Systems and methods for opportunistic frame queue management in SAS connections

A SAS transport layer coupled to an associated SAS application layer and coupled to a SAS device through an arbitrated SAS domain, the SAS transport layer further comprising:

• a SAS application layer interface element adapted to couple the SAS transport layer to a SAS application layer;
• a SAS link layer interface to couple the SAS transport layer to a SAS domain;
• and
• a SAS frame transmit controller for retrieving a next SAS fame for transmission to the associated SAS device in response to the associated SAS device winning arbitration through the arbitrated SAS domain regardless of which SAS device the SAS frame transmit controller was last contacted by the SAS frame transmit controller.

In a SAS transport layer a method for obtaining a next SAS frame for transmission to an identified SAS device coupled to the SAS transport layer through an arbitrated SAS domain, the method comprising:

• receiving a request from the SAS application layer to transmit a SAS frame to the identified SAS device;
• attempting to connect to the identified SAS device;
• detecting a connection between the transport layer and a winning SAS device that won an arbitration process on the arbitrated SAS domain;
• and
• transmitting a next SAS frame to the winning SAS device regardless of whether the winning SAS device is the same device as the identified SAS device.