US 2013/0275652 A1 · METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR TRANSFERRING ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS THROUGH A COMMUNICATION INTERFACE WITH LIMITED PARAMETER PASSING FEATURES

Abstract

Methods and structure for transferring additional parameters through a communication interface with limited parameter passing features. Features and aspects hereof provide for generating and transmitting multiple related commands from an initiator device to a target device where one or more initial commands provide additional parameters. The additional parameters are utilized in processing the last of the multiple commands to actually perform a desired data transfer. The initial commands and the data transfer command may all be associated by encoding of a common tag or sub-tag value in each command. The initial commands may be read/write commands having a zero data transfer length. The associated data transfer command may be a read/write command having a non-zero data transfer length. The initial commands each provide one or more additional parameters for processing the data transfer command in addition to the standard parameters that may be encoded in the data transfer command.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method operable in a system comprising an initiator device and a target device, the method operable to provide additional parameters for commands from the initiator device to the target device, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the initiator device to the target device, one or more initial commands wherein each of the initial commands comprises one or more parameter values and wherein each of the initial commands comprises a tag value;
transmitting, from the initiator device to the target device, a data transfer command comprising either a read command or a write command and comprising a tag value;
and
executing, by operation of the target device, the data transfer command in accordance with the one or more parameters received in each of the one or more initial commands wherein the one or more initial commands and the data transfer command each comprise the same tag value to associate each of the one or more initial commands with one another and with the data transfer command.

1 more element

A method operable in a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) initiator device adapted to couple with a SATA target device, the method comprising:

generating a data transfer command to be directed to the SATA target device, the data transfer command comprising either a SATA read command or a SATA write command, the data transfer command comprising a non-zero data transfer length and having one or more standard parameters in accordance with the SATA protocol;
identifying one or more additional parameters in addition to the standard parameters of the data transfer command;
generating one or more initial commands each comprising one or more of the additional parameters, wherein each initial command comprises either a SATA read command or a SATA write command, each initial command comprising a zero data transfer length;
and
transmitting the one or more initial commands to the SATA target device;
and
following transmission of the one or more initial commands, transmitting the data transfer command to the SATA target device whereby the SATA target device executes the data transfer command in accordance with the one or more standard parameters and in accordance with the one or more additional parameters.

4 more elements

A method operable in a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) target device adapted to couple with a SATA initiator device, the method comprising:

receiving one or more initial commands from the SATA initiator device wherein each initial command comprises either a SATA read command or a SATA write command, each initial command comprising a zero data transfer length, each initial command further comprising one or more additional parameters;
receiving a SATA data transfer command from the SATA initiator device wherein the data transfer command comprises either a SATA read command or a SATA write command, the data transfer command comprising a non-zero data transfer length, the data transfer command further comprising one or more standard parameters in accordance with the SATA protocol;
executing the data transfer command in accordance with the additional parameters in the one or more initial commands and in accordance with the standard parameters in the data transfer command.

A system comprising:

a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) initiator device;
and
a SATA target device,
wherein the initiator device is adapted to transmit to the target device one or more initial commands wherein each of the initial commands comprises either a read command or a write command, each initial command specifying zero length of data to be transferred and comprises one or more parameter values;
wherein the initiator device is further adapted to transmit to the target device a data transfer comprising either a read command or a write command, the data transfer command specifying a non-zero length of data to be transferred;
and
wherein the target device is adapted to execute the data transfer command in accordance with the one or more parameters received in each of the one or more initial commands.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Methods and structure for transferring additional parameters through a communication interface with limited parameter passing features

Life of this patent

Methods and structure for transferring additional parameters through a communication interface with limited parameter passing features

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21