Apparatus, system, and methods for facilitating one-way ordering of messages
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsJames R. Vash, Vida Vakilotojar, Bongjin Jung, Yen-Cheng Liu
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Abstract
Methods, apparatus and systems for facilitating one-way ordering of otherwise independent message classes. A one-way message ordering mechanism facilitates one-way ordering of messages of different message classes sent between interconnects employing independent pathways for the message classes. In one aspect, messages of a second message class may not pass messages of a first message class. Moreover, when messages of the first and second classes are received in sequence, the ordering mechanism ensures that messages of the first class are forwarded to, and received at, a next hop prior to forwarding messages of the second class.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- enforcing a one-way message order mechanism for messages having independent message classes sent between interconnects or segments in an interconnect network on a processor, wherein a message in a first message class is ensured to arrive at a destination node prior to a related message of a second message class sent to the destination node, and wherein the interconnects or segments employ separate electronic pathways for messages belonging to the first and second message classes.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first buffered path, configured to receive messages corresponding to a first message class from a first interconnect and to send received messages corresponding to the first message class to a second interconnect, each of the first and second interconnects comprising a separate plurality of wiring pathways and coupled to separate pluralities of nodes;
- a second buffered path, configured to receive messages corresponding to a second message class from the first interconnect and to send received messages corresponding to the second message class to the second interconnect;
- and
- a one-way message ordering mechanism, configured to ensure that for associated messages of the first and second message classes received from the first interconnect, messages of the first message class are sent to the second interconnect prior to messages of the second message class.
A system, comprising:
- first and second ring interconnects, each having a separate plurality of nodes and comprising at least two separate pathways for transferring messages between nodes, including first and second rings used to transfer first and second message classes;
- a plurality of processor cores, operatively coupled to respective nodes in the first and second ring interconnects, each processor core having at least one level of cache;
- a plurality of cache agents operatively coupled to respective nodes in the first and second ring interconnects, each cache agent configured to send and receive messages of the first and second message classes;
- and
- a first buffered one-way message ordering mechanism operatively coupled between the first and second ring interconnects, configured to ensure that for messages of the first and second message classes sent from an agent in the first ring interconnect destined for one or more agents in the second ring interconnect, messages of the first class are forwarded to the second ring interconnect prior to messages of the second class.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.