US 6,243,785 B1 · Hardware assisted polling for software drivers

Abstract

A method and system for programmably controlling hardware generation of interrupts by a peripheral component. In one embodiment, the present invention uses a peripheral component driver to programmably define a duration for a time cycle of a hardware timer disposed on a peripheral component. The hardware timer is configured to cause the generation of an interrupt signal upon the expiration of the time cycle. In this embodiment, the hardware timer of the peripheral component implements the duration for the time cycle and causes the generation of an interrupt signal upon the expiration of the time cycle. In so doing, the present embodiment attains the reliability and consistency of hardware timer generated interrupts schemes, but, by controlling the hardware timer with software, the present embodiment prevents over utilization of the CPU by the hardware timer.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system for programmably controlling hardware generation of interrupts by a network interface card to minimize central processing unit (CPU) utilization and to provide consistent generation of an interrupt signal by said network interface card, said system comprising:

a host computer, said host computer adapted to operate a network interface card driver;
a hardware timer, said hardware time adapted to be programmably controlled by a said network interface card driver;
and
a network interface card adapted to be removably coupled to said host computer, said network interface card having said hardware timer coupled thereto, said hardware timer adapted to cause the generation of said interrupt signal upon the expiration of a time cycle of said hardware timer such that CPU utilization caused by said interrupt signal is optimally minimized and such that said interrupt signal is generated by said network interface card on a consistent periodic basis defined by a duration of a time cycle of said hardware timer, said interrupt signal not being generated upon the occurrence of a quantity of interrupt events.

1 more element

A method of programmably controlling hardware generation of interrupts by a network interface card to minimize central processing unit (CPU) utilization and to provide consistent generation of said interrupts by said network interface card, said method comprising the steps of:

a) using a network interface card driver to programmably define a duration for a time cycle of a hardware timer disposed on a network interface card, said hardware timer configured to cause the generation of an interrupt signal upon the expiration of said time cycle, said interrupt signal not being generated upon the occurrence of a quantity of interrupt events;
b) implementing said duration for said time cycle in said hardware timer such that said hardware timer causes the generation of said interrupt signal upon said expiration of said time cycle;
c) monitoring activity of said network interface card;
and
d) reprogramming the duration for said time cycle of said hardware timer, using said network interface card driver, based upon said activity of said network interface card which is monitored in step c) such that CPU utilization caused by said interrupt signal is optimally minimized, and such that said interrupt signal is generated by said network interface card on a consistent periodic basis defined by a duration of said time cycle of said hardware timer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hardware assisted polling for software drivers

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Hardware assisted polling for software drivers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22