Patent ID: 8285912
Filing Date: 2012-10-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A communication infrastructure for a data processing apparatus, comprising: first switching circuitry for coupling to at least one first master interface and at least one first slave interface; second switching circuitry for coupling to at least one second master interface and at least one second slave interface; said first switching circuitry and said second switching circuitry employing a multi-channel communication protocol, whereby on initiation of a transaction from an initiating master interface to a target slave interface for the transaction, a communication path is established from said initiating master interface to said target slave interface, the communication path comprising m channels, said m channels comprising one or more forward channels from said initiating master interface to said target slave interface and one or more reverse channels from said target slave interface to said initiating master interface, and handshaking signals being associated with each of the m channels; a bidirectional link interconnecting said first switching circuitry and said second switching circuitry, the bidirectional link comprising a plurality n of connection lines, where n is less than 2m, the bidirectional link supporting a first communication path from the first switching circuitry to the second switching circuitry, and a second communication path in an opposite direction from the second switching circuitry to the first switching circuitry, both the first communication path and the second communication path providing said m channels; and control circuitry for multiplexing at least one forward channel of the first communication path and at least one reverse channel of the second communication path, such that the 2m channels formed by the first and second communication paths are provided by the n connection lines of the bidirectional link, the control circuitry being arranged to perform said multiplexing in dependence on the handshaking signals associated with the channels to be multiplexed, wherein for each connection line of the bidirectional link onto which multiple channels are to be multiplexed, the control circuitry comprises: multiplexer circuitry for multiplexing payload data from each of the multiple channels to be multiplexed; and arbitration circuitry for controlling the multiplexer circuitry in dependence on the handshaking signals associated with the multiple channels to be multiplexed; whereby the bidirectional link is employed to form at least part of the communication path for any transaction where the initiating master interface is one of said at least one first master interface and the target slave interface is one of said at least one second slave interface, or for any transaction where the initiating master interface is one of said at least one second master interface and the target slave interface is one of said at least one first slave interface.