Computer system implementing synchronized broadcast using skew control and queuing

A computer system comprising:

• a system memory;
• a first active device configured to access data stored in said system memory, wherein the first active device includes a first cache configured to store data accessed by said first active device;
• an address network for conveying address transactions between said first active device and said system memory;
• a data network for conveying data transactions between said first active device and said system memory;
• wherein a transition in ownership of a given block allocated in said first cache in response to a memory access operation occurs at a different time from a transition in an access right to said given block in response to said memory access operation;
• and
• wherein said address and data networks are configured such that a maximum amount of time from when a given broadcast packet conveyed on said address network arrives at said first active device to a time when the given broadcast packet arrives at the second active device is less than or equal to a minimum amount of time from when a data packet sent on the data network from said first active device arrives at said second active device.

A computer system comprising:

• a system memory;
• a first active device configured to access data stored in said system memory, wherein the first active device includes a first cache configured to store data accessed by said first active device;
• a second active device including a second cache;
• an address network configured to broadcast address transactions between said first active device, said second active device, and said system memory, wherein said address network implements an ordered broadcasts property;
• a data network for conveying data transactions between said first active device and said system memory;
• wherein an access right corresponding to a given block allocated in said first cache transitions in response to a corresponding data packet being received by said first cache through said data network;
• and
• wherein said address and data networks are configured such that a maximum amount of time from when a given broadcast packet conveyed on said address network arrives at said first active device to a time when the given broadcast packet arrives at the second active device is less than or equal to a minimum amount of time from when a data packet sent on the data network from said first active device arrives at said second device.