Arbitration Circuitry Variable Resource Threshold
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data processing systems, arbitration circuitry faces challenges in efficiently managing requests for resources when requests require variable amounts, as existing methods either waste resources or lead to deadlocks due to conservative reservation strategies, especially in systems with reduced resource availability for area and power savings.
Innovation Solution
The arbitration circuitry employs checking circuitry to vary the threshold number of resources based on the actual requirements of other requests, allowing requests to be serviced out of order while ensuring that the oldest request can still be processed without blocking dependencies, thereby optimizing resource usage and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed threshold number of resources is reserved for the oldest request, then the oldest request can be guaranteed to be serviced, but resources are wasted when the oldest request does not require maximum resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the threshold number of resources variable rather than fixed. The checking circuitry dynamically adjusts the threshold based on the actual number of resources required by other requests awaiting servicing. This allows the system to reserve only the necessary resources for the oldest request while still guaranteeing its servicing, thereby reducing resource waste when the oldest request does not require maximum resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of the threshold number of resources from a static value to a dynamic value that varies based on the resource requirements of other requests. By modifying this parameter according to actual system conditions, the system achieves both reliable servicing of the oldest request and efficient resource utilization.
2Reliability
If conservative resource reservation is used to prevent deadlocks, then request dependencies are protected, but resource efficiency decreases and performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the conservative fixed threshold parameter to a variable threshold that adapts to actual request requirements. This allows the system to maintain deadlock prevention capabilities while improving resource efficiency and performance by reserving only the necessary resources rather than conservatively reserving maximum resources in all cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The checking circuitry implements feedback by monitoring the number of resources required by other requests and using this information to adjust the threshold. This feedback mechanism allows the system to prevent deadlocks through adaptive resource reservation rather than static conservative reservation, thereby improving productivity.
3Device complexity
If requests are serviced in the order they are received, then request processing is simple, but resource utilization is suboptimal when younger requests require fewer resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the arbitration to adapt to varying resource requirements of requests. The checking circuitry dynamically determines whether a request can be serviced based on the variable threshold, allowing the system to service requests out of order when beneficial while maintaining relatively simple arbitration logic through the use of resource requirement information.
Data Source
AI summary
Arbitration circuitry is provided for arbitrating between requests awaiting servicing. The requests require variable numbers of resources and the arbitration circuitry permits the request to be serviced in a different order to the order in which they were received. Checking circuitry prevents a given request other than a oldest request from being serviced when a number of available resources is less than a threshold number of resources. The threshold number is varied based on the number of resources required for at least one other request awaiting servicing.