Patent ID: 7418559

Claim:
An address snoop method for a multi-processor system, having a structure in which a plurality of processor blocks each comprising a plurality of processors and a plurality of memories are coupled to a plurality of input and output (I/O) blocks via an address connecting apparatus, comprising: carrying out an address snoop process that judges, in the address connecting apparatus in place of each I/O block, whether to respond to a processor with a snoop address response with respect to an access request, when the access request is generated from an arbitrary one of the processor blocks, wherein the carrying out of the address snoop process further comprises: selecting by the address connecting apparatus one of snoop addresses input to the address connecting apparatus from said arbitrary one of the processor blocks and an arbitrary one of the I/O blocks; broadcasting by the address connecting apparatus the selected snoop address to said arbitrary one of the processor blocks as a broadcast snoop address; and judging by the address connecting apparatus whether said arbitrary one of the I/O blocks needs to respond with respect to the access request, based on a command type of the selected snoop address and address information cached within the address connecting apparatus.