Interconnect and method of handling supplementary data in an interconnect

Abstract

An interconnect, and method of handling supplementary data in an interconnect, are provided. The interconnect has routing circuitry providing a plurality of paths, and routing control circuitry to use the plurality of paths to establish routes through the interconnect between source devices and destination devices coupled to the interconnect, to enable system data to be routed through the interconnect between the source devices and the destination devices. The system data relates to functional operation of a system comprising the interconnect, the source devices and the destination devices. At least a subset of the paths are redundant paths whose use by the routing control circuitry provides the system data with resilience to faults when routing the system data through the interconnect. The routing control circuitry is responsive to supplementary data which is unnecessary to ensure the functional operation of the system, to establish a supplementary data route through the interconnect to a supplementary data receiving circuit, such that the supplementary data route employs at least one of the redundant paths that is not required to provide resilience for the system data at a time the at least one of the redundant paths is used for the supplementary data route. This provides an efficient mechanism for transporting supplementary data, whilst ensuring non-intrusive behaviour.