Intel IXP2800 8.2.3 Full Element List, 8.2.4 Rx_Thread_Freelist_#

Hardware Reference Manual 255
Intel® IXP2800 Network Processor
Media and Switch Fabric Interface
8.2.3 Full Element List
Receive control hardware maintains the Full Element List to hold the status of valid RBUF
elements, in the order in which they were received. When an element is marked valid (as described
in Section 8.2.2.1 for SPI-4 and Section 8.2.2.2 for CSIX), its status is added to the tail of the Full
Element List. When a Microengine is notified of element arrival (by having the status written to its
S_Transfer register; see Section8.2.4), it is removed from the head of the Full Element Li st.
8.2.4 Rx_Thread_Freelist_#
Each Rx_Thread_Freelist_# is a FIFO that indicates Microengine Contexts that are awaiting an
RBUF element to process. This allows the Contexts to indicate their ready-status prior to the
reception of the data, as a way to eliminate latency. Each entry added to a Freelist also has an
associated S_Transfer register and signal number. The receive logic maintains either one, two, or
three separate lists based on MSF_Rx_Control[RBUF_Partition],
MSF_Rx_Control[CSIX_Freelist], and Rx_Port_Map as shown in Table92.
To be added as ready to receive an element, an Microengine does an msf[write] or
msf[fast_write] to the Rx_Thread_Freelist_# address; the write data is the Microengine/
Context/S_Transfer register number to add to the Freelist. Note that using the data (rather than the
command bus ID) permits a Context to add either itself or other Contexts as ready.
When there is valid status at the head of the Full Element List, it will be pushed to a Microengine.
The receive control logic pushes the status information (which includes the element number) to the
Microengine in the head entry of Rx_Thread_Freelist_#, and sends an Event Signal to the
Microengine. It then removes that entry from the Rx_Thread_Freelist_#, and removes the status
from Full Element List. (Note that this implies the restriction — a Context waiting on status must
not read the S_Transfer register until it has been signaled.) See Section8.2.6 for more information.
In the event that Rx_Thread_Freelist_# is empty, the valid status will be held in Full Element List
until an entry is put into Rx_Thread_Freelist_#.
Table 92. Rx_Thread_Freelist Use
Number of
Partitions1Use CSIX_Freelist2Rx_Thread_Freelist_# Used
012
1 SPI-4 only n/a
SPI-4 Ports equal
to or below
Rx_Port_Map
SPI-4 Ports above
Rx_Port_Map Not Used
2 CSIX only
0 CSIX Data CSIX Control Not Used
1CSIX Data and
CSIX Control Not Used Not Used
3Both SPI-4
and CSIX
0 CSIX Data SPI-4 CSIX Control
1CSIX Data and
CSIX Control SPI-4 Not Used
1. Programmed in MSF_Rx_Control[RBUF_Partition].
2. Programmed in MSF_Rx_Control[CSIX_Freelist].