US 4,234,919 AGranted

Intersystem communication link

AssigneeHoneywell Information Systems Inc.

InventorsKenneth E. Bruce, George J. Barlow, John W. Conway, Ralph M. Lombardo, Jr., John J. Bradley, David B. O'Keefe

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Abstract

A logic system referred to as an intersystem link unit (ISL) is provided for accommodating the transfer of binary coded information between two or more communication busses in a data processing system, wherein information including memory and non-memory read and write requests, CPU to CPU interrupts, peripheral control units to CPU interrupts may be transferred between plural communication busses each supporting plural data processing units including plural CPUs without substantially affecting the bus rate of the individual communication busses. Binary coded information from a communication bus is acquired asynchronously, and plural bus communications of different types are accommodated in parallel. The ISL units further may be dynamically reconfigured to provide for a reallocation of communication bus resources between communication busses.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An intersystem communication link for use in a data processing system having plural intersystem communication links for accommodating the transfer of information between plural communication busses each providing a common information path for data processing devices electrically interfacing therewith, which comprises:

(a) asynchronous information acquisition means for capturing at the bus rate binary information presented on a first one of said communication busses wherein each type of bus communication is stored in a separate one of plural dedicated file locations included in said acquisition means thereby accommodating plural bus communications of different types in parallel;
(b) information decoding means in electrical communication with said acquisition means for identifying substantially at said bus rate binary information to be further processed by said intersystem link;
(c) information translation means in electrical communication with said acquisition means for selectively converting substantially at said bus rate address information presented on said first bus to address information pertaining to a second, remote one of said communication busses, and address information pertaining to said second bus to address information pertaining to said first bus;
and
(d) logic control means in electrical communication with said decoding means, said translation means, and said acquisition means and responsive to detection of first control signals on said first bus by said acquisition means for effecting a selective reconfiguration of said intersystem link and further responsive to the detection of second control signals on said first bus by said acquisition means for controlling the transfer of information through said intersystem link to said remote second bus.

2 more elements

acquisition means, including storage means, responsive to first control signals presented on a first one of said communication busses for storing transfer data, also presented on said first bus, in said storage means;
decoder means responsive to said first control signals for generating an enabling signal indicating that said transfer data stored in said storage means is to be transferred to a remote second one of said communication busses;
translation means for translating at least a portion of said transfer data to produce output data having a data format compatible with the data conventions of said remote second bus;
and
transfer control means actuated in response to said enabling signal for transferring said output data together with transfer data from said storage means to said remote second bus.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.