Consolidated Memory Region Descriptions for Faster NVMe Reads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional memory systems face inefficiencies due to the need to repeatedly traverse and access a large number of variably sized and located memory regions on the host system, leading to increased overhead and reduced operational efficiency, particularly in NVMe-based data transfers.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of consolidated memory region description data, which identifies contiguous memory regions on the host system, allowing for a simplified and smaller data format that can be stored and accessed efficiently by the memory sub-system, reducing the need for repeated access and optimizing data bus usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of variably sized memory regions are established on the host system, then the memory sub-system can flexibly allocate buffers for data transfer, but the memory sub-system must repeatedly traverse the Scatter Gather List, increasing overhead and reducing operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The host system pre-consolidates the Scatter Gather List into a contiguous memory region description before the memory sub-system needs to access it. This preliminary consolidation action eliminates the need for repeated traversal during actual data transfer operations, resolving the contradiction between flexible buffer allocation and transfer efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple scattered memory region descriptors are merged into a single consolidated contiguous memory region description. This merging reduces the number of individual memory regions from many variable-sized regions to one unified structure, eliminating repeated traversal overhead while preserving the ability to describe multiple buffers.
2Loss of information
If the Scatter Gather List describes many individual memory regions, then detailed buffer information can be provided, but the data structure becomes large and requires repeated access, increasing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly accessing the large original Scatter Gather List structure multiple times, the host system creates a simplified copy in the form of a consolidated contiguous memory region description. This copy contains all necessary buffer information in a compact format that can be accessed efficiently without repeated traversal of the original complex structure.
3Quantity of substance
If buffers are spread around local memory based on space availability, then memory utilization is optimized, but the memory sub-system must traverse the Scatter Gather List repeatedly to access scattered regions
Solution Approach 1:
The solution transforms the problem from managing scattered memory regions in physical space to managing a single virtual contiguous region. By introducing a new dimension of abstraction (the consolidated description structure), the system can represent scattered buffers as if they were contiguous, eliminating traversal time while maintaining optimal memory utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments enable a memory sub-system to perform a read operation based on consolidated memory region description data, which can be generated based on a memory region description data (e.g., SGL) provided by a host system for the read operation.