Importance

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Abstract

An improved arbitration technique for a computer network system in which multiple nodes communicate using a shared bus, and at least one node has no knowledge of the current status of the arbitration taking place between all nodes in the system. Such a node is called a 'deaf node'. Each node in the system is assigned an initial arbitration count number, for example, N+1, where N is the node number assigned to the node. The arbitration count number is the number of quiet slots a node must count before trying to transmit on the system bus. The length of a quiet slot is determined by a particular system's electrical characteristics. One quiet slot is reserved as the 'deaf node quiet slot', during which a deaf node may transmit. In response to a transmission occurring in the deaf node quiet slot, each node in the system reinitializes its arbitration count number to its initial arbitration count number. Additionally, a node that is not a deaf node, but has detected a system error, may deliberately transmit during the deaf node quiet slot to reinitialize the arbitration count numbers or the internal clocks of all nodes in the system.

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First Claim