Side channel access through usb streams

A method for providing side channel access to a first hardware resource in a system having a plurality of hardware resources, a USB device controller that supports USB streams, a logical unit number (LUN) arbiter, and a secondary interface, the method comprising:

• the USB device controller receiving a USB request to access the first hardware resource of the plurality of hardware resources;
• the secondary interface receiving a side channel request to access the first hardware resource of the plurality of hardware resources;
• the USB device controller forwarding the USB request to the LUN arbiter;
• the secondary interface forwarding the side channel request to the LUN arbiter;
• the LUN arbiter determining the order in which the USB request and the side channel request are forwarded to the first hardware resource.

A system comprising:

• a USB device controller;
• an internal bus;
• a side channel interface unit;
• a logical unit number (LUN) arbiter coupled between (i) the USB device controller and the internal bus and (ii) the side channel interface unit and the internal bus;
• at least one hardware controller coupled to the internal bus;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• generate first and second USB packets for accessing the at least one hardware controller;
• transmit the first USB packet to the USB device controller via a USB interface;
• and
• transmit the second USB packet to the side channel interface unit by tunneling the second USB packet over a side channel interface communication protocol;
• wherein the USB device controller forwards the first USB packet to the LUN arbiter as a first USB stream, the side channel interface unit forwards the second USB packet to the LUN arbiter as a second USB stream, and the LUN arbiter determines an access priority between the first and second USB streams.