Multi-port system and method for routing a data element within an interconnection fabric
View Patent ↗The present invention relates generally to a generic fabric interconnect system and method for providing a data path between and among nodes and processing elements within an interconnection fabric. More specifically, there is provided a device accessible by a host processor for expanding access over a first bus to a second bus, the first bus and the second bus each being adapted to separately connect to respective ones of a plurality of bus-compatible devices, each device which comprise a link, a first circuit adapted to couple between the first bus and the link, and a second circuit adapted to couple between the link and the second bus, the first circuit and the second circuit each being operated as a bridge and being operable to (a) send outgoing information serially through said link in a form different from that of the first bus and the second bus (b) approve an initial exchange between the first bus and the second bus in response to pending bus transactions having a characteristic signifying a destination across a device, and (c) allow the host processor, communicating through the first bus, to individually address different selectable ones of the bus-compatible devices on the second bus: (i) using on the first bus substantially the same type of addressing as is used to access devices on the first bus, and (ii) without first employing a second, intervening one of the bus-compatible devices on the second bus.
1. A device, comprising:
a first circuit configured to couple between a first bus and a fabric interface wherein a first plurality of devices are coupled to the first bus, and wherein a second plurality of devices are coupled to the fabric interface;
wherein the first circuit is configured to:
receive communications from ones of the first plurality of devices directed to ones of the second plurality of devices, wherein the received communications are in a format compatible with the first bus;
convert the received communications into one of a first routing format compatible with the fabric interface and a second routing format compatible with the fabric interface; and
provide the converted communications to the fabric interface.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit is configured to independently operate as a PCI bridge device, and wherein the first bus is a PCI bus.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first routing format compatible with the fabric interface uses address-routed frames.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the fabric interface comprises a plurality of network paths that are usable to communicate with each of the second plurality of devices.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit is configured to couple to the fabric interface via one or more switches.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first routing format compatible with the fabric interface uses path-routed frames.
7. An apparatus, comprising:
a first circuit configured to couple between a first bus and a fabric interface wherein the first circuit is configured to receive a communication from a host processor over the first bus, wherein the communication is in a format compatible with the first bus and is destined for one of a plurality of remote devices coupled to the fabric interface;
wherein the first circuit is configured to convert the received communication into one of a first routing format compatible with the fabric interface and a second routing format compatible with the fabric interface, and provide the converted communication to the fabric interface.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first bus is a PCI bus.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first circuit includes a storage element configured to implement a PCI configuration space, and wherein the storage element is accessible using a first type of configuration frame.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first circuit is configured to convert the received communication by performing an address translation between an addressing format used by the first bus and a different addressing format used by the fabric interface.
11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first routing format compatible with the fabric interface is a path-routed format.
12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the fabric interface comprises a plurality of network connections.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein at least two different paths through the plurality of network connections are usable to reach at least one of the plurality of remote devices.
14. A system, comprising:
a host processor;
a link;
a first bus;
a second bus;
a first circuit coupled between the first bus and the link;
a first plurality of devices coupled to and compatible with the first bus;
a fabric interface coupled between the link and the second bus;
a second plurality of devices coupled to and compatible with the second bus;
wherein the first circuit is configured to:
allow the host processor to communicate over the first bus to individually address different ones of the second plurality of devices, wherein communication between the host processor and a first one of the second plurality of devices is converted, prior to the first circuit providing to the communication to the link, to one of a first routing format compatible with the fabric interface and a second routing format compatible with the fabric interface.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first circuit is a PCI bridge device, and wherein the first and second busses are PCI busses.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the link includes a switch.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first routing format compatible with the fabric interface utilizes data transmission protocol fabric addresses.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein communication between the host processor and the first one of the second plurality of devices is converted to the first routing format compatible with the fabric interface using a path, a channel, and an offset.