Bus interconnection in multiprocessor environment: The communication principle and the arbitration techniques

The structure and the algorithms of the arbiter function managing the data traffic in a multibus architecture are studied. The arbitration algorithms such as daisy chaining, polling or independent request are reviewed. An arbitration algorithm is implemented to be used in the ARCADE multibus multiprocessor system. The bus system of ARCADE is described and an experimental model is implemented. The resulting system is more complex than originally estimated, leading to another approach which is outlined: a high rate multipurpose interconnection structure.