Cascaded Timer Management for Packet Processing Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software-based timer management in packet-based transmission systems becomes inefficient as the number of timers increases, leading to exponential delay and high latency when managing large numbers of timers, especially when compared to hardware solutions which are less flexible and have significant latency due to external memory accesses.
Innovation Solution
A cascaded timer management system where timer values are divided into sets, with each stage determining the minimum timeout interval, allowing for efficient detection of expired timers by processing smaller groups recursively, and incorporating compression to reduce memory usage, utilizing a heap structure for faster timer value determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If software-based timer management is used to handle a large number of timers, then flexibility is improved, but processing delay grows exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the set of timer values into multiple subsets, where each subset contains a portion of the timer values. This segmentation allows the system to process smaller groups of timers in parallel or sequentially, reducing the overall processing delay compared to handling all timers as a single large set.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical structure with multiple levels, where timer values are organized in a tree-like manner. Each level processes a subset of timers and passes results to the next level, effectively adding a dimensional layer to the timer management process. This multi-level approach transforms the single-dimensional processing bottleneck into a multi-dimensional parallel processing structure.
2Speed
If hardware timers are used to reduce latency, then processing speed is improved, but external memory access latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the minimum timer value determination logic from the main processing flow and implements it as a dedicated hardware circuit. This extraction allows the minimum timer detection to occur in parallel with other processing operations, eliminating the sequential dependency that causes memory access latency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the hierarchical timer organization with subsets and levels) that mediates between the hardware timer array and the main processing logic. This intermediary structure allows efficient parallel access to timer values while maintaining organizational flexibility, reducing the latency impact of external memory accesses.
3Stability of the object's composition
If timer values are stored in a linked list sorted by timeout interval, then timer organization is improved, but insertion time increases due to comparison requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the timer storage structure into multiple subsets organized in a hierarchical manner. Each subset maintains a local organization, but the overall structure allows for more efficient insertion by dividing the comparison workload across multiple smaller subsets rather than requiring comparison with all timers in a single large sorted list.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic hierarchical structure where the organization of timer values can adapt to insertion patterns. Rather than maintaining a rigid sorted linked list, the structure allows for flexible placement in different levels and subsets, optimizing insertion performance while maintaining organizational stability through the hierarchical framework.
Data Source
AI summary
Provides methods, systems and apparatus for timer management of an element processing system wherein timer intervals related to elements to be processed can be handled in a time-efficient manner. An example method is a method for detecting a timeout of elements in an element processing system wherein a timer value, indicating a timeout interval with respect to a given time base, is assigned to each of the elements when processed. From a number of elements processed, the timer value indicating a minimum timeout interval to expire is determined out of the number of timer values assigned to the number of elements being processed.