System and method for overcoming in-band interrupt starvation with dynamic address remapping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11144486-B2
Application number	US-202016803075-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2020
Priority date	Feb 27, 2020
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

An information handling system includes a processor with an Improved Inter-Integrated Circuit (I3C) master interface, a first device with a first I3C slave interface, and a second device with a second I3C slave interface. The first I3C slave interface provides first In-Band Interrupts (IBIs) to the I3C master interface and has a first I3C address. The second I3C interface provides second IBIs to the I3C master interface and has a second I3C address. The second I3C address is higher than the first I3C address. The processor receives the first IBI, determines that the second IBIs are masked by the first Mb due to the second I3C address being higher than the first I3C address, and assigns a third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface in response to determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system, comprising:
a processor including an Improved Inter-Integrated Circuit (I3C) master interface;
a first device including a first I3C slave interface coupled to the I3C master interface, the first I3C slave interface configured to provide first In-Band Interrupts (Mb) to the I3C master interface and having a first I3C address; and
a second device including a second I3C slave interface coupled to the I3C master interface, the second I3C slave interface configured to provide second Mb to the I3C master interface and having a second I3C address, wherein the second I3C address is higher than the first I3C address;
wherein the processor is configured a) to receive the first Mb, b) to determine that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs due to the second I3C address being higher than the first I3C address, and c), in response to determining that the second Mb are masked by the first IBIs, to assign a third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface and assign a fourth I3C address to the other one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein, in assigning the third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface, the processor is further configured to assign the third I3C address to the second I3C slave interface, and wherein the third I3C address is lower than the first I3C address.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein, in assigning the third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface, the processor is further configured to assign the third I3C address to the first I3C slave interface, and wherein the third I3C address is higher than the first I3C address.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the first and third I3C addresses are the same, and wherein the second and fourth I3C addresses are the same.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein, in determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs, the processor is further configured to determine a frequency of the second IBIs.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 , wherein, in determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs, the processor is further configured to determine that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than a threshold.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs is based upon the determination that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than the threshold.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the processor comprises a baseboard management controller.

9. A method, comprising:
coupling an Improved Inter-Integrated Circuit (I3C) master interface of a processor to a first I3C slave interface of first device separate from the processor, wherein the first I3C slave interface has a first I3C address;
providing, by the first I3C slave interface, first In-Band Interrupts (IBIs) to the I3C master interface;
receiving, by the processor, the first IBIs;
coupling the I3C master interface to a second I3C slave interface of second device separate from the processor, wherein the second I3C slave interface has a second I3C address;
providing, by the second I3C slave interface, second IBIs to the I3C master interface;
determining, by the processor, that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs due to the second I3C address being higher than the first I3C address;
assigning, by the processor, a third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface in response to determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs; and
assigning a fourth I3C address to the other one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface in further response to determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein, in assigning the third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface, the method further comprises:
assigning, by processor, the third I3C address to the second I3C slave interface, wherein the third I3C address is lower than the first I3C address.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein, in assigning the third I3C address to one of the first I3C slave interface and the second I3C slave interface, the method further comprises:
assigning, by the processor, the third I3C address to the first I3C slave interface, wherein the third I3C address is higher than the first I3C address.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first and third I3C addresses are the same, and wherein the second and fourth I3C addresses are the same.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein, in determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs, the method further comprises:
determining, by the processor, a frequency of the second IBIs.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein, in determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs, the method further comprises:
determining, by the processor, that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than a threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs is based upon the determination that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than the threshold.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the processor comprises a baseboard management controller.

17. An information handling system, comprising:
a processor including an I3C master interface;
a first device including a first I3C slave interface coupled to the I3C master interface, the first I3C slave interface configured to provide first IBIs to the I3C master interface and having a first I3C address; and
a second device including a second I3C slave interface coupled to the I3C master interface, the second I3C slave interface configured to provide second IBIs to the I3C master interface and having a second I3C address, wherein the second I3C address is higher than the first I3C address;
wherein the processor is configured a) to determine a frequency of the second IBIs, b) to determine, based upon the frequency of the second IBIs, whether the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs due to the second I3C address being higher than the first I3C address, and c), in response to determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs, to assign a third I3C address to the second I3C slave interface and to assign a fourth I3C address to the first I3C slave interface, wherein the third I3C address is lower than the first I3C address.

18. The information handling system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than a threshold.

19. The information handling system of claim 18 , wherein determining that the second IBIs are masked by the first IBIs is based upon the determination that the frequency of the second IBIs is less than the threshold.

20. The information handling system of claim 17 , wherein the processor comprises a baseboard management controller.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Bhavsar Nihit S
• Lambert Timothy M

Classifications

• G06F9/4411

  Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers · CPC title

• G06F13/24 Primary

  using interrupt (G06F13/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2213/2402

  Avoidance of interrupt starvation · CPC title

• G06F9/4401

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F13/4291

  using a clocked protocol · CPC title