Intel Corporation

Adam E Letendre

Avinash N Ananthakrishnan

Brent Ralph Boswell

Bryan L Spry

Aimee D Wood

Deepak M Rangaraj

Marcus W Song

Robert J Hayes

Techniques and mechanisms for configuring an integrated circuit (IC) chip to implement a protocol stack. In an embodiment, a transaction layer of the IC chip is operable to exchange with a link layer of the IC chip transaction layer packets (TLPs) having a format compatible with one defined in a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express&#x2122; (PCIe&#x2122;) specification. Configuration circuitry of the IC chip provides for configuration of a first protocol stack including the transaction layer, circuitry of the link layer and a first physical layer of the IC chip. The configuration circuitry further provides for an alternative configuration of a second protocol stack including the transaction layer, circuitry of the link layer and a second physical layer of the IC chip. In another embodiment, the first protocol stack supports single-ended signaling to communicate TLP information, whereas the second protocol stack supports differential signaling to communicate TLP information.

Method, apparatus and system for configuring a protocol stack of an integrated circuit chip

Growing community of inventors

Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Adam E Letendre