Computer system and method for maintaining an integrated shared buffer memory in a group of interconnected hosts

摘要

A computer system with a shared-buffer memory includes a plurality of interconnected host systems. Each of the host systems includes system random access memory, with a portion of the system random access memory defined as shared-buffer memory. A system memory controller determines if the host has updated the shared-buffer memory, and if so, signals that the shared-buffer memory has been updated. This signal is accomplished by initiating a PCI Special Cycle which indicates the location and length in the shared-buffer of the update. A buffer control and interconnect device receives the signal from the system memory controller that the shared-buffer memory has been updated, reads the update from the shared-buffer memory, and exports the update. The exported update is received at the buffer control and interconnect device of each of the other host systems. The receiving buffer control and interconnect device writes the update to its shared-buffer memory.