System for distributing command/data packets tagged by their unit identifier for parallel processing by a ready processing unit and recombination

A device for distributing a serial stream of command/data packets including graphics commands and graphics primitives for parallel processing, comprising:

• substantially identical parallel graphics processing units for processing received command/data packets;
• input first-in-first-out buffers (FIFOs) associated with each processing unit for queuing command/data packets to be processed by the associated processing unit;
• input means for providing said serial stream of command/data packets for processing by said processing units;
• means for indicating whether any one of said processing units is ready for a command/data packet for processing;
• distributing means for selecting, for each respective sequential command from said serial stream of command/data packets which must be processed prior to a command in a subsequent command/data packet, at least one processing unit, which said indicating means indicates is ready for an input command/data packet, for processing a command/data packet having a sequential command, and distributing said command/data packet having said sequential command only to said at least one processing unit for processing asynchronously with the processing of other command/data packets by processing units other than said at least one processing unit;
• and
• means responsive to said distributing means for recording a processing unit identification value indicating the at least one processing unit by which each command/data packet having a sequential command is processed and maintaining said processing unit identification values as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets having said sequential commands were provided by said input means to said processing units for processing, and as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets are to be recombined after processing

A device for distributing a serial stream of command/data packets including graphics commands and graphics primitives for parallel processing, comprising:

• substantially identical parallel graphics processing units for processing received command/data packets;
• input first-in-first-out buffers (FIFOs) associated with each processing unit for queuing command/data packets to be processed by the associated processing unit;
• an input processor for setting a flag in each command/data packet identifying whether a command in that command/data packet is a sequential command, said sequential command being processed by said at least one processing unit, or a global command, said global command being processed in parallel by all of said processing units, said input processor including a source first-in-first-out buffer (FIFO) for storing input command/data packets from said serial stream of command/data packets for provision to said processing units for processing;
• means for indicating whether any one of said processing units is ready for a command/data packet for processing;
• distributing means for selecting, for each respective sequential command from said serial stream of command/data packets which must be processed prior to a command in a subsequent command/data packet, at least one processing unit, which said indicating means indicates is ready for an input command/data packet, for processing a command/data packet having a sequential command, and distributing said command/data packet having said sequential command only to said at least one processing unit for processing asynchronously with the processing of other command/data packets by processing units other than said at least one processing unit;
• and
• means responsive to said distributing means for recording a processing unit identification value indicating the at least one processing unit by which each command/data packet having a sequential command is processed and maintaining said processing unit identification values as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets having said sequential commands were provided by said input means to said processing units for processing, and as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets are to be recombined after processing.

A method for distributing a serial stream of command/data packets for parallel processing in accordance with processing commands in said command/data packets, comprising:

• indicating whether substantially identical parallel data processing units are ready for an input command/data packet for processing;
• selecting, for each respective sequential command from said serial stream of command/data packets which must be processed prior to a command in a subsequent command/data packet, at least one processing unit, which has been found in said indicating step to be ready for an input command/data packet, for processing a command/data packet having a sequential command;
• distributing said command/data packet having said sequential command only to said at least one processing unit for processing asynchronously with the processing of other command/data packets by processing units other than said at least one processing unit;
• processing received command/data packets in said at least one processing unit in accordance with processing commands in said received command/data packets;
• and
• recording a processing unit identification value indicating the at least one processing unit by which each command/data packet having a sequential command is processed so as to maintain a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets having said sequential commands were provided to said processing units for processing, and as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets are to be recombined after processing.

A method for distributing a serial stream of command/data packets including graphics commands and graphics primitives for parallel processing, comprising:

• indicating whether substantially identical parallel data processing units are ready for an input command/data packet for processing;
• selecting, for each respective sequential command from said serial stream of command/data packets which must be processed prior to a command in a subsequent command/data packet, at least one processing unit, which has been found in said indicating step to be ready for an input command/data packet, for processing a command/data packet having a sequential command;
• distributing said command/data packet having said sequential command only to said at least one processing unit for processing asynchronously with the processing of other command/data packets by processing units other than said at least one processing unit;
• processing received command/data packets in said at least one processing unit in accordance with processing commands in said received command/data packets;
• and
• recording a processing unit identification value indicating the at least one processing unit by which each command/data packet having a sequential command is processed so as to maintain a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets having said sequential commands were provided to said processing units for processing, and as a record of the sequential order in which said command/data packets are to be recombined after processing