Port router

Details Port router Port router

2000-01-04

2001-11-27

Lee, Thomas (Department: 2182)

Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/

Intrasystem connection

Bus access regulation

C710S120000, C710S120000, C710S036000, C710S037000, C710S038000, C710S041000, C370S389000, C370S392000, C370S360000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06324613

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to semi-conductor devices and, more particularly, to port routers.
Existing compute platforms feature mechanisms for attaching devices to the computer and performing input/output (IO) between the compute platform and the ports where an external device would be connections between ports and an IO controller resident inside the computer platform. This technique of providing a routing mechanism that is fixed limits the ability for a system to adapt to changing requirements such as the addition of new devices or the introduction of devices of devices which require the full capacity of a single IO controller.
There are increasing circumstances in which multiple IO controllers will be available within a single device or system. Platforms such as information appliances, set-top boxes, cable modems, game consoles, smart appliances, handheld computers, palm-sized computers, embedded control systems, workstations and servers, etc., will contain multiple IO controllers. Currently available techniques do not include any mechanism for the dynamic re-routing between ports and IO controllers. It is therefore desirable to be able to dynamically change the routing when new devices are added or when devices requiring the full capacity of a single IO controller are introduced. A need exists for a mechanism for the dynamic connection of the physical connections (ports) to the IO controller(s) resident inside the compute platform.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention a port router is provided comprising a controller switch, a port switch, and one or more connections between the controller switch and the port switch. The controller switch, the port switch and the one or more connections are adapted to provide dynamic re-routing of connections between the port switch inputs and the controller switch outputs.
In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for dynamically routing ports to internal circuitry of a computer platform. The method comprises providing a configurable switching circuit, querying the configurable switching circuit to determine a default topology, computing an optimized topology upon the occurrence of a change of the data flow through the configurable switching circuit, suspending operation and effecting re-routing between the interface ports and the internal circuitry based on the optimized topology, and resuming IO operations through the configurable switching circuit.
The invention may be used in a personal computer system, but can also be applied to other types of computer platforms, including but not limited to information appliances, set-top boxes, cable modems, game consoled, smart appliances, handheld, computers, palm-sized computers, embedded control system, workstations, servers and the like.


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