Multi-purpose WAN driver for DSP resource adapter

A communications controller for interfacing between a system unit comprising a system processor, and a Peripheral Component Interconnect Mezzanine Card (“PMC”) comprising a plurality of digital signal processors (“DSPs”) and a time division multiplexing (“TDM”) interface for connecting to external devices, the controller comprising:

• a bus;
• a processor, coupled to the bus;
• a memory device, coupled to the processor;
• a Peripheral Component Interface (“PCI”) bus system, coupled to the processor;
• a PCI-PMC connector, for connecting the controller to the PMC, coupled to the PCI bus system;
• a system unit connector, for connecting to the system unit, coupled to the PCI bus system;
• and
• a driver, wherein the driver comprises:
• means for supplying an Application Programmer's Interface (“API”) for interfacing to the system processor;
• means for handling task allocation requests for the plurality of DSPs from the system processor;
• means for loading a task processing loading table containing one or more values corresponding to current task processing loads for each of the plurality of DSPs, wherein the task processing loading table is dynamically updated in accordance with changes to the current task processing loads of the plurality of DSPs and wherein the current task processing loads of the plurality of DSPs are assessed periodically and numerical values indicating current task processing loads for the plurality of DSPs are written to the task processing loading table;
• and
• means for reading the one or more values in the task processing loading table and allocating a task to one of the plurality of DSPs according to a MIPs processing requirement of the task and the available processing capability of the one of the plurality of DSPs in response to a task allocation.

A method for a communications system that includes a plurality of DSPs, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving task allocation requests for tasks that handle communications channels in the plurality of DSPs;
• means for dynamically updating a task processing loading table containing one or more values corresponding to a current task processing load for each of the plurality of DSPs in accordance with changes to the current task processing loads of the plurality of DSPs, wherein the current task processing loads of the plurality of DSPs are assessed periodically and numerical values indicating current task processing loads for the plurality of DSPs are written to the task processing loading table;
• reading from the task processing loading table one or more values corresponding to the current task processing load for each of the plurality of DSPs;
• and
• allocating tasks to each of the plurality of DSPs, in response to receiving the task allocation requests, to handle communication channels across each of the plurality of DSPs and to distribute task processing loads across the plurality of DSPs according to a total current task processing load for each of the plurality of DSPs, a maximum processing capability for each of the plurality of DSPs, and a processing requirement for each of the tasks being allocated to each of the plurality of DSPs that can handle the additional processing load of each of the tasks being allocated.