Co-processor Virus Detection Offloading General Purpose Processor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing antivirus software often has a noticeable negative impact on computer performance due to the resource-intensive process of detecting and removing viruses, which can be more substantial than the impact posed by the viruses themselves.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a co-processor and a general-purpose processor, where the co-processor is used to perform hardware-accelerated virus processing, offloading tasks from the general-purpose processor and utilizing both software and hardware processing to detect and remove viruses efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antivirus software performs comprehensive virus detection and removal, then virus protection effectiveness is improved, but computer performance and operational speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides virus detection functions into separate hardware components (co-processor with dedicated virus detection circuits) and software components (general-purpose processor). This segmentation allows virus scanning to be performed in parallel without blocking the main computer operations, thus maintaining both protection effectiveness and operational speed.
Solution Approach 2:
A co-processor is introduced as an intermediary component between the virus infection threat and the main computer system. The co-processor handles virus detection and removal tasks independently, acting as a mediator that protects the main system without directly impacting its performance. The co-processor communicates with the main processor through standardized interfaces, enabling coordinated operation.
2Measurement precision
If antivirus software scans all files and data, then detection accuracy is improved, but processing time and system resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The virus scanning process is segmented into multiple parallel execution paths: hardware-based co-processor scanning for rapid detection and software-based general-purpose processor scanning for comprehensive analysis. This segmentation enables simultaneous processing of different data segments, maintaining high detection accuracy while reducing overall processing time through parallelism.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from sequential single-processor virus scanning to parallel multi-dimensional processing by introducing a dedicated co-processor dimension. This allows virus detection to occur simultaneously at hardware level (fast path) and software level (comprehensive path), effectively adding a temporal and computational dimension to the scanning process.
3Reliability
If antivirus software operates continuously, then system security is improved, but energy consumption and processing burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous security monitoring function is segmented between hardware co-processor (for rapid, low-power detection) and software processor (for comprehensive analysis). The co-processor can operate continuously with minimal power consumption using dedicated hardware circuits, while the general-purpose processor activates only when needed for complex analysis, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining continuous security.
Solution Approach 2:
The co-processor is designed to autonomously perform virus detection and removal operations without requiring constant intervention from the main computer system. It self-manages its operation, activating when viruses are detected and remaining in a low-power state otherwise, thereby providing continuous security with reduced processing energy consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Circuits and methods for detecting, identifying and/or removing undesired content are provided. According to one embodiment, a system includes a co-processor (CP), a first memory, a general purpose processor (GPP) and a second memory. The first memory is associated with the CP and coupled to the CP. The first memory includes a first signature compiled for execution on the CP. The GPP is coupled to the CP. The second memory is associated with the GPP and coupled to the CP and to the GPP. The second memory includes a second signature compiled for execution on the GPP. The CP is operable to retrieve the first signature stored within the first memory through an instruction cache. The CP is operable to retrieve a data segment to be scanned for undesirable content stored within the second memory through a data cache that is separate from the instruction cache.