Patent ID: 7386636

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for communicating instructions and data between a processor and a memory flow control (MFC) unit, comprising: establishing one or more MFC command parameter channels between the processor and the MFC unit for transferring data between the processor and the MFC unit, wherein the one or more MFC command parameter channels comprise a MFC command opcode channel; receiving MFC command parameter data, in the MFC unit, via the one or more MFC command parameter channels; storing the MFC command parameter data in one or more MFC command parameter registers associated with the one or more MFC command parameter channels in the MFC unit; receiving a write channel instruction to the MFC command opcode channel sending the MFC command parameter data held in the one or more MFC command parameter registers to a MFC command queue in response to receiving the write channel instruction to the MFC command opcode channel; and processing one or more commands in the MFC command queue.