Abstract: An improved virtual memory scheme designed for multi-processor environments that uses processor registers and a small amount of dedicated logic to eliminate the overhead that is associated with the use of page tables. The virtual addressing provides a contiguous virtual address space where the actual real memory is distributed across multiple memories. Locally, within an individual memory, the virtual space may be composed of discontinuous “real” segments or “chunks” within the memory, allowing bad blocks of memory to be bypassed without alteration of the virtual addresses. The delays and additional bus traffic associated with translating from virtual to real addresses are substantially reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: A router that requests a reservation for an egress port prior to dequeuing a received packet. A reservation is granted only if there is space on the egress port for at least a maximum size packet. An ingress processor requests allocation of a packet buffer. An allocator grants the packet buffer, but if there are fewer than a threshold number of buffers available, the ingress processor will not accept the grant unless the received packet is to be routed to a port inside the device comprising the router. This conserves the packet buffer(s) for packets destined for locations within the device. After a reservation is obtained and a packet buffer has been accepted, the ingress processor begins dequeuing a received packet from an ingress port queue to the buffer, and provides an identifier of the buffer to an egress processor. The identifier is enqueued by the egress processor. After the identifier is dequeued, the egress processor copies the packet from the buffer to an egress queue and releases the buffer.

Abstract: A multiprocessor architecture utilizing direct memory access (DMA) processors that execute programmed code to feed data to one or more processor cores in advance of those cores requesting data. Stalls of the processor cores are minimized by continually feeding new data directly into the data registers within the cores. When different data is needed, the processor cores can redirect a DMA processor to execute a different feeder program, or to jump to a different point in the feeder program it is already executing. The DMA processors can also feed executable instructions into the instruction pipelines of the processor cores, allowing the feeder program to orchestrate overall processor operations.

Abstract: A router requests a reservation for an egress port prior to dequeuing data from an ingress port data queue. A request is also made for the allocation of a buffer. After the reservation is received and a buffer is allocated, the data is copied the ingress port data queue to the buffer, and an identifier of the buffer is enqueued to an identifier queue of the egress port. After the identifier is dequeued, the data is copied from the buffer to an egress data queue of the egress port, and the buffer is released for reallocation. The buffer can be released prior to completion of the data being copied from the buffer. The queues associated with the egress port determine whether their depths equal or exceed a threshold associated with the respective egress queues. If one or more of the depths does equal or exceed the associated threshold, the granting of reservations for the egress port are postponed.

Abstract: A network on a chip architecture uses hardware queues to distribute multiple-instruction tasks to processors dedicated to performing that task. By repeatedly using the same processors to perform the same task, the frequency at which the processors access memory to retrieve instructions is reduced. If a hardware queue runs dry and a processor is remains idle, the processor will determine which queues have tasks and rededicate to performing a new task that has higher demand, without requiring the intervention of centralized load balancing software or specialized programming.

Abstract: An improved virtual memory scheme designed for multi-processor environments that uses processor registers and a small amount of dedicated logic to eliminate the overhead that is associated with the use of page tables. The virtual addressing provides a contiguous virtual address space where the actual real memory is distributed across multiple memories. Locally, within an individual memory, the virtual space may be composed of discontinuous “real” segments or “chunks” within the memory, allowing bad blocks of memory to be bypassed without alteration of the virtual addresses. The delays and additional bus traffic associated with translating from virtual to real addresses are substantially reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: A router that requests a reservation for an egress port prior to dequeuing a received packet. A reservation is granted only if there is space on the egress port for at least a maximum size packet. An ingress processor requests allocation of a packet buffer. An allocator grants the packet buffer, but if there are fewer than a threshold number of buffers available, the ingress processor will not accept the grant unless the received packet is to be routed to a port inside the device comprising the router. This conserves the packet buffer(s) for packets destined for locations within the device. After a reservation is obtained and a packet buffer has been accepted, the ingress processor begins dequeuing a received packet from an ingress port queue to the buffer, and provides an identifier of the buffer to an egress processor. The identifier is enqueued by the egress processor. After the identifier is dequeued, the egress processor copies the packet from the buffer to an egress queue and releases the buffer.

Abstract: A router requests a reservation for an egress port prior to dequeuing data from an ingress port data queue. A request is also made for the allocation of a buffer. After the reservation is received and a buffer is allocated, the data is copied the ingress port data queue to the buffer, and an identifier of the buffer is enqueued to an identifier queue of the egress port. After the identifier is dequeued, the data is copied from the buffer to an egress data queue of the egress port, and the buffer is released for reallocation. The buffer can be released prior to completion of the data being copied from the buffer. The queues associated with the egress port determine whether their depths equal or exceed a threshold associated with the respective egress queues. If one or more of the depths does equal or exceed the associated threshold, the granting of reservations for the egress port are postponed.

Abstract: A multiprocessor architecture utilizing direct memory access (DMA) processors that execute programmed code to feed data to one or more processor cores in advance of those cores requesting data. Stalls of the processor cores are minimized by continually feeding new data directly into the data registers within the cores. When different data is needed, the processor cores can redirect a DMA processor to execute a different feeder program, or to jump to a different point in the feeder program it is already executing. The DMA processors can also feed executable instructions into the instruction pipelines of the processor cores, allowing the feeder program to orchestrate overall processor operations.