Routing system and method
By setting the first and second virtual channels in the routing system to correspond to even and odd port numbers respectively, and using different arbitrators for arbitration, the problem of increased hardware overhead and power consumption caused by the virtual channel design is solved, and resource optimization and order preservation problems are avoided.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 太初(无锡)电子科技有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Virtual channel design increases system hardware overhead and power consumption, and multi-virtual channel design introduces transaction ordering issues, increasing the need for additional logical resources.
The first and second virtual channels correspond to the output ports with even and odd port numbers, respectively, and different arbitrators are used for arbitration to avoid order preservation issues and reduce the resources of arbitrators and cross switches.
Without increasing the number of arbitrators, the use of arbitrator and cross switch resources is reduced, the order preservation problem between virtual channels is avoided, and the system hardware overhead and power consumption are reduced.
Smart Images
Figure CN122053536A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically to a routing system and method. Background Technology
[0002] To improve network performance and address head-blocking issues, Virtual Channel (VC) technology is commonly used. This involves dividing a single physical link into multiple independent buffer queues, allocating independent buffer resources, read / write pointers, and flow control signals to each queue. When multiple packets simultaneously compete for the physical link, the router can write the packets to the available virtual channel queues based on the virtual channel's availability and ordering mechanism. However, because each virtual channel requires additional arbitrator resources and cross-connect switching paths, the system's hardware overhead increases linearly with the number of virtual channels. Furthermore, the multi-virtual-channel design introduces transaction ordering issues, requiring additional logical resources to resolve these issues, further increasing system hardware overhead and power consumption. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This invention provides a routing system and method to solve the problem of increased system hardware overhead and power consumption caused by the design of virtual channels.
[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a routing system, the system comprising: Multiple input ports, each input port is configured with a first virtual channel and a second virtual channel, wherein the first virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an even port number, and the second virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an odd port number; Multiple arbitrators, including multiple first arbitrators and multiple second arbitrators; Among them, the first virtual channel of multiple input ports is connected to multiple first arbitrators respectively, and the first arbitrator is used to select the first virtual channel for data output from the first virtual channels of multiple input ports; The second virtual channel with multiple input ports is connected to multiple second arbitrators respectively. The second arbitrators are used to select the second virtual channel that is currently outputting data from the multiple input ports.
[0005] In one alternative implementation, the first virtual channel is used to store data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with an even-numbered port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with an even-numbered port number. The second virtual channel is used to store data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with odd port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with odd port number.
[0006] In one alternative implementation, the number of first arbitrators and second arbitrators is equal, and the number of first arbitrators and second arbitrators is half the number of output ports.
[0007] In one optional implementation, a plurality of first arbiters correspond one-to-one with output ports of even-numbered port numbers. The first arbiter is used to select the first virtual channel currently outputting data from the first virtual channels that currently point to the output port corresponding to the first arbiter. Multiple second arbitrators correspond one-to-one with output ports of odd-numbered port numbers. The second arbitrator is used to select the second virtual channel for data output from the second virtual channels that are currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the second arbitrator.
[0008] In one alternative implementation, the first arbitrator and the second arbitrator are m-to-1 arbitrators, where m is the number of input ports in the system.
[0009] In one alternative implementation, the system further includes a first cross switch and a second cross switch; The input terminal of the first cross switch is connected to the first virtual channel of multiple input ports respectively, and the output terminal corresponds to the output port with an even-numbered port number. The input terminal of the second cross switch is connected to the second virtual channel of multiple input ports respectively, and the output terminal corresponds to the output port with the odd port number.
[0010] In one alternative implementation, the first cross switch is also connected to a plurality of first arbitrators, the first cross switch being used to transmit data packets of the first virtual channels selected by the plurality of first arbitrators to the output port; The second cross switch is also connected to multiple second arbitrators, and the second cross switch is used to transmit data packets of the second virtual channels selected by the multiple second arbitrators to the output port.
[0011] In one optional implementation, the first cross switch and the second cross switch are m×n / 2 cross switches, where m is the number of input ports in the system and n is the number of output ports in the system.
[0012] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a routing method, applied to a routing system according to the first aspect above or any corresponding embodiment thereof, the method comprising: Multiple input ports store data packets corresponding to even-numbered output ports into the first virtual channel, and data packets corresponding to odd-numbered output ports into the second virtual channel. Multiple first arbitrators arbitrate the first virtual channels of multiple input ports respectively to determine the first virtual channel for data transmission; Multiple second arbitrators arbitrate the second virtual channels of multiple input ports respectively to determine the second virtual channel currently transmitting data.
[0013] In one alternative implementation, the method further includes: The first cross switch transmits the data packets in the first virtual channel currently transmitting data, as determined by multiple first arbitrators, to the corresponding output port; The second cross switch transmits the data packets in the second virtual channel currently transmitting data, as determined by multiple second arbitrators, to the corresponding output port.
[0014] The routing system provided in this embodiment of the invention sets a first virtual channel corresponding to an output port with an even-numbered port number and a second virtual channel corresponding to an output port with an odd-numbered port number. This allows different virtual channels to be allocated for data transmission based on the parity of the output port number corresponding to the data packet. A first arbitrator arbitrates the first virtual channel, and a second arbitrator arbitrates the second virtual channel. This reduces the number of arbitrator channels without increasing the number of arbitrators, thereby reducing the arbitrator resources used. Furthermore, because different virtual channels are used for data transmission based on parity, data packets with the same input and output directions are stored in the same virtual channel, ensuring that the most advanced data packet is output first. This avoids the ordering problem between the two virtual channels, reducing system hardware overhead and resources. Attached Figure Description
[0015] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the routing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a routing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0018] It is understood that before using the technical solutions disclosed in the various embodiments of the present invention, users should be informed of the types, scope of use, and usage scenarios of the personal information involved in the present invention and their authorization should be obtained in accordance with relevant laws and regulations through appropriate means.
[0019] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0020] Network-on-Chip (NoC) is the core infrastructure for inter-core communication. With the increasing scale of multi-core / many-core processors, higher demands are placed on the architecture, performance, area, timing, and physical implementation complexity of routers in NoC. To improve network performance and address the frequent Head-of-Line (HOL) blocking problem, virtual channel technology is typically employed. This involves dividing the same physical link into multiple independent buffer queues, allocating independent buffer resources, read / write pointers, and flow control signals to each queue. When multiple packets simultaneously compete for the physical link, the router can write the packets into available virtual channel queues based on the virtual channel's availability and ordering mechanism. Because each virtual channel queue is time-division multiplexed and isolated from the others, if one queue suspends transmission due to downstream congestion, other queues can continue to occupy link time slots according to round-robin, priority, or credit mechanisms. This confines "single-queue head-of-line blocking" to a single virtual channel, significantly reducing the probability of head-of-line blocking on the entire physical link. However, virtual channel technology requires additional arbitrator resources and cross-connect switching paths for each virtual channel, causing hardware overhead to increase linearly with the number of virtual channels. Furthermore, the transaction ordering problem introduced by multiple virtual channels requires additional reordering caches or sequence number mechanisms, increasing the system hardware area and power consumption. Correspondingly, solving the transaction ordering problem consumes additional logical resources, making it difficult to meet timing requirements. Additional stations need to be added to solve the timing problem, further increasing the area and power consumption.
[0021] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a routing system and method. The system includes: multiple input ports, each configured with a first virtual channel and a second virtual channel, wherein the first virtual channel corresponds to an output port with an even-numbered port number, and the second virtual channel corresponds to an output port with an odd-numbered port number; multiple arbitrators, including multiple first arbitrators and multiple second arbitrators; wherein the first virtual channels of the multiple input ports are respectively connected to the multiple first arbitrators, and the first arbitrators are used to select the first virtual channel currently outputting data from the multiple first virtual channels of the multiple input ports; the second virtual channels of the multiple input ports are respectively connected to the multiple second arbitrators, and the second arbitrators are used to select the second virtual channel currently outputting data from the multiple second virtual channels of the multiple input ports. Therefore, the first virtual channel is set to correspond to the output port with an even port number, and the second virtual channel is set to correspond to the output port with an odd port number. Different virtual channels are allocated for data transmission according to the parity of the output port number corresponding to the data packet. The first arbitrator is used to arbitrate the first virtual channel, and the second arbitrator is used to arbitrate the second virtual channel. This reduces the number of arbitrator channels without increasing the number of arbitrators, thereby reducing the arbitrator resources used. Furthermore, since different virtual channels are used for data transmission according to parity, data packets with the same input direction and the same output direction are stored in the same virtual channel, thus ensuring that the first data packet is output first. This avoids the ordering problem between the two virtual channels and reduces system hardware overhead and resources.
[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a routing system embodiment is provided. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the routing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the system includes multiple input ports and multiple arbitrators.
[0023] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, each input port is configured with a first virtual channel and a second virtual channel. The first virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an even-numbered port number, and the second virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an odd-numbered port number.
[0024] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple arbitrators are used to arbitrate data transmission on a first virtual channel or a second virtual channel to determine the first virtual channel or the second virtual channel for the current data transmission; the multiple arbitrators include multiple first arbitrators and multiple second arbitrators.
[0025] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1As shown, the first virtual channels of multiple input ports are respectively connected to multiple first arbitrators. The first arbitrators are used to select the first virtual channel currently outputting data from the first virtual channels of multiple input ports, that is, to arbitrate among the data packets stored in the first virtual channel. The second virtual channels of multiple input ports are respectively connected to multiple second arbitrators. The second arbitrators are used to select the second virtual channel currently outputting data from the second virtual channels of multiple input ports, that is, to arbitrate among the data packets stored in the second virtual channel.
[0026] In one optional implementation, the first virtual channel is used to store data packets received by the input port and destined for the output port with an even-numbered port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with the even-numbered port number. In the first virtual channel, data packets destined for the output port with the even-numbered port number are queued according to the order in which they enter the first virtual channel, forming a data packet queuing sequence, and are transmitted according to their order in the data packet queuing sequence, thereby transmitting data in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) order for the data packets destined for the output port with the even-numbered port number.
[0027] In one optional implementation, the second virtual channel is used to store data packets received by the input port and destined for the output port with an odd-numbered port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with the odd-numbered port number. In the second virtual channel, data packets destined for the output port with the odd-numbered port number are queued according to the order in which they entered the second virtual channel, forming a data packet queuing sequence. The data packets are then transmitted according to their order within the data packet queuing sequence, thereby ensuring that the data packets destined for the output port with the odd-numbered port number are transmitted in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) order.
[0028] In this way, the first virtual channel stores data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with even-numbered port numbers, while the second virtual channel stores data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with odd-numbered port numbers. This isolates the data transmission and arbitration between data packets destined for output ports with even-numbered port numbers and those destined for output ports with odd-numbered port numbers. At the same time, the data packets in the first and second virtual channels are transmitted in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order, ensuring that data packets with the same input and output directions are stored in the same virtual channel, and that the most advanced data packet in the same virtual channel will always be the first to exit, thus avoiding the problem of data packet ordering.
[0029] In one alternative implementation, the number of first arbitrators and second arbitrators is equal, and the number of first arbitrators and second arbitrators is half the number of output ports.
[0030] Specifically, multiple first arbitrators correspond one-to-one with output ports of even-numbered port numbers. The first arbitrator is used to select the first virtual channel for data output from the first virtual channels currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the first arbitrator. That is, it arbitrates the first virtual channel of the first data packet in the data packet queuing sequence that points to the output port corresponding to the first arbitrator. For example, if the routing system has n output ports, namely output port 0, output port 1, output port 2, ..., output port n-1, then among the multiple first arbitrators, first arbitrator 1 corresponds to output port 0, first arbitrator 2 corresponds to output port 2, ..., and first arbitrator n / 2 corresponds to output port n-2.
[0031] Multiple second arbitrators correspond one-to-one with output ports of odd-numbered port numbers. The second arbitrator is used to select the second virtual channel for data output from the second virtual channels that are currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the second arbitrator. That is, it arbitrates the second virtual channel of the first data packet in the data packet queuing sequence that is pointing to the output port corresponding to the second arbitrator. For example, if the routing system has n output ports, namely output port 0, output port 1, output port 2, ..., output port n-1, then among the multiple second arbitrators, second arbitrator 1 corresponds to output port 1, second arbitrator 2 corresponds to output port 3, ..., and second arbitrator n / 2 corresponds to output port n-1.
[0032] In one optional implementation, the first and second arbitrators are m-to-1 arbitrators, where m is the number of input ports in the system. In related technologies, a dual virtual channel router requires n 2m-to-1 arbitrators, where n is the number of output ports and m is the number of input ports. In contrast, the number of arbitrators in this invention is the same as the number of output ports, and the arbitrators are m-to-1 arbitrators. Therefore, this invention uses half the arbitrator resources.
[0033] In one alternative implementation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system also includes multiple crossbars, specifically a first crossbar and a second crossbar. The input of the first crossbar is connected to the first virtual channel of each of the multiple input ports, and its output corresponds to the output port with even-numbered port numbers. The first crossbar is used to establish a communication connection between the first virtual channel and the output port with even-numbered port numbers. The input of the second crossbar is connected to the second virtual channel of each of the multiple input ports, and its output corresponds to the output port with odd-numbered port numbers. The second crossbar is used to establish a communication connection between the second virtual channel and the output port with odd-numbered port numbers.
[0034] In one alternative implementation, the first cross switch is also connected to a plurality of first arbitrators, the first cross switch being used to transmit data packets of the first virtual channels selected by the plurality of first arbitrators to the output port; the second cross switch is also connected to a plurality of second arbitrators, the second cross switch being used to transmit data packets of the second virtual channels selected by the plurality of second arbitrators to the output port.
[0035] In one optional implementation, the first and second crossbar switches are m×n / 2 crossbar switches, where m is the number of input ports in the system and n is the number of output ports in the system. In related technologies, a dual virtual channel router requires a 2m×n crossbar switch; in comparison, the crossbar switch resources used in this invention are halved.
[0036] The routing system provided in this embodiment of the invention sets a first virtual channel corresponding to an output port with an even-numbered port number and a second virtual channel corresponding to an output port with an odd-numbered port number. This allows different virtual channels to be allocated for data transmission based on the parity of the output port number corresponding to the data packet. A first arbitrator arbitrates the first virtual channel, and a second arbitrator arbitrates the second virtual channel. This reduces the number of arbitrator channels without increasing the number of arbitrators, thereby reducing the arbitrator resources used. Furthermore, because different virtual channels are used for data transmission based on parity, data packets with the same input and output directions are stored in the same virtual channel, ensuring that the most advanced data packet is output first. This avoids the ordering problem between the two virtual channels, reducing system hardware overhead and resources.
[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a routing method embodiment is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions. Furthermore, although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order than that shown here.
[0038] This embodiment provides a routing method that can be used in the routing system described above. Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a routing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the process includes the following steps: In step S201, multiple input ports store data packets corresponding to even-numbered port numbers into the first virtual channel and data packets corresponding to odd-numbered port numbers into the second virtual channel.
[0039] In this embodiment of the invention, when an input port receives a data packet, it stores the data packet corresponding to the even-numbered output port in the first virtual channel and the data packet corresponding to the odd-numbered output port in the second virtual channel, ensuring that data packets with the same input direction and the same output direction are stored in the same virtual channel. Within the first and second virtual channels, a data packet queuing sequence is formed according to the order in which the data packets enter. Data packets are then transmitted according to the queuing order of this sequence, thus transmitting data packets in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) order within the first and second virtual channels. This provides a built-in order-preserving mechanism for both virtual channels, eliminating the need for additional order-preserving logic.
[0040] In step S202, multiple first arbitrators arbitrate the first virtual channels of multiple input ports respectively to determine the first virtual channel currently transmitting data.
[0041] In this embodiment of the invention, multiple first arbitrators arbitrate the first virtual channel that is currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the first arbitrator, and select the first virtual channel that is currently transmitting data.
[0042] In one alternative implementation, after the first arbitrator determines the first virtual channel currently transmitting data, the first cross switch, based on the arbitration result of the first arbitrator, transmits the data packets in the first virtual channel currently transmitting data, as determined by the first arbitrator, to the corresponding output port.
[0043] In step S203, multiple second arbitrators arbitrate the second virtual channels of multiple input ports respectively to determine the second virtual channel currently transmitting data.
[0044] In this embodiment of the invention, multiple second arbitrators arbitrate the second virtual channel that is currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the second arbitrator, and select the second virtual channel that is currently transmitting data.
[0045] In one alternative implementation, after the second arbitrator determines the second virtual channel currently transmitting data, the second cross switch, based on the arbitration result of the second arbitrator, transmits the data packets in the second virtual channel currently transmitting data as determined by the second arbitrator to the corresponding output port.
[0046] The routing method provided in this invention sets up a first virtual channel to transmit data packets corresponding to output ports with even-numbered port numbers, and a second virtual channel to transmit data packets corresponding to output ports with odd-numbered port numbers. This allocates different virtual channels for data transmission based on the parity of the output port number corresponding to the data packet. A first arbitrator arbitrates the first virtual channel, and a second arbitrator arbitrates the second virtual channel. This reduces the number of arbitrator channels without increasing the number of arbitrators, thereby reducing the arbitrator resources used. Furthermore, since different virtual channels are used for data transmission based on parity, data packets with the same input and output directions are stored in the same virtual channel, ensuring that the most advanced data packet is output first. This avoids ordering issues between the two virtual channels, reducing system hardware overhead and resources.
[0047] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications and variations fall within the scope defined by the invention.
Claims
1. A routing system, characterized in that, The system includes: Multiple input ports, each input port is configured with a first virtual channel and a second virtual channel, wherein the first virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an even port number, and the second virtual channel corresponds to the output port with an odd port number; Multiple arbitrators, including multiple first arbitrators and multiple second arbitrators; The first virtual channels of the plurality of input ports are respectively connected to the plurality of first arbiters, and the first arbiters are used to select the first virtual channel for data output from the plurality of first virtual channels of the input ports. The second virtual channels of the plurality of input ports are respectively connected to the plurality of second arbitrators, and the second arbitrators are used to select the second virtual channel currently outputting data from the plurality of second virtual channels of the input ports.
2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first virtual channel is used to store the data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with an even port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with an even port number; The second virtual channel is used to store data packets received by the input port and transmitted to the output port with odd port number, forming a data packet queuing sequence pointing to the output port with odd port number.
3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the first arbitrator and the second arbitrator are equal, and the number of the first arbitrator and the second arbitrator is half the number of the output ports.
4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the first arbiters corresponds one-to-one with the output port of the even-numbered port number. The first arbiter is used to select the first virtual channel for data output from the first virtual channel that currently points to the output port corresponding to the first arbiter. Each of the second arbiters corresponds one-to-one with the output port of the odd-numbered port number. The second arbiter is used to select the second virtual channel for data output from the second virtual channel that is currently pointing to the output port corresponding to the second arbiter.
5. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first arbitrator and the second arbitrator are m-to-1 arbitrators, where m is the number of input ports in the system.
6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes a first cross switch and a second cross switch; The input terminal of the first cross switch is connected to the first virtual channel of the plurality of input ports respectively, and the output terminal corresponds to the output port with an even-numbered port number. The input terminal of the second cross switch is connected to the second virtual channel of the plurality of input ports respectively, and the output terminal corresponds to the output port with the odd port number.
7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first cross switch is also connected to a plurality of the first arbiters, and the first cross switch is used to transmit data packets of the first virtual channels selected by the plurality of the first arbiters to the output port; The second cross switch is also connected to a plurality of the second arbitrators, and the second cross switch is used to transmit data packets of the second virtual channels selected by the plurality of the second arbitrators to the output port.
8. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first cross switch and the second cross switch are m×n / 2 cross switches, where m is the number of input ports in the system and n is the number of output ports in the system.
9. A routing method, characterized in that, Applied to the routing system according to any one of claims 1-8, the method comprises: Multiple input ports store data packets corresponding to even-numbered output ports into the first virtual channel, and data packets corresponding to odd-numbered output ports into the second virtual channel. Multiple first arbitrators arbitrate the first virtual channels of the multiple input ports respectively to determine the first virtual channel currently transmitting data. Multiple second arbitrators arbitrate the second virtual channels of the multiple input ports respectively to determine the second virtual channel currently transmitting data.
10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first cross switch transmits the data packets in the first virtual channel currently transmitting data, as determined by the first arbitrator, to the corresponding output port; The second cross switch transmits multiple data packets in the second virtual channel currently transmitting data, as determined by the second arbitrator, to the corresponding output port.