Gap count analysis for the P1394a BUS
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorJerrold Von Hauck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of optimizing communication over a high-speed serial bus by minimizing the delay between packets transmitted over the bus is disclosed. The method comprises: calculating the round trip delay between PHYs connected on the bus by pinging; a bus manager sending a configuration packet to all PHYs connected on the bus, the configuration packet containing a minimum gap_count parameter value; and all PHYs connected on the bus sending packets over the bus using the minimum gap_count parameter value as a delay between packets.
Claims27
A storage apparatus comprising a computer readable medium, the medium comprising a program having a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a computer, enforces a gap count parameter by:
- setting a first value to be greater than the largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- setting a second value to be greater than the largest period allowable for a second interval;
- requiring that a first idle period observed is repeated with a period not less than the largest idle period allowable during the first interval;
- and
- requiring that a second idle period observed is repeated with a period not less than the largest period allowable for the second interval.
An apparatus for enforcing a substantially optimized gap count parameter associated with a data bus, said apparatus comprising:
- a first module adapted to store a first variable greater than the largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- a second module adapted to store a second variable greater than the largest period allowable for a second interval;
- a third module adapted to calculate a substantially optimal gap count parameter based at least in part upon said first and second variables;
- and
- a fourth module adapted to ensure that an idle period observed is not repeated with a period less than at least one of said first and second variables.
A method for enforcing a substantially optimized gap count parameter associated with a data bus, said method comprising:
- determining the largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- determining the largest period allowable for a second interval;
- and
- deriving a gap count parameter based at least in part by setting a first value to be greater than the largest idle period allowable during the first interval, and based at least in part by setting a second value to be greater than the largest period allowable for the second interval.
An apparatus for calculating and enforcing a substantially optimized gap count parameter, said apparatus comprising:
- a first module adapted to receive first data, the first data indicating a largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- a second module adapted to receive second data, the second data indicating a largest non-idle period allowable for a second interval;
- and
- a third module adapted to calculate a gap parameter by a process comprising setting a value such that the value exceeds the largest idle period allowable during the first interval, and further based at least in part on the largest non-idle period allowable for the second interval.
An apparatus for calculating and enforcing a substantially optimized gap count parameter, the apparatus comprising:
- a first module adapted to receive first data, the first data indicating a largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- a second module adapted to receive second data, the second data indicating a largest non-idle period allowable for a second interval;
- and
- a third module adapted to calculate a gap parameter based at least in part upon the largest idle period allowable during the first interval, and the largest non-idle period allowable for the second interval;
- a fourth module adapted to ensure that a first idle period observed is repeated with a period not less than the largest idle period allowable during the first interval;
- and
- a fifth module adapted to ensure that a second idle period observed is repeated with a period not less than the largest period allowable for the non-idle second interval.
A method for enforcing a gap count parameter for use in a serial data bus, said method comprising:
- receiving first data, the first data indicating the largest idle period allowable during a first interval;
- receiving second data, the second data indicating the largest period allowable for a second interval;
- deriving at least a first value and a second value from the first and second data;
- and
- determining a gap count parameter based at least in part by setting a value greater than or equal to at least one of the first or second values;
- wherein the first interval comprises at least one of a subaction and/or an isochronous interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.