Method of monitoring timeout conditions and device therefor
AssigneeFreescale Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsHarold M. Martin, Thang Q. Nguyen, Gus P. Ikonomopoulos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A maximum timeout time for a communication between devices is determined. A time period is determined for a plurality of time zones based upon the maximum timeout time. A current time zone is updated every time period. A timeout zone for an outstanding transaction is associated with a first time zone to indicate when the outstanding transaction will timeout if not completed. In one embodiment, the time period for each time zone is approximately equal to the maximum timeout period divided by a predetermined number of time zones, which may be the total number of time zones, e.g. eight or sixteen.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- determining a first timeout time for a first new transaction is greater than a current maximum timeout time, where first information is to be communicated between devices during the first new transaction;
- in response to determining the first timeout time is greater than a current maximum timeout time, determining a time period based upon the first timeout time, wherein the time period is the duration of each one of a plurality of time zones, and where a new maximum timeout time is based upon the duration of the plurality of time zones;
- updating a timeout zone associated with a first outstanding transactions, where second information is to be communicated between devices during the first outstanding transaction, where the undated timeout zone associated with the first outstanding transaction indicates a time zone of the plurality of time zones at which the first outstanding transaction will timeout if not completed;
- associating a timeout zone with the first new transaction, the timeout zone associated with the first new transaction indicating a time zone of the plurality of time zones at which the first new transaction will timeout if not completed;
- and
- updating a current time zone every time period.
The method of claim l3 wherein the first identifier is determined by adding a first predefined value associated with the first transaction type to the current time zone, and the second identifier is determined by adding a second predefined value associated with the second transaction type to the current time zone.
A system comprising:
- a first bus interface unit;
- a second bus interface unit;
- a time zone counter comprising an output to provide a time zone indicator, and an input to receive an asserted signal to cause the time zone indicator to increments, wherein the time zone indicator is represented by one of three-bits or four-bits;
- a first register set comprising an enable output and a timeout zone output;
- a first comparator coupled to the timeout zone output of the first register set, and an output to provide a first timeout indicator;
- a second register set comprising an enable output and a timeout zone output;
- a second comparator coupled to the timeout zone output of the second register set, and an output to provide a second timeout indicator;
- a control module coupled to the first register assert the enable signal of the first register in response to a first transaction being issued, and to negate the enable signal of the first register in response to the first transaction being successfully completed;
- and
- a timeout control module having a first input coupled to the output of the first comparator, a second input coupled to the enable output of the first register set, wherein the timeout control module is to perform timeout actions in response to an asserted signal being received at the first input when an asserted signal is being received at the second input.
A method comprising:
- changing a current time zone periodically based upon a first time period to a next predefined time zone of a plurality of time zones in a modulo manner to maintain the current time zone for a first electronic device;
- dispatching a plurality of transaction requests to access information from one or more electronic devices, wherein the plurality of transaction requests are outstanding simultaneously;
- and
- associating each one of the plurality of transaction requests with a corresponding time zone of the plurality of time zones, wherein a time zone associated with a specific transaction request of the plurality of transaction requests is indicative of when a timeout condition is scheduled to occur for the specific transaction request;
- in response to determining a timeout time of a transaction request is greater than a current maximum timeout time that can be represented by the first plurality of time zones based upon the first time period, changing the current time zone periodically based upon a second time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.