METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR CONFIGURING A PROTOCOL STACK OF AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT CHIP

• Main Authors: SPRY, Bryan L, ANANTHAKRISHNAN, Avinash N, BOSWELL, Brent R, SONG, Marcus W, LETENDRE, Adam E, WOOD, Aimee D, RANGARAJ, Deepak M, HAYES, Robert J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.09.2021

Techniques and mechanisms for configuring an integrated circuit, IC, chip (120) to implement a protocol stack. In an embodiment, a transaction layer of the IC chip (120) is operable to exchange with a link layer of the IC chip transaction layer packets, TLPs, having a format compatible with one defined in a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express?, PCIe?, specification. Configuration circuitry of the IC chip (120) provides for configuration of a first protocol stack including the transaction layer (130), circuitry of the link layer (132) and a first physical layer (134) of the IC chip (120). The configuration circuitry further provides for an alternative configuration of a second protocol stack including the transaction layer, circuitry of the link layer and a second physical layer of the IC chip. In another embodiment, the first protocol stack supports single-ended signaling to communicate TLP information, whereas the second protocol stack supports differential signaling to communicate TLP information.