COMPUTER SYSTEM PROVIDING A UNIVERSAL ARCHITECTURE ADAPTIVE TO A VARIETY OF PROCESSOR TYPES AND BUS PROTOCOLS

摘要

A computer system providing a universal architecture includes a process or card connected to a system bus of a host computer system. The processor card is adapted for insertion into a slot of the computer system and houses a processor and a bus bridge conversion device. The processor operates according to a signaling protocol which is different than the signaling protocol of the computer syst em bus. The bus conversion device converts the signaling protocol of the system bus to the signaling protocol of the processor, and vice-versa. The bus conversion devi ce includes logic for bus arbitration conversion, bus lock conversion, and cach e coherency control. Logic is also included that converts incoming and outgoin g requests so that the card may properly transact with other agents coupled to the bus.