Patent ID: 6370148
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
An arbiter for arbitrating requests by a plurality of first data processing units for access to a plurality of second data processing units interconnected by a switching system of a type in which at any time each first unit can only access one second unit and each second unit can only be accessed by one first unit, the arbiter comprising:a scheduler mechanism for repeatedly selecting access requests with a defined minimum probability of selecting a request for each first unit-second unit combination; rearrangement storage means for recording requests selected by the scheduler mechanism; a rearranger for repeatedly selecting a set of requests recorded in the rearrangment storage means, so that only one request per first unit and per second unit is selected, using a priority mechanism which increases the probability of selection with the length of time a request is stored in the rearrangement storage means; means for communicating the grant of the selected set of requests to the switching system; means for deleting the selected set of requests from the rearrangment storage means.