Memory expansion channel for propagation of control and request packets

A memory system to provide packets to a set of memory devices, the memory system comprising:

• an expansion bus to propagate a row control packet and a row request packet;
• at least one memory channel, each of the at least one memory channel in one-to-one correspondence with a set of channel identifiers;
• and
• an expansion buffer to route the row request packet to a memory channel belonging to the at least one memory channel if the memory channel's corresponding channel identifier matches a channel identifier stored in the row control packet, and to not route the row request packet to the at least one memory channel if the channel identifier stored in the row control packet does not belong to the set of channel identifiers;
• wherein, provided a generate field of the row control packet indicates that a secondary packet is to be generated, the expansion buffer is to generate a secondary packet on the channel specified by the channel identifier stored in the row control packet, where the secondary packet indicates an operation indicated by a secondary opcode field of the row control packet.

A method for providing packets to a set of memory devices, where the set of memory devices is partitioned into at least one subset of memory devices so that each subset is coupled in one-to-one correspondence to each channel in a set of channels for sending and receiving packets, where the set of channels is coupled to an expansion buffer, wherein each channel has a corresponding expansion buffer channel identifier, wherein the expansion buffer has a corresponding expansion buffer identifier, the method comprising:

• providing a control packet on an expansion bus, the control packet comprising a channel identification field to store an expansion buffer identifier and an expansion buffer channel identifier;
• providing a request packet on the expansion bus, the request packet comprising an opcode field to store an operation code indicating an operation;
• routing the request packet to the expansion buffer consistent with the expansion buffer identifier stored in the control packet;
• and
• routing the request packet to a channel coupled to the expansion buffer consistent with the expansion buffer channel identifier.

The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein each memory device has a register to store a device identification sequence;

• wherein the request packet further comprises:
• a device address field to store a device address;
• and
• a framing field.

A method for providing packets to a set of memory devices, where the set of memory devices is partitioned into at least one subset of memory devices so that each subset is coupled to a channel for sending and receiving packets, wherein each channel has a unique channel identifier, the method comprising:

• providing a row control packet on an expansion bus, the row control packet comprising a channel identification field to store a channel identifier, a generate field to indicate whether a secondary packet is generated, a secondary opcode field to store an operation code to indicate an operation, and a secondary channel identification field to store a channel identifier;
• providing a row request packet on the expansion bus, the row request packet comprising an opcode field to store an operation code indicating an operation;
• and
• routing the row request packet to a channel based upon the channel identifier stored in the row control packet;
• and
• provided the generate field of the row control packet indicates that a secondary packet is to be generated, generating a secondary packet on a channel specified by the channel identifier stored in the secondary channel identification field, where the secondary packet indicates the operation indicated by the secondary opcode field of the row control packet.