OpenBus Arbiter Component
Figure 1. The OpenBus
Arbiter component.
The Arbiter component provides a simple means of sharing a slave peripheral device between multiple masters within the OpenBus System. Typically, it is used where two or more devices require access to shared physical memory – for example two or more processors, or a processor and memory-based peripherals, such as a VGA Controller or a BT656 Video Capture Controller.
The Arbiter component brings the following functionality to an OpenBus System:
- Facilitates the connection of multiple bus masters
- Provides the ability to specify how the slave peripheral is accessed by the connected masters
- Provides the ability to nominate one master to have zero-delay access when the Arbiter component is in an 'idle' state.
In comparison to its counterpart (WB_MULTIMASTER) in the schematic world, the OpenBus System streamlines the use of the Arbiter component, with much of the configuration handled for you 'behind the scenes'.
Feature at-a-glance
- Completely configurable from the OpenBus System document
- Facilitates the connection of unlimited bus masters
- Ability to specify master access mode – Round Robin or Priority
- Ability to grant one master instant access to the bus when in 'idle' state
Availability
The Arbiter component can be found in the Connectors region of the OpenBus Palette panel.
Working with the Arbiter
Use the following links to learn about the Arbiter component in greater detail: