System for signaling serialized interrupts using message signaled interrupts

摘要

The present invention provides a system for signaling legacy serialized interrupts within a PCI-Express environment, using message signaled interrupts. The system provides structures and methods that interface a PCI environment ( 106 ) with a PCI-Express environment ( 104 ). The present invention provides a PCI to PCI-Express bridge device ( 110 ) that is communicatively linked ( 112, 114 ) to the PCI and PCI-Express environments. The bridge device comprises a translation function ( 116 ) that is communicatively linked ( 120, 122 ) to the PCI and PCI-Express environments. A serialized interrupt is signaled from the PCI environment, and the translation function generates a message signaled interrupt within the PCI-Express environment based on that serialized interrupt.