Patent ID: 8006014

Claim:
A Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express data link transmitter for selecting from among multiple scheduled Transaction Layer Packets (TLPs) and Data Link Layer Packets (DLLPs) for transmission on a PCI-Express data link, the data link transmitter comprising: a plurality of arbiters, each configured to employ a distinct priority rule to select one of the multiple scheduled TLPs and DLLPs based on the types of the multiple scheduled TLPs and DLLPs; and a selector, coupled to the plurality of arbiters, the selector configured to select one of the plurality of arbiters to select the one of the multiple scheduled TLPs and DLLPs for transmission on the PCI-Express data link; wherein the plurality of arbiters comprise at least a first arbiter and a second arbiter; wherein the distinct priority rule employed by the first arbiter prioritizes TLPs higher than Ack/Nak DLLPs, and wherein the distinct priority rule employed by the second arbiter prioritizes Ack/Nak DLLPs higher than TLPs.