Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing ownership upgrade requests in relation to cached data. The apparatus has a plurality of processing units, at least some of which have associated cache storage. A coherent interconnect couples the plurality of master units with memory, the coherent interconnect having a snoop unit used to implement a cache coherency protocol when a request received by the coherent interconnect identifies a cacheable memory address within the memory. Contention management circuitry is provided to control contended access to a memory address by two or more processing units within the plurality of processing units.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for an interface based system that may be composed of a diverse set of blocks with different data bus sizes. These different data bus sizes can be optimized by permitting partial data transfers on the different sized buses.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for an interface based system that may be composed of a diverse set of blocks with different data bus sizes. These different data bus sizes can be optimized by permitting partial data transfers on the different sized buses.

Abstract: A memory controller comprises memory access circuitry configured to initiate a data access of data stored in a memory in response to a data access hint message received from another node in data communication with the memory controller; to access data stored in the memory in response to a data access request received from another node in data communication with the memory controller and to provide the accessed data as a data access response to the data access request.

Abstract: In a system-on-chip there is a local interconnect to connect local devices on the chip to one another, a gateway to connect the chip to a remote chip of a plurality of chips in a cache-coherent multi-chip system via an inter-chip interconnect, and a cache-coherent device. The cache-coherent device has a cache-coherency look-up table having entries for shared cache data lines. When a data access request is received via the inter-chip interconnect and the local interconnect a system-unique identifier for a request source of the data access request is generated in dependence on an inter-chip request source identifier used on the inter-chip interconnect and an identifier indicative of the remote chip. The bit-set used to express the system-unique identifier is larger than the bit-set used to express the inter-chip request source identifier.

Abstract: A data processing system (2) incorporates a first exclusive cache memory (8, 10) and a second exclusive cache memory (14). A snoop filter (18) located together with the second exclusive cache memory on one side of the communication interface (12) serves to track entries within the first exclusive cache memory. The snoop filter includes retention data storage circuitry to store retention data for controlling retention of cache entries within the second exclusive cache memory. Retention data transfer circuitry (20) serves to transfer the retention data to and from the retention data storage circuitry within the snoop filter and the second cache memory as the cache entries concerned are transferred between the second exclusive cache memory and the first exclusive cache memory.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing ownership upgrade requests in relation to cached data. The apparatus has a plurality of processing units, at least some of which have associated cache storage. A coherent interconnect couples the plurality of master units with memory, the coherent interconnect having a snoop unit used to implement a cache coherency protocol when a request received by the coherent interconnect identifies a cacheable memory address within the memory. Contention management circuitry is provided to control contended access to a memory address by two or more processing units within the plurality of processing units.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for managing snoop operations. The apparatus has an interface for receiving access requests from any of N master devices that have associated cache storage, each access request specifying a memory address within memory associated with the apparatus. Snoop filter storage is provided that has a plurality of snoop filter entries, where each snoop filter entry identifies a memory portion and snoop control information indicative of the master devices that have accessed that memory portion. When an access request received at the interface specifies a memory address that is within the memory portion associated with a snoop filter entry, snoop control circuitry uses the snoop control information in that snoop filter entry to determine which master devices to subject to a snoop operation.

Abstract: An interconnect system and method of operating the system are disclosed. A master device has access to a cache and a slave device has an associated data storage device for long-term storage of data items. The master device can initiate a cache maintenance operation in the interconnect system with respect to a data item temporarily stored in the cache causing action to be taken by the slave device with respect to storage of the data item in the data storage device. For long latency operations the master device can issue a separated cache maintenance request specifying the data item and the slave device. In response an intermediate device signals an acknowledgment response indicating that it has taken on responsibility for completion of the cache maintenance operation and issues the separated cache maintenance request to the slave device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for data transfer in a data processing network uses both ordered and optimized write requests. A first write request is received at a first node of the data processing network is directed to a first address and has a first stream identifier. The first node determines if any previous write request with the same first stream identifier is pending. When a previous write request is pending, a request for an ordered write is sent to a Home Node of the data processing network associated with the first address. When no previous write request to the first stream identifier is pending, a request for an optimized write is sent to the Home Node. The Home Node and first node are configured to complete a sequence of ordered write requests before the associated data is made available to other elements of the data processing network.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing burst read transactions. The apparatus has a master device and a slave device coupled to the master device via a connection medium. The master device comprises processing circuitry for initiating a burst read transaction that causes the master device to issue to the slave device, via the connection medium, an address transfer specifying a read address. The slave device is arranged to process the burst read transaction by causing a plurality of data items required by the burst read transaction to be obtained based on the read address specified by the address transfer, and by performing a plurality of data transfers over the connection medium in order to transfer the plurality of data items to the master device.

Abstract: In a data processing network comprising a Request, Home and Slave Nodes coupled via a coherent interconnect, a Home Node performs a read transaction in response to a read request from a Request Node. In a first embodiment, the transaction is terminated in the Home Node upon receipt of a read receipt from a Slave Node, acknowledging a read request from the Home Node. In a second embodiment, the Home Node sends a message to the Request Node indicating that a read transaction has been ordered in the Home Node and further indicating that data for the read transaction is provided in a separate data response. The transaction is terminated in the Home Node upon receipt of an acknowledge from the Request Node of this message. In this manner, the transaction is terminated in the Home Node without waiting for acknowledgement from the Request Node of completion of the transaction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing burst read transactions. The apparatus has a master device and a slave device coupled to the master device via a connection medium. The master device comprises processing circuitry for initiating a burst read transaction that causes the master device to issue to the slave device, via the connection medium, an address transfer specifying a read address. The slave device is arranged to process the burst read transaction by causing a plurality of data items required by the burst read transaction to be obtained based on the read address specified by the address transfer, and by performing a plurality of data transfers over the connection medium in order to transfer the plurality of data items to the master device.

Abstract: A fault tolerant data processing network includes a number of nodes intercoupled through an interconnect circuit. The micro-architectures of the nodes are configured for sending and receiving messages via the interconnect circuit. In operation, a first Request Node sends a read request to a Home Node. In response, the Home Node initiates transmission of the requested data to the first Request Node. When the first Request Node detects that a fault has occurred, it sends a negative-acknowledgement message to the first Home Node. In response, the Home Node again initiates transmission of the requested data to the first Request Node. The requested data may be transmitted from a local cache of a second Request Node or transmitted by a Slave Node after being retrieved from a memory. The data may be transmitted to the first Request Node via the Home Node or directly via the interconnect.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes receiving circuitry to receive a snoop request sent by a source node in respect of requested data and transmitting circuitry. Cache circuitry caches at least one data value. The snoop request includes an indication as to whether the requested data is to be returned to the source node and when the at least one data value includes the requested data, the transmitting circuitry transmits a response to the source node including said requested data, in dependence on said indication.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for ordering a sequence of processing transactions. The method includes accessing, from a memory, a program sequence of operations that are to be executed. Instructions are received, some of them having an identifier, or mnemonic, that is used to distinguish those identified operations from other operations that do not have an identifier, or mnemonic. The mnemonic indicates a distribution of the execution of the program sequence of operations. The program sequence of operations is grouped based on the mnemonic such that certain operations are separated from other operations.

Abstract: A data processing system comprises a master node to initiate data transmissions; one or more slave nodes to receive the data transmissions; and a home node to control coherency amongst data stored by the data processing system; in which at least one data transmission from the master node to one of the one or more slave nodes bypasses the home node.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first device configured to generate a transaction request targeted to a first address, a switch, coupled to the first device and configured to the route the transaction request, a port coupled to the peripheral switch and the data processing network, and a system memory management unit, coupled to the port. The system memory management unit is configured for receiving an address query for the first address from the peripheral port translating the first address to a second address, accessing attributes of a device associated with the second address and responding to the query. Access validation for the transaction request is confirmed or denied dependent upon the second address and the attributes of the device associated with the second address. The first device may be a peripheral device, the switch may be a peripheral switch and the port may be a peripheral port.

Abstract: A data processing system comprises a master node to initiate data transmissions; one or more slave nodes to receive the data transmissions; and a home node to control coherency amongst data stored by the data processing system; in which at least one data transmission from the master node to one of the one or more slave nodes bypasses the home node.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling direct memory transfer (DMT) in a data processing system with mismatched bus-widths in which a home node automatically determines, from a read request received from a requestor node, whether DMT should be enabled or disabled dependent on the bus-widths of the requestor node and a target slave node and on the size of the access. Optionally, when the slave node has a smaller bus width than the requestor node, a data combiner at an upload port for the target slave node merges two or more data beats of requested data received from the target slave node to form a single wider beat and transmits the single wider beat to the requestor node. A counter may be used to determine when a data buffer in the data combiner has sufficient space to store data beats to be merged.