Patent ID: 7650443
Filing Date: 2010-01-19
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for use in a host device to buffer data transferred between a controller of the host device and one or more remote devices, the host device being configured to couple to each of the one or more remote devices through one or more corresponding dedicated lanes, the apparatus comprising: a buffer that buffers data transferred between one or more remote devices and the controller of the host device when the one or more remote devices are coupled to the host device, wherein each of the one or more remote devices couple to the host device through a corresponding link including one or more dedicated lanes; a buffer controller coupled to the buffer, the buffer controller configured to allocate access to the buffer by the data transferred between the one or more remote devices and the controller of the host device based on a number of dedicated lanes in each link corresponding to each of the one or more remote devices; a plurality of link cores coupled to the buffer controller, the data transferred between the controller of the host device and each of the one or more remote devices when coupled to the host device passing through an associated one of the plurality of link cores; and a plurality of link trainers, each of the plurality of link trainers corresponding to one of the link cores, the link trainers configured to negotiate with the one or more remote devices when coupled to the host device to determine the number of dedicated lanes in each link corresponding to the one or more remote devices.