Patent ID: 8719925
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A monitoring device for monitoring transactions on a bus connecting hardware components of a computing system, the monitoring device comprising: a content-addressable memory (“CAM”) having an input coupled to receive a bus transaction tag based on bus traffic on the bus, the CAM storing data tags associated with rules of a security policy, the CAM further coupled to compare the bus transaction tag to the data tags and to generate an output signal indicating whether one or more matches occurred; and a response policy unit coupled to the CAM to receive the output signal from the CAM and coupled to a bus controller of the bus, wherein the response policy unit is coupled to selectively issue a bus halt signal to the bus controller to halt the bus or to issue a bus reset signal to the bus controller to reset the bus via a signal path other than the bus, and wherein the response policy unit is coupled to issue the bus halt signal or the bus reset signal in response to the output signal from the CAM, and further wherein the output signal indicates to the response policy unit which of the data tags was matched when the one or more matches occurred.