3.0 Client Interface
(Continued)
the ring: EDC error, illegal sequence error and node id out of
maximum range. Once an error is detected at any node and
the abort symbol has circulated the ring, all diagnostic regis-
ters will log the abort symbol except for the node which
generated it. That node will log the original cause of the
error.
In QR0001, an EDC error does NOT cause an abort symbol
to be generated on the ring and propagate to all nodes. All
other abort conditions do generate the abort symbol at the
downstream port. An EDC error is displayed in the diagnos-
tic register and causes the local ABORT pin to be asserted
on all nodes which detect the EDC error. The symbol in
error continues to the target. Multiple nodes could log an
EDC error, but unless the node detects the EDC error it will
not know other nodes have seen an error.
In QR1001 (the next device in the QuickRing family of prod-
ucts), when an EDC error is detected, the node will assert
ABORT pin. The symbol in error will continue to its target.
The abort symbol will then be sent downstream. Down-
stream nodes may see the symbol that causes EDC errors
and log it. They they will see the abort symbol and also log
that in the diagnostic register. Since the ABORT pin has
already been asserted by the EDC error condition, the abord
symbol will have no affect on the ABORT pin.
4.0 Ring Interface
4.1 Type and Symbol Field at the Ring Ports
On the ring path, upstream and downstream ports, type and
symbol fields organize data transmissions. Data on the ring
flows in bounded streams called packets. Before data flows
in the ring, packets are formed by each controller internally.
Packets have one head and one or more payload symbols.
Since multiple independent packets can be found inside
one controller and multiplexed at the downstream port, a
type field accompanies each symbol. Inside a controller,
packets can be found that may originate from any other
node on the system. The type field marks each symbol as a
head, payload, tail, or access. Figure 4.1 shows a typical
symbol on the ring.
4.2 Data and Frames
In QuickRing there are two types of payload symbols, data
symbols and frame symbols, but their distinction is only of
interest to the clients. The QuickRing controller does not
discriminate between them, except to preserve their identi-
ty. The payload on the ring is 33 bits wide, 32 bits of normal
data plus a user/client defined Frame bit as the 33rd bit.
The frame bit is encoded at the client port type fields, and it
is transformed into an actual bit inside QuickRing before
transmission at the down stream port
The Frame bit can be used to identify a special kind of data
of interest to the clients. It also can be used to designate
the beginning or end of a stream or to distinguish between
data streams at the client interface.
4.3 Symbol Flux on Ring
At the transmit and receive ports, the length of a data
stream that is uninterrupted by a head is unbounded. On the
ring, upstream and downstream ports, data is bounded;
there is an upper bound that gives the concept of a packet.
There are two types of packets: normal and low bandwidth
(LB). There is a ring protocol defining the symbol sequence.
For normal packets, the maximum number of payload sym-
bols associated with one head is fixed at 20 symbols.
The
largest packet is 21 symbols in all;
however, packets may
be less than 21 symbols. The LB packet consists of a Head
and one payload/Tail.
4.4 Data on the Ring (Head, Payload, Tail)
QuickRing transports streams of payload symbols from
source nodes to target nodes through the ring interconnect.
QuickRing internally assembles packets from the data that
the client writes into the transmit port. This data is eventual-
ly transmitted in packets of 1 to 20 payload symbols. A head
symbol precedes the packet and the last payload symbol of
a packet is specially marked as the tail of that packet. The
head holds the source and the destination node IDs, plus
other information that uniquely identifies the stream to
which the payload symbols belong.
Payload symbols consists of 32 bits of user defined informa-
tion plus one 33rd user controllable Frame identifier. A pay-
load symbol whose frame bit is set to 1 may be called a
Frame symbol. Otherwise it may be referred to as a Data
symbol. The Frame identifier, the logical 33rd user defined
bit is mapped in SS
[
3
]
in sub-symbol t, seeFigures 4.2 and
4.3.
4.5 Access on the Ring (Voucher, Ticket, Abort, Null)
Before a source node can send a packet, permission to
transmit must first be granted by the target node. To get
permission to transmit, the source node sends a voucher to
the target node. To grant permission to transmit, the target
node sends a ticket back to the source node. This is done
only in response to a voucher. When the source node sends
a voucher, the target node may (1) absorb the voucher and
return a ticket or (2) return the voucher. If the source re-
ceives the ticket, then it may send one packet to the target
that returned the ticket. If the source received its own re-
turned voucher, then it will sink it and retransmit the voucher
after 100 clocks for a new request to transmit. The number
of retries for the voucher is unlimited until the target returns
a ticket. Under normal circumstances the target should re-
turn a ticket in response to a voucher, even if it must save
accumulated vouchers in a queue and issue corresponding
tickets with significant delays. The retum of a voucher to its
source should occur only if resources for queuing vouchers
in the target node are exhausted.
TL/F/11928–11
FIGURE 4.1. Many streams from many nodes may be multlplexed onto the ring.
Access symbols may appear Interspersed anywhere within a data packet.
18