US 5,848,279 A · Mechanism for delivering interrupt messages

Abstract

An I/O agent delivers the interrupt message through a chipset to a system bus connected to a number of processors. The interrupt message includes the transaction type and a destination identification. The servicing processor on the system bus matches the destination identification with its own identification to determine if it is the intended recipient of the interrupt message. The I/O agent writes the data associated with the interrupt into the buffer queue inside the chipset. The chipset automatically flushes the contents of the buffer queue to the main memory before the interrupt message is delivered. The interrupt delivery mechanism avoids complexity and delay in handshaking operations between the chipset and the I/O agent.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for an input/output (I/O) agent to generate an interrupt request by delivering an interrupt message to a system bus, the method comprising:

encoding the interrupt message with an interrupt transaction code;
the I/O agent writing at least a data item associated with the interrupt request to a buffer queue in the chipset;
the buffer queue flushing the at least data item to a memory accessible to a servicing processor coupled to the system bus;
the I/O agent writing the interrupt message to a chipset, the interrupt message containing a destination identification corresponding to the servicing processor;
the chipset generating the interrupt message to the system bus;
the servicing processor recognizing the interrupt identification;
and
the servicing processor processing the interrupt request.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mechanism for delivering interrupt messages

Life of this patent

Mechanism for delivering interrupt messages

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6