Network hardware device
View Patent ↗A network hardware device of the invention includes a reception section receiving data from a network, and outputting a reception completion signal, a timer section measuring a preset time, and a delay section generating an interrupt signal so as to notify a host CPU of completion of the reception. When the timer section does not measure a time, the delay section generates an interrupt signal upon reception of the reception completion signal. On the other hand, when the timer section measures a time, upon reception of the reception completion signal, the delay section generates an interrupt signal after the timer section measures a preset time.
1. A network hardware device connected to a network, comprising:
a host controller executing processing based on data transmitted from the network;
a reception buffer storing data transmitted from the network;
a reception section receiving data transmitted from the network, allowing the reception buffer to store the received data, and outputting a completion signal indicating one of completion of the reception and occurrence of an error;
a timer section measuring a preset time, and enabling a WAIT signal during the measurement; and
a delay section generating an interrupt signal indicating one of completion of the reception and occurrence of the error upon reception of the completion signal from the reception section, outputting the interrupt signal to the timer section and the host controller when the timer section disables a WAIT signal, suspending output of the interrupt signal when the timer section enables a WAIT signal, and outputting the interrupt signal to the timer section and the host controller when the timer section disables a WAIT signal again, wherein
the timer section starts to measure a time upon reception of an interrupt signal from the delay section without depending on a count of packets of the received data, enables a WAIT signal during the measurement, and disables a WAIT signal after a lapse of a preset time,
the preset time period for the timer section includes g (an integer of not less than 2) kinds of preset times from a preset time 1 to a preset time g, and
based on measured magnitude of a processing load, the host controller is for selecting a time measured relatively longer from preset times m (1≦m≦g) when the processing load is large, selecting a time measured relatively shorter from the preset times m (1≦m≦g) when the processing load is small, and setting the timer section at the respective selected times.
2. The network hardware device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transmission buffer storing transmission data outputted from the host controller; and
a transmission section transmitting the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer to the network, and outputting a completion signal indicating one of completion of the transmission and occurrence of an error, wherein
the delay section generates an interrupt signal indicating one of completion of the reception, completion of the transmission and occurrence of the error upon reception of a completion signal from one of the reception section and the transmission section, and outputs the interrupt signal to the timer section and the host controller when the timer section disables a WAIT signal.
3. The network hardware device according to claim 2 , wherein the reception section outputs a completion signal indicating occurrence of an error to the delay section when the reception buffer becoming full of data fails to newly receive data corresponding with one packet.
4. The network hardware device according to claim 2 , wherein the timer section includes a counter counting a clock to thereby measure a time, and halts output of a clock to the counter when the counter does not perform the measurement.
5. The network hardware device according to claim 1 , wherein the reception section outputs a completion signal indicating occurrence of an error to the delay section when the reception buffer becoming full of data fails to newly receive data corresponding with one packet.
6. The network hardware device according to claim 1 , wherein the timer section includes a counter counting a clock to thereby measure a time, and halts output of a clock to the counter when the counter does not perform the measurement.
7. The network hardware device according to claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the processing load on the host controller is measured based on a time period from reception of the interrupt signal by the host controller to actual acceptance of interrupt by the host controller.
8. The network hardware device according to claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the processing load on the host controller is measured based on a time period from reception of the interrupt signal by the host controller to execution of processing of a specific item by the host controller.