The invention is directed to system and method for communication management in computing systems. Implementations of the invention provide a resource manager that allows a single south bridge to arbitrate resources between plural processors. In this manner, the conventional one-to-one correspondence of processors to south bridges may be eliminated, thereby saving board space, power dissipation, and cost.
The system 10 further comprises a south bridge 30. In embodiments, the south bridge 30 comprises a semiconductor-based chip. The south bridge 30 is connected to the first processor 15 by a first point-to-point connection 35. The south bridge is also connected to the second processor 16 by a second point-to-point connection 36. In this manner, the first and second processors 15, 16 may communicate with the south bridge 30 in known fashion.
In embodiments, the first and second processors 15, 16 and the south bridge 30 are all connected to a circuit board 40, such as, for example, a motherboard, blade server, etc. The first and second memories 20, 21 may also be disposed on or in the circuit board 40. For example, the first and second processors 15, 16, the first and second memories 20, 21, and the south bridge 30 may each comprise a respective chip that is connected to the circuit board by pins, as is known in the art. Moreover, the circuit board 40 may be comprised in a larger computing structure, such as, for example, a server rack, personal computer, handheld computer, etc.
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The south bridge 30 comprises a resource manager 45 that functions to arbitrate communication between the first and second processors 15,16 and the respective resources R1, R2. The resource manager 45 may comprise any combination of hardware (e.g., circuitry, etc.) and logical programming (e.g., instruction set, microprogram, etc.), and may be integrated with or separate from the south bridge 30. In embodiments, the south bridge 30 comprises a chip that integrally comprises the resource manager 45.
In implementations, the resource manager 45 comprises circuitry and logical programming that function to arbitrate communication between respective processors and respective resources. In embodiments, the resource manager 45 is capable of receiving, from either processor, a request to communicate with one of the various resources. The request from the processor may be embodied in any suitable form, such as, for example, data transmission to registers within the resource manager 45. If the resource is available (e.g., not being used by the other processor), the resource manager 45 will establish communication between the requesting processor and the resource, such that data may be transferred between the processor and the resource. The resource manager 45 may establish communication in a known manner, such as, for example, by sending signals to dynamic multiplexers that control the flow of data between the processors and the resources. In this manner, either processor 15, 16 may access any of the resources connected to the south bridge 30, instead of being limited to the resources associated with a dedicated south bridge.
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The resource manager 45 can control the multiplexers 50-53 to achieve any discrete allocation between the processors 15, 16 and resources R1, R2. For example, the first processor 15 may be put into communication with the second resource R2, while the second processor 16 is put into communication with the first resource R1. Alternatively, the second processor 16 may be put into communication with both the first resource R1 and the second resource R2, while the first processor 15 communicates with neither. In this manner, the single south bridge 30 is used to allocate a plurality of resources between plural processors. Moreover, while the system has been described with respect to two processors and two resources, implementations of the invention may be employed with any number of processors and resources by adjusting the number and connection of the multiplexers accordingly.
The south bridge 117 includes a first host interface 130 and a second host interface 131 that transmit data to and from the hosts 115, 116. In embodiments, the first host 115, second host 116, and south bridge 117 are respective semiconductor chips that are plugged into the board 105 by pins, as is known in the art. The board 105 provides a point-to-point connection between the first host 115 and the first host interface 130, and between the second host 116 and the second host interface 131.
The south bridge 117 also includes a resource manager 135, which may be similar to that described above. The host interfaces 130, 131 are connected to the resource manager 135 to allow communication between the hosts 115, 116 and the resource manager 135. The host interfaces 130, 131 and resource manager 135, and all connections therebetween, may be integrated into the structure of the south bridge 117. For example, all may be part of a single chip.
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The south bridge 117 also includes switching devices for controlling communication between the host interfaces 115, 116 and the controllers 140-144. For example, the switching devices may comprise controllable multiplexers (not shown) similar to those described above. In embodiments, the multiplexers are connected between the host interfaces 115, 116 and the controllers 140-144. The multiplexers are also connected to the resource manager 135 such that they may be controlled by the resource manager 135 in a manner similar to that already described. The multiplexers, and associated connections, may be integrated into the structure of the south bridge 117.
Similar to the manner described above, the south bridge 117, including the resource manager 135, may allocate the use of various input/output resources to the hosts 115, 116. The system 100 provides the allocation (e.g., arbitration) using a single south bridge, thereby saving board space, power (e.g., heat), and cost by eliminating the need for plural dedicated south bridges.
At step 220, the resource manager (which is preferably integrated with the south bridge) determines the availability of the requested resource. In implementations, the resource manager makes this determination by examining if the resource is already in use by another processor, as described previously. Moreover, it is contemplated that the resource manager can be separate from the south bridge. However, in such an embodiment, it is understood that the output of the resource manager connects to the south bridge in such a manner as to allocate the resources of the south bridge.
At step 230, if the resource is available, then communication is established (e.g., use is allocated) at step 240. For example, if the processor requested the use of the first USB device, and that device is available, then the resource manager controls switching devices (e.g., multiplexers) in the south bridge to establish communication between the processor and the USB device.
At step 230, if the resource is not available, then the processor cannot immediately be placed in communication with the requested resource. For example, the resource may be in use with a different processor. In this case, at step 250, the request is placed in a queue. The requests in the queue are resubmitted to the resource manager in order, such that the next request in the queue is received at step 210.
The invention as described provides a system and method that employ a single south bridge having a resource manager to allocate resources between plural processors. The invention may be implemented for any suitable type of computing device including, for example, blade servers, personal computers, workstations, etc.
While the invention has been described in terms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.