Motorola Corporation

Arm Limited

Randall L Jones

Tessil Thomas

Anitha Kona

Mark W McDermott

Seow Chuan Lim

Mark R Heene

Karthick Santhanam

Michael Wayne Garner

Liana Christine Nicklaus

A data processing apparatus is provided comprising first processing circuitry. Interrupt generating circuitry generates an outgoing interrupt in response to the first processing circuitry becoming unresponsive. Interrupt receiving circuitry receives an incoming interrupt, which indicates that second processing circuitry has become unresponsive, and in response to receiving the incoming interrupt, causes the data processing apparatus to access data managed by the second processing circuitry.

Responding to unresponsive processing circuitry

In a microprocessor system including arbitration for an interrupt, an apparatus and method for monitoring the arbitration lines to determine whether an interrupt request is real or spurious is includued. Once an interrupt acknowledge signal is provided, the interrupting apparatus must arbitrate for the interrupt slot. If no arbitration occurs the interrupt request was spurious and bus error is activated.

Spurious interrupt monitor

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Randall L Jones