Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Paul V Brownell

David L Matthews

Hubert E Brinkmann

Dwight D Riley

James Xuan Dinh

Barry S Basile

Kenneth T Chin

Timothy R McJunkin

Hahn Norden

Christopher D McBride

Kevin G Depew

Chi Kim Sides

Ho M Lai

John M Cagle

David R Bell

Vincent Nguyen

Hubert E Brinkmann, Jr

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods for virtualizing interrupt modes on behalf of interrupt-generating devices, including I/O-device controllers, so that newer interrupt-generating devices that lack older interrupt modes can be used in systems that continue to rely on older interrupt modes. In one embodiment of the present invention, a PCIe switch or PCIe-based host bridge is modified, or a new component introduced, to provide an interrupt-mode virtualizing function, or virtual interrupt-mode interface, that provides a virtual interrupt mode on behalf of interrupt-generating devices, such as I/O-device controllers, to operating systems, BIOS layers, and other components that communicate with the I/O-device controllers.

Virtual-interrupt-mode interface and method for virtualizing an interrupt mode

In one embodiment, a computer system, comprises at least one host node, at least one input/output node coupled to the host node, at least one multi-function device coupled to the input/output node via a switch, and a middle manager processor comprising logic to block an enumeration process in a host node for the multi-function devices behind the switch hierarchy, initiate an enumeration process for the multi-function devices in a manager processor separate from the host node, store a routing table for the switch hierarchy in a memory module coupled to the manager processor, and allocate, in the manager processor, endpoint device resources to the host node.

Presenting multi-function devices behind a switch hierarchy as a single function device

A blade server system and method for virtually hot plugging and virtually hot removing functions in a shared I/O environment. A management node physically hot inserts and hot removes an I/O node in the server system without a compute node being aware of the hot insert and hot removal. The management node and the compute node create and remove virtual links between the compute node and the virtual functions.

Virtual hot inserting functions in a shared I/O environment

A method and apparatus for host enumeration process. One embodiment of the method provides a bit to indicate to the host whether enumeration process should start or continue. The bit may be set when the shared resource process has been successfully completed, or the bit may be set if too much time has elapsed since the shared resource process has started, or the bit may be set if too much time has elapsed before the shared resource process is started, or the bit may be set if the shared resource process has not been performed successfully, or the bit may be set if the port is open and it is unnecessary to perform the shared resource process.

Method and apparatus for performing a host enumeration process

Embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems for converting resets in a shared I/O system. One embodiment includes a method that propagates a first type of reset from a host computer to a multi-function device that shares I/O operations with other hosts. The first type of reset is converted to a second type of reset to prevent the host from resetting functions bound to the other hosts at the multi-function device.

Conversion of resets sent to a shared device

A network node within a network includes a first receive buffer, first buffer management, a second receive buffer and second buffer management. The first buffer management performs link level credit based flow control for network packets that the first buffer management places in the first receive buffer. The second buffer management performs end-to-end credit based flow control for network packets that the second buffer management receives from the first receive buffer and processes before placing data in the second receive buffer.

End-to-end flow control in a network

A two reference clock architected redriver includes an inbound elastic buffer and an outbound elastic buffer. Data transmitted to and received from a North Bridge uses a common reference clock architecture. Data transmitted to and received from an external blade uses a separate reference clock architecture. The inbound elastic buffer includes an inbound elastic buffer recovered clock domain, an inbound elastic buffer common reference clock domain, and an inbound decoder/descrambler, an inbound scrambler/encoder, and inbound liner shift registers. The outbound elastic buffer includes an outbound elastic buffer common reference clock domain, an outbound elastic buffer low jitter clock domain, and an outbound decoder/descrambler, an outbound scrambler/encoder, and outbound liner shift register.

Redriver with two reference clocks and method of operation thereof

A computer-executed method for controlling transaction flow in a network comprises communicating transaction packets among a plurality of devices in a network fabric and subdividing a memory into a plurality of memory segments for storing received transaction cycles according to transaction packet type comprising posted, non-posted, and completion cycles. A plurality of transaction cycles are received in the memory segment plurality at a target device and transaction cycle priority is allocated according to transaction packet type wherein posted cycles have highest priority. Cycles are retrieved from the memory segment plurality in an order determined by priority.

Transaction flow control in PCI express fabric

A system is provided comprising a fabric coupling together a plurality of computing devices, wherein the fabric transfers a stream of packets between the computing devices. Each computing device comprises a Quality of Service ('QOS') filter that monitors incoming packets to filter out packets of a maintenance type and permit transfer of packets of a transaction type.

Quality of service with control flow packet filtering

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to the selective phase lag and time delay of clock signals within a computer system to compensate for additional parasitic capacitance that may be added to that system because of its open architecture. More particularly, the preferred embodiments are directed to clock signal path circuits where each circuit has multiple signal paths of varying lengths. By allowing the clock signals to propagate along a particular path, phase lag or time delay is added to those clock signals. Selection of a particular path for the clock signal is made by activating electrically controlled switches which themselves are activated or deactivated by software programs that run during power-up of the computer system that determine required phase lag or time delay of those clock signals as a function of parasitic capacitance in the computer system.

Adaptive clock skew in a variably loaded memory bus

System and method for adaptively adjusting clock skew in a variably loaded memory bus

A reset circuit for a computer system having PCI chip set, the reset circuit for resetting a PCI data bus in the event of a warm boot in the computer system to prevent corrupt data files, the reset circuit including a logical AND gate with a first input connected to a cold boot reset pin of the PMC, and an output connected to a PCI data bus; a logical OR gate with a first input connected to the flush pin of the PMC and an output connected to a second input of the logical AND gate; an inverter with an input connected to the flush pin of the PMC; and a delay device connected between an output of the inverter and a second input of the logical OR gate.

Reset circuit for a peripheral component interconnect bus

The invention provides a method that can be used online in a continuous printed circuit soldering process to measure and control the composition of soldering fluxes, in particular low-solids fluxes that utilize a solvent with a specific gravity close to the specific gravity of the flux composition. Samples of the flux are analyzed by ultra-violet absorption to determine solvent content and, based on this analysis, make up solvent is added to the flux composition to maintain a steady state composition.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Paul V Brownell