Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Lawarence J. Merkel
  • Patent number: 6430639
    Abstract: A system and method for using a toggle command for setting and releasing a lock, i.e. a locktoggle. In an exemplary computer system, one or more processors are each coupled to a bus bridge through separate high speed connections, such as a pair of uni-directional address buses with respective source-synchronous clock lines and a bi-directional data bus with attendant source-synchronous clock lines. The locktoggle command is used to transmit both a lock request and an unlock request from a processor to a system coherency. point, e.g. the bus bridge. The system coherency point acknowledges when the lock has been established or released. While the lock is active, other processors are inhibited. from accessing at least the memory locations for which the lock was initiated. Locks are thus established at the system coherency point, which may advantageously allow for locking functionality in a non-shared bus system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Derrick R. Meyer, William K. Lewchuk