Patent ID: 7164689

Claim:
A multi-initiator control unit for performing packet-unit communication with each of a plurality of devices connected via a transmission line, the multi-initiator control unit comprising: a link core circuit for transmitting a packet to be transmitted to the transmission line, and also receiving a packet from the transmission line, performing error detection, and outputting the error-detected packet; a packet filter for analyzing the packet received by the link core circuit and outputting the results; a plurality of command control circuits each for controlling a command processing sequence performed with the corresponding device; a multi-control circuit for giving sequence execution permission to one of the plurality of command control circuits; a packet processing circuit for generating a packet containing information output by the permission-given command control circuit as the packet to be transmitted and outputting the packet to the link core circuit for transmission, and also outputting the packet received and output by the link core circuit according to the analysis results output by the packet filter; and a CPU for executing a command contained in the packet output by the packet processing circuit, wherein each of the plurality of command control circuits stores information output by the corresponding device, the information being required for a command processing sequence performed with the corresponding device, and outputs the information once the sequence execution permission is given to the command control circuit, the multi-control circuit outputs information contained in the packet received and output by the link core circuit, the information being required for a command processing sequence performed with the sender device of the packet, to the command control circuit among the plurality of command control circuits corresponding to the sender device to be stored in the command control circuit, based on the output of the packet filter, and the packet processing circuit generates a packet containing information output by the command control circuit provided with the sequence execution permission and outputs the packet, and also receives a packet output by the device corresponding to the command control circuit in response to the packet output by the packet processing circuit.