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US 8,948,204 B2Granted
Fabric channel control apparatus and method
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsNeil Sharma, Matthew Todd Lawson, Mick R. Jacobs
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for receiving packet data at a communication channel and transmitting the packet data over serial links of the communication channel. The packet data is sliced into n-bit data portions which are concatenated with a header prior to transmitting an n-bit portion across one of the serial links of the communication channel. The header may include an invert bit to alter the majority sign of an n-bit portion. Other aspects of the present invention are also described herein.
Claims10
A method comprising:
- sequentially receiving first and second data packets;
- dividing the first data packet into first X-bit slices;
- dividing the second data packet into second X-bit slices;
- generating a first delimiter comprising X bits, wherein X is an integer greater than one;
- generating a first frame that comprises the first delimiter and a last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices and a first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices, wherein Y bits of the first delimiter indicate the first frame comprises data from two data packets, wherein Y is an integer greater than zero and less than X;
- transmitting the first frame to a switching fabric via X serial wire communication links, wherein the transmitting the first frame comprises:
- concurrently transmitting the X bits of the first delimiter via the X serial wire communication links, respectively;
- after transmitting the X bits of the first delimiter, concurrently transmitting data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices via the X serial wire communication links, respectively;
- after transmitting the data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices, concurrently transmitting data bits of the first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices via the X serial wire communication links, respectively;
- wherein no data is transmitted over the X serial wire communication links between the transmission of the data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices and the transmission of the data bits of the first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices.
7 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- an input port configured to sequentially receive first and second data packets;
- a circuit coupled to the input port and configured to:
- divide the first data packet into first X-bit slices;
- divide the second data packet into second X-bit slices;
- generate a first delimiter comprising X bits, wherein X is an integer greater than one;
- generate a first frame that comprises the first delimiter and a last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices and a first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices, wherein Y bits of the first delimiter indicate the first frame comprises data from two data packets, wherein Y is an integer greater than zero and less than X;
- transmit the first frame to a switching fabric via X serial wire communication links, wherein the transmission of the first frame comprises:
- concurrently transmit the X bits of the first delimiter via the X serial wire communication links, respectively;
- concurrently transmit data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices via the X serial wire communication links, respectively, after transmitting the X bits of the first delimiter;
- concurrently transmit data bits of the first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices via the X serial wire communication links, respectively, after transmitting the data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices;
- wherein the circuit is configured to transmit no data over the X serial wire communication links between the transmission of the data bits of the last x-bit slice of the first X-bit slices and the transmission of the data bits of the first x-bit slice of the second X-bit slices.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.