
  • Patent number: 6615292
    Abstract: A DMA transfer device according to the present invention allows data to be transferred from non-consecutive addresses. A logical address controller checks if logical addresses of data transferred from an input/output bus are consecutive. If they are not consecutive, the logical address controller sends an address non-consecutive interrupt to an input/output controller. The input/output controller sets a physical address, corresponding to the logical address received from the input/output bus, into a physical address controller. The physical address controller checks if a page change has occurred in the physical address and, if it detects the page change, sends a page change interrupt to the input/output controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Sota
  • Patent number: 6587897
    Abstract: An emulation system functions to translate instructions comprising a target application of a target system into corresponding instructions native to a host system and executes the instructions on the host system. During execution, the emulation system encounters target disk read/write operations. As the memory architectures of the host and target computer systems differ, the data in host memory is conformed to a target memory format when data in keyboard memory buffer is processed. Also, the host and target disk controllers cause storage of data on diskettes in differing byte orders. However, the emulation system performs disk/read write operations without byte-reversal prior to disk-write or subsequent to disk read operations. Thus, the host does not produce storage media having data conforming to that of target storage media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew T. Jennings, G. Lawrence Krablin, Timothy Neilson Fender, William Stratton
  • Patent number: 6574683
    Abstract: An external direct memory access unit includes an event recognizer storing plural event types in an event register, a priority encoder selecting for service one recognized external event, a parameter memory storing service request parameters corresponding to each event type and an external direct memory access controller recalling service request parameters from the parameter memory corresponding to recognized events and submitting them to a centralized direct memory access unit. The external direct memory access controller may update source or destination address for a next occurrence of an event type by adding an offset or updating an address pointer to a linked list. The centralized direct memory access unit queues data transfer parameters on a priority channel basis and stalls the external direct memory access controller for a particular priority level it the corresponding queue is full.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: David A. Comisky, Iain Robertson
  • Patent number: 6536034
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process and a device for modifying code sequences written into a first memory (2) of a medium. A central processing unit (1) executes code sequences and the first memory contains a main program comprising at least one code sequence executable by the central processing unit (1). The first memory also comprises a second, programmable nonvolatile memory (3), and a third working memory (4). A branch table TAB_DER contained in the second programmable memory contains at least one field containing reference data for a new code sequence stored in one of the memories. Branching instructions allow a deferred branch from the executed code sequence to the new code sequence written into one of the three memories. Instructions in the new code sequence allow the return to a point of the code sequence executed before the branch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Bull CP8
    Inventor: Azad Nassor
  • Patent number: 6532232
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and a system for transporting A/V data over a serial bus. A memory space is allocated for a set of buffers to store a plurality of CIPs. Each of the CIPs includes a header field and a data field with the header field having a SYT field for storing a presentation time. Initial CIP header values are generated including initial SYT field values for each of the CIP header fields in the set of buffers. A circular DMA script program is generated and configured to describe a set of full and empty CIPs for each of the buffers. The circular DMA script program is configured to transmit the CIPs from the buffers. The generated DMA script program is executed to sequentially transmit the CIPs from the buffers by traversing the buffers in a circular manner so that the transmitted CIPs are presented at the associated presentation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Adaptec, Inc.
    Inventor: James S. Goodwin, III
  • Patent number: 6505264
    Abstract: An information transmitting apparatus is included in a system for transmitting information through a bus (B), for transmitting the information onto the bus. The information transmitting apparatus is provided with: an initialization detecting device (1) for detecting whether or not the bus is initialized; an obtaining device (6) for obtaining post-initialization information, which is the information transmitted on the bus immediately after an initialization of the bus when the initialization of the bus is detected by the initialization detecting device; and a transmission controlling device (3) for judging whether or not transmission information, which is the information to be transmitted onto the bus, can be transmitted in accordance with the obtained post-initialization information, and then transmitting the transmission information onto the bus if it is judged that the transmission information can be transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Kinya Ono, Makoto Matsumaru, Sho Murakoshi, Hidemi Usuba, Kunihiro Minoshima, Seiichi Hasebe
  • Patent number: 6499066
    Abstract: The present invention provides fiber channel networks the ability to use extended link service commands to convey implementation dependent information between ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Giles R. Frazier