Patent ID: 7792030

Claim:
A method of providing data transport over a full-duplex mesochronous link, wherein request signals and response signals are exchanged between an initiator and a target operating in respective clock domains at opposite ends of said full-duplex mesochronous link, the method comprising: monitoring request initiator flow control signals at the target end of said link; monitoring response target flow control signals at the initiator end of said link; ascertaining at said target end of said link, as a result of monitoring said request initiator flow control signals, if a request has been granted at the initiator end of said link; ascertaining at said initiator end of said link, as a result of monitoring said response target flow control signals, if a response has been granted at the target end of said link; providing an initiator clock to the initiator and providing a target clock to the target, the initiator clock and the target clock having the same frequency but having unknown relative phases and having an interconnection delay therebetween of less than one clock period; and managing data flow between said initiator and said target by ensuring that a new request from the initiator reaches the target only if acknowledgement of a previous request has propagated from the target to the initiator, and a new response from the target reaches the initiator only if acknowledgement of a previous response has propagated from the initiator to the target, wherein said target provides said acknowledgment even if busy and said initiator provides said acknowledgment even if no request is coming from the initiator.