Cache coherent I/O communication

1. A processing unit, comprising:

a processor core;

an input/output (IO) communication adapter coupled to said processor core; and

a cache system coupled to said processor core and to said I/O communication adapter, said cache system including a cache array, a cache directory and a cache controller, wherein said cache controller snoops I/O communication by said I/O communication adapter and, responsive to snooping said I/O communication adapter performing an I/O data write of outgoing data in an exclusive state, invalidates corresponding data stored within said cache array.

2. The processing unit of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the I/O communication adapter and at least said cache controller are integrated within the same integrated circuit chip.

3. The processing unit of claim 2 , wherein said integrated circuit chip further includes a fabric interface, coupled to said cache system, that interfaces said integrated circuit chip to a system interconnect.

4. The processing unit of claim 2 , wherein said integrated circuit chip further includes an integrated memory controller, coupled to said cache system, that controls a lower level memory.

5. The processing unit of claim 1 , wherein:

said I/O communication adapter is coupled to an external I/O communication link; and

said I/O communication adapter performs an I/O data write of outgoing data by transmitting said outgoing data via said external I/O communication link.

6. The processing unit of claim 5 , wherein said I/O communication adapter includes a link layer controller that processes said outgoing data to implement a Layer 2 protocol of said external I/O communication link.

7. The processing unit of claim 1 , wherein said cache controller invalidates corresponding data stored within said cache array by updating, in said cache directory, a coherency state associated with said corresponding data.

8. The processing unit of claim 1 , wherein said exclusive state comprises a modified state.

9. A method of input/output (I/O) within a data processing system, said method comprising:

coupling an input/output (I/O) communication adapter coupled to a processor core;

coupling a cache system to the processor core and to said I/O communication adapter;

said cache system snooping I/O communication by said I/O communication adapter; and

in response to detecting said I/O communication adapter performing an I/O data write of outgoing data in an exclusive state, said cache system invalidating corresponding data stored within a cache array of said cache system.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the I/O communication adapter and at least said cache controller are integrated within the same integrated circuit chip, and wherein said snooping comprises snooping said I/O data write within said integrated circuit chip.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said integrated circuit chip further includes a fabric interface, coupled to said cache hierarchy, that interfaces said integrated circuit chip to a system interconnect, wherein said method further comprises said cache system snooping transactions on said system interconnect.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said integrated circuit chip further includes an integrated memory controller, and wherein said snooping comprises snooping data accesses communicated to said integrated memory controller.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein:

said I/O communication adapter is coupled to an external I/O communication link; and

said method further comprising said I/O communication adapter performing an I/O data write of outgoing data by transmitting said outgoing data via said external I/O communication link.

14. The processing unit of claim 13 , wherein said performing an I/O data write comprises processing said outgoing data to implement a Layer 2 protocol of said external I/O communication link.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein said invalidating comprises said cache system updating, in a cache directory of said cache system, a coherency state associated with said corresponding data.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein said exclusive state comprises a modified state.

17. A data processing system, comprising:

a system interconnect;

a lower level memory system coupled to the system interconnect; and

one or more processing units coupled to the system interconnect, wherein at least one of said processing units includes:

a processor core;

an input/output (I/O) communication adapter coupled to said processor core and to an external I/O communication link; and

a cache system coupled to said processor core and to said I/O communication adapter, said cache system including a cache array, a cache directory and a cache controller, wherein said cache controller snoops I/O communication by said I/O communication adapter and, responsive to snooping said I/O communication adapter performing an I/O data write of outgoing data by transmitting said outgoing data on said external I/O communication link in an exclusive state, invalidates corresponding data stored within said cache array; and

a fabric interface, coupled to said cache system, that interfaces said processing unit to said system interconnect.

18. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the I/O communication adapter and at least said cache controller are integrated within the same integrated circuit chip.

19. The data processing system of claim 17 , wherein said I/O communication adapter includes a link layer controller that processes said outgoing data to implement a Layer 2 protocol of said external I/O communication link.

20. The data processing system of claim 17 , wherein said exclusive state comprises a modified state.