Message tracking in a parallel network employing a status word at each node which reflects a message's progress

Claim 1

A multiple node network comprising (i) a source node wherein a message is originated, (ii) a destination node where inter-node transmission of said message is terminated and (iii) one or more intermediate node(s) through which said message travels before arriving at said destination node, said intermediate node(s) being connected between said source node and said destination node, said network including a message progress reporting system wherein a received status word enables a source node to determine a message's transmission progress through said multiple node network, a node comprising: transmitter means coupled via communication links to a plurality of child nodes, for transmitting a message to at least one said child node; status word logic means for storing a status word which indicates transmission progress of said message; receiving means connecting a child node to said status word logic means, for receiving a status word from said child node, said status word indicating said message's transmission progress at least at said child node, and for creating an updated status word in said status word logic means in accordance with said status word received from said child node; child register means coupled to said receiving means for indicating when a status word has been received from each child node to which said message was transmitted; and transmitter means for transmitting said updated status word from said status word logic means to a source node when said child register means indicates receipt of status words from all child nodes to which said message was transmitted and said status word logic means has updated said status word in accordance with said received status words.

Claim 7

A system for reporting message progress in a network that comprises a plurality of nodes, said system including source nodes and destination nodes, a source node providing a message to a destination node, the combination comprising: a. transmission means in each destination node for transmitting to a respective source node, a multi-bit status word which indicates progress of a message up to and at said destination node; b. receiving means in a said respective source node for accumulating a said multi-bit status word, associated with a message, from status words received from all destination nodes to which said message was transmitted, said receiving means including child register means for indicating that a status word has been received from all destination nodes to which said message was transmitted, said accumulating employing a logical "or" operation of corresponding bits of said multi-bit status words receiving from all said destination nodes so as to create a single status word indicating progress of said message; and c. means at each said source node for parsing a received, accumulated, status word to ascertain a said message's progress.

Claim 8

A system for reporting message progress in a network that comprises a plurality of nodes, said system including source nodes and destination nodes, a source node providing a message to a destination node, the combination comprising: a. transmission means in each destination node for transmitting to a respective source node, a multi-bit status word which indicates progress of a message up to and at said destination node; b. receiving means in a said respective source node for accumulating a said multi-bit status word, associated with a message, from status words received from all destination nodes to which said message was transmitted, said receiving means including child register means for indicating that a status word has been received from all destination nodes to which said message was transmitted, said accumulating employing a logical "or" operation of corresponding bits of said multi-bit status words receiving from all said destination nodes so as to create a single status word indicating progress of said message; and c. means at each said source node for parsing a received, accumulated, status word to ascertain a said message's progress.