Apparatus and method for providing more effective reiterations of

Abstract

A multiprocessor computer system includes a number of processors, each processor having an interrupt mechanism and connecting in common to a system bus over which interrupt requests are communicated. When a processor accepts an interrupt request from another processor, it generates an acknowledge response on the system bus. If such processor contains a previous and pending interrupt request of an equal or higher priority level, it generates a not acknowledge response on the system bus and refuses the interrupt request. At the completion of servicing an interrupt request, each processor places on the system bus, an interrupt completed command including an address identifying such processor, a code designating a priority level to which it has switched and a code indicating that the processor has completing servicing an interrupt request. Each interrupt mechanism further includes interrupt retry means containing a refused interrupt register means for storing the channel address of the processor generating the not acknowledge in response and the priority level code contained in the interrupt request, and a level monitor logic unit connected to the system bus. The level monitor logic unit detects interrupt completed commands and compares the channel address and priority level code in the interrupt completed command to channel address and level code stored in the refused interrupt register means. When the processor channel addresses match and the level code is less than the level stored in the refused interrupt register means, the monitor logic unit generates a retry interrupt output. The processor retries the corresponding previously refused interrupt request upon receipt of the retry interrupt output.