Providing real-time interrupts over Ethernet

摘要

In one embodiment, a method includes sending a request to one or more distributed fabric protocol (DFP) system members in order to retrieve one or more events from the one or more DFP system members, wherein the one or more events are received as data encapsulated in a packet(s), receiving one or more acknowledgements to the request from the one or more DFP system members at a local network switch of the DFP system master, upon receipt of the at least one packet: decoding the at least one packet to retrieve details of the one or more events using a dedicated processor of the DFP system master, creating and sending a message signaled interrupt (MSI) comprising the details of the one or more events to a local processor of the DFP system master using the dedicated processor, and reading the MSI using the local processor of the DFP system master.

主权项

1. A system, comprising:
a local processor; a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) switch electrically coupled to the local processor; one or more local interrupt sources configured to create one or more local events indicating exceptions to normal operation; a local network switch electrically coupled to the PCIe switch, the local network switch being configured to:
receive packets encapsulating details of external events from devices outside of the system which generated the external events;forward the packets to a dedicated processor; andreceive packets from internal components to be sent out to the devices outside of the system; and the dedicated processor electrically coupled to the one or more local interrupt sources, the local network switch, and the PCIe switch, the dedicated processor being configured to:
package the one or more local events;send the packaged events to the local network switch as one or more local interrupts;receive the packets encapsulating details of external events forwarded by the local network switch;decode the packets to determine details of the external events encapsulated in the packets; andsend one or more message signaled interrupts (MSIs) to the local processor based on the details of the external events, wherein the one or more local events are not sent directly to the local processor by the one or more local interrupt sources when the one or more local events are successfully sent to the dedicated processor, and wherein the one or more local events are sent to the local processor when a problem arises in communication of the one or more local events to the dedicated processor.