High performance I/O processor

Claim 2

Communication apparatus for coupling to a communications channel for receiving information therefrom, the information including data information and structure information for indicating an organization of the data information, comprising: means for coupling to the communications channel for receiving the information therefrom; first means, having an input coupled to an output of the receiving means, for storing the received data information without regard for the organization of the received data information; and second means, having an input coupled to an output of the receiving means, for storing the received structure information.

Claim 3

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the receiving means includes means for coupling to a bit parallel communications channel for receiving the data information therefrom, and wherein the receiving means further includes means for coupling to a plurality of communications channel signal lines for receiving the structure information therefrom.

Claim 4

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 2 wherein the plurality of communications channel signal lines include: a PACKET signal line for indicating, when first asserted, a START OF PACKET (SOP) condition wherein one or more BURSTs of data information are to be transferred over the bit parallel communications channel, and for indicating, when first deasserted, an END OF PACKET (EOP) condition wherein no further BURSTs are to be transferred; and a BURST signal line for indicating, when first asserted, that a BURST comprised of one or more words of data information are to be transferred over the bit parallel communications channel, and wherein the second storing means stores the SOP, BURST, and EOP indications.

Claim 5

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 3 wherein there is received, for each BURST, information indicating a number of data words that comprise the BURST, and wherein the second storing means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, the information that indicates the number of data words that comprise the BURST.

Claim 6

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 3 wherein the receiving means includes means for verifying an integrity of the received data information for each BURST, and wherein the second storing means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, information that indicates the integrity of the stored data information that was received during the BURST.

Claim 7

Communication apparatus for coupling to a communications channel for transmitting information thereto, the information including data information and structure information for indicating an organization of the data information, comprising: means for coupling to the communications channel for transmitting the information thereto; first means, having an output coupled to an input of the transmitting means, for storing the data information, prior to transmission thereof, without regard for the organization of the data information; and second means, having an output coupled to an input of the transmitting means, for storing the structure information prior to the transmission thereof.

Claim 8

Communication apparatus for coupling to a communications channel for transmitting information thereto, the information including data information and structure information for indicating an organization of the data information, comprising: means for coupling to the communications channel for transmitting the information thereto; first means, having an output coupled to an input of the transmitting means, for storing the data information, prior to transmission thereof, without regard for the organization of the data information; and second means, having an output coupled to an input of the transmitting means, for storing the structure information prior to the transmission thereof.

Claim 9

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 6 wherein the transmitting means includes means for coupling to a bit parallel communications channel for transmitting the data information thereto, and wherein the transmitting means further includes means for coupling to a plurality of communications channel signal lines for transmitting the structure information thereto.

Claim 10

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 7 wherein the plurality of communications channel signal lines include: a PACKET signal line for indicating, when first asserted, a START OF PACKET (SOP) condition wherein one or more BURSTs of data information are to be transferred over the bit parallel communications channel, and for indicating, when first deasserted, an END OF PACKET (EOP) condition wherein no further BURSTs are to be transferred; and a BURST signal line for indicating, when first asserted, that a BURST comprised of one or more words of data information are to be transferred over the bit parallel communications channel, and wherein the second storing means stores the SOP, BURST, and EOP indications.

Claim 11

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 8 wherein there is transmitted, for each BURST, information indicating a number of data words that comprise the BURST, and wherein the second storing means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, the information that indicates the number of data words that comprise the BURST.

Claim 12

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 8 wherein the second storing means further stores, in association with each stored SOP, EOP, and BURST indication, information that specifies that the associated stored indication, and that an immediately subsequent stored indication, are to be executed in sequence by the transmitting means.

Claim 13

Communication apparatus for coupling to a communications channel for transmitting information thereto or for receiving information therefrom, comprising: means for interfacing the communication apparatus to a communications channel; means for interfacing the communication apparatus to a data processing bus including data, address, and control signal lines; first communication apparatus internal data bus means coupled to the data signal lines of the data processing bus through first buffer means, the first communication apparatus internal data bus means having data storage means coupled thereto for storing data received from or transmitted to the communications channel; second communication apparatus internal data bus means coupled to the first communication apparatus internal data bus means through second buffer means, the second communication apparatus internal data bus means having at least one logical unit coupled thereto for storing information specifying the operation of direct memory access (DMA) bus cycles for transferring information to or from the data signal lines of the data processing bus and the data storage means; and control means having inputs responsive to the information stored within the at least one logical unit and an output coupled to the second buffer means for causing, (a) the second buffer means to isolate the first communication apparatus internal bus means from the second communication apparatus internal bus means during DMA bus cycles, and (b) the second buffer means to couple together the first communication apparatus internal bus means and the second communication apparatus internal bus means during non-DMA bus cycles so as to enable data to be stored within or read from the at least one logical unit by means coupled to the data processing bus.

Claim 14

Communication apparatus for coupling to a communications channel for transmitting information thereto or for receiving information therefrom, comprising: means for interfacing the communication apparatus to a communications channel; means for interfacing the communication apparatus to a data processing bus including data, address, and control signal lines; first communication apparatus internal data bus means coupled to the data signal lines of the data processing bus through first buffer means, the first communication apparatus internal data bus means having data storage means coupled thereto for storing data received from or transmitted to the communications channel; second communication apparatus internal data bus means coupled to the first communication apparatus internal data bus means through second buffer means, the second communication apparatus internal data bus means having at least one logical unit coupled thereto for storing information specifying the operation of direct memory access (DMA) bus cycles for transferring information to or from the data signal lines of the data processing bus and the data storage means; and control means having inputs responsive to the information stored within the at least one logical unit and an output coupled to the second buffer means for causing, (a) the second buffer means to isolate the first communication apparatus internal bus means from the second communication apparatus internal bus means during DMA bus cycles, and (b) the second buffer means to couple together the first communication apparatus internal bus means and the second communication apparatus internal bus means during non-DMA bus cycles so as to enable data to be stored within or read from the at least one logical unit by means coupled to the data processing bus.

Claim 15

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 11 wherein said at least one logical unit includes first data storage means for storing one or more DMA commands, each command including at least a portion of an address in a data processing memory coupled to the data signal lines of the data processing bus and an indication of the number of times that the at least one DMA command is to be executed.

Claim 16

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 12 wherein each command further includes information for linking the execution of the command to another command such that the command and the other command are executed in sequence.

Claim 17

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 12 wherein the communications channel includes a plurality of signal lines that include: a PACKET signal line for indicating, when first asserted, a START OF PACKET (SOP) condition wherein one or more BURSTs of data information are to be transferred over a communications channel data path, and for indicating, when first deasserted, an END OF PACKET (EOP) condition wherein no further BURSTs are to be transferred; and a BURST signal line for indicating, when first asserted, that a BURST comprised of one or more words of data information are to be transferred over the communications channel data path, and wherein the at least one logical unit further includes second data storage means for storing the SOP, BURST, and EOP indications associated with data stored within the data storage means that is coupled to the first communication apparatus internal data bus means.

Claim 18

Communication apparatus as set forth in Claim 14 wherein each command further includes information for linking the execution of the command to indications stored within the second data storage means.

Claim 19

Communications apparatus as set forth in Claim 11 wherein the means for interfacing the communication apparatus to a communications channel includes a receiver interface and a transmitter interface, wherein the data processing bus has means coupled thereto for providing an input data queue and an output data queue for the receiver interface and an input data queue and an output data queue for the transmitter interface, and wherein the communications apparatus further includes means for temporarily assigning the output data queue of the transmitter interface to the receiver interface and for temporarily assigning the input data queue of the receiver interface to the transmitter interface.

Claim 22

A method as set forth in Claim 17 wherein the communications channel has a plurality of communications channel signal lines that include: a PACKET signal line for indicating, when first asserted, a START OF PACKET (SOP) condition wherein one or more BURSTs of data information are to be transferred over a data bus of the communications channel, and for indicating, when first deasserted, an END OF PACKET (EOP) condition wherein no further BURSTs are to be transferred; and a BURST signal line for indicating, when first asserted, that a BURST comprised of one or more words of data information is to be transferred over the communications channel data bus, and wherein the second memory means stores the SOP, BURST, and EOP indications.

Claim 23

A method as set forth in Claim 18 wherein there is received, for each BURST, information indicating a number of data words that comprise the BURST, and wherein the second memory means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, the information that indicates the number of data words that comprise the BURST.

Claim 24

A method as set forth in Claim 18 wherein the step of receiving includes a step of verifying an integrity of the received data information for each BURST, and wherein the second memory means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, information that indicates the integrity of the stored data information that was received during the BURST.

Claim 27

A method as set forth in Claim 21 wherein the communications channel has a plurality of communications channel signal lines that include: a PACKET signal line for indicating, when first asserted, a START OF PACKET (SOP) condition wherein one or more BURSTs of data information are to be transferred over a data bus of the communications channel, and for indicating, when first deasserted, an END OF PACKET (EOP) condition wherein no further BURSTs are to be transferred; and a BURST signal line for indicating, when first asserted, that a BURST comprised of one or more words of data information is to be transferred over the communications channel data bus, and wherein the second memory means stores the SOP, BURST, and EOP indications.

Claim 28

A method as set forth in Claim 22 wherein there is transmitted, for each BURST, information indicating a number of data words that comprise the BURST, and wherein the second memory means further stores, in association with each stored BURST indication, information that indicates the number of data words that comprise the BURST.