18674203. Scalable Interrupts simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)

Scalable Interrupts

Organization Name

Apple Inc.

Inventor(s)

Jeffrey E. Gonion of Campbell CA (US)

Charles E. Tucker of Campbell CA (US)

Tal Kuzi of Tel Aviv (IL)

Richard F. Russo of San Jose CA (US)

Mridul Agarwal of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Christopher M. Tsay of Austin TX (US)

Gideon N. Levinsky of Cedar Park TX (US)

Shih-Chieh Wen of San Jose CA (US)

Lior Zimet of Kerem Maharal (IL)

Scalable Interrupts - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18674203 titled 'Scalable Interrupts

Simplified Explanation: The patent application describes an interrupt delivery mechanism for a system that includes an interrupt controller and multiple cluster interrupt controllers connected to groups of processors. The interrupt controller sends interrupt requests to the cluster interrupt controllers, which then acknowledge or do not acknowledge the interrupt based on whether they can deliver it to the processors they are connected to.

• The system includes an interrupt controller and multiple cluster interrupt controllers.
• Interrupt requests are sent from the interrupt controller to the cluster interrupt controllers.
• Cluster interrupt controllers acknowledge or do not acknowledge the interrupt based on their ability to deliver it to connected processors.
• A soft iteration attempts to deliver the interrupt to powered-on processors without powering off processors that are not powered on.
• If the soft iteration does not result in an acknowledgment, a hard iteration may be performed to power on the processors that are off.

Potential Applications: 1. This technology can be used in multi-processor systems to efficiently manage interrupt delivery. 2. It can improve the performance and responsiveness of systems by optimizing interrupt handling. 3. Suitable for use in high-performance computing clusters and server environments.

Problems Solved: 1. Efficient interrupt delivery in multi-processor systems. 2. Minimizing power consumption by selectively powering on processors only when necessary. 3. Enhancing system reliability by ensuring interrupts are delivered effectively.

Benefits: 1. Improved system performance and responsiveness. 2. Energy efficiency by selectively powering on processors. 3. Enhanced reliability of interrupt delivery in multi-processor systems.

Commercial Applications: Interrupt delivery optimization technology can be utilized in data centers, cloud computing environments, and high-performance computing clusters to enhance system performance and efficiency.

Questions about Interrupt Delivery Optimization: 1. How does the interrupt controller determine which cluster interrupt controller to send the interrupt request to? 2. What are the potential challenges in implementing this interrupt delivery mechanism in large-scale systems?

Frequently Updated Research: Stay updated on the latest advancements in interrupt handling mechanisms and their impact on system performance and efficiency.

Original Abstract Submitted

An interrupt delivery mechanism for a system includes and interrupt controller and a plurality of cluster interrupt controllers coupled to respective pluralities of processors in an embodiment. The interrupt controller may serially transmit an interrupt request to respective cluster interrupt controllers, which may acknowledge (Ack) or non-acknowledge (Nack) the interrupt based on attempting to deliver the interrupt to processors to which the cluster interrupt controller is coupled. In a soft iteration, the cluster interrupt controller may attempt to deliver the interrupt to processors that are powered on, without attempting to power on processors that are powered off. If the soft iteration does not result in an Ack response from one of the plurality of cluster interrupt controllers, a hard iteration may be performed in which the powered-off processors may be powered on.