Method and system for supporting peripheral component interconnect (PCI) peer-to-peer access across a PCI host bridge supporting multiple PCI buses

• Main Authors: KELLEY RICHARD ALLEN, NEAL DANNY MARVIN, THURBER STEVEN MARK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 30.01.2001
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; PHYSICS

A method and system for supporting multiple Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local buses through a single PCI host bridge having multiple PCI interfaces within a data-processing system are disclosed. In accordance with the method and system of the present invention, a processor and a system memory are connected to a system bus. First and second PCI local buses are connected to the system bus through a PCI host bridge. The first and second PCI local buses have sets of in-line electronic switches, dividing the PCI local buses into PCI local bus segments supporting a plurality of PCI peripheral component slots for connecting PCI devices. The sets of in-line electronic switches are open and closed in accordance with bus control logic within the PCI host bridge allowing up to fourteen or more PCI peripheral component slots for connecting up to fourteen PCI devices to have access through a single PCI host bridge to the system bus. An internal PCI-to-PCI bridge is provided to allow a PCI device to share data with another PCI device as peer-to-peer devices across the first and second PCI local bus segments.