Containerized Memory Error Recovery for Satellite Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Satellites in orbit face damage from ionizing particles due to the inefficiencies of traditional hardening, ruggedizing, and redundancy techniques, which are time and cost-intensive, necessitating a more effective solution for error detection and recovery in electronic systems.
Innovation Solution
A computing system with a containerized architecture that includes volatile and non-volatile memory checking procedures, utilizing cyclic redundancy checks and voting logic to detect and correct errors without rebooting, allowing for rapid recovery from single-event upsets and permanent damage, and employing micro-service architecture for flexible error management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional hardening, ruggedizing, and redundancy techniques are implemented, then reliability of satellite electronic systems is improved, but development time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical hardening and redundancy mechanisms with a software-based error detection and recovery system. The memory checking procedure and containerization approach substitute for traditional hardware-level protection, allowing error mitigation through software processes rather than physical design modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the container image from non-volatile memory to volatile memory for execution. This copying mechanism enables the system to restore operational state by reloading from backup copies when errors occur, providing a software-based redundancy approach that is more efficient than traditional hardware redundancy.
2Reliability
If traditional hardening, ruggedizing, and redundancy techniques are implemented, then reliability of satellite electronic systems is improved, but system cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive physical hardening components and redundancy hardware with a software-based error detection and recovery system. The memory checking procedure and containerization approach provide protection against single-event upsets without requiring specialized hardware components, thereby reducing system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses standard, commercially available memory components and processors rather than expensive radiation-hardened components. The software-based error recovery mechanism provides protection using inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware that can be replaced or restored through software processes.
3Reliability
If memory errors are detected in volatile memory, then system reliability is maintained, but continuous operation is interrupted requiring reboot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary error detection by checking the container image in non-volatile memory before executing it in volatile memory. The memory checking procedure identifies potential errors in advance, and the system prepares recovery actions by having backup copies ready, allowing recovery without interrupting overall system operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the container image as an intermediary between permanent storage and execution. When errors are detected in volatile memory, the system can reload the container image from non-volatile memory without rebooting the entire system. The container acts as a isolatable unit that can be restored independently, maintaining continuous system operation.
4Reliability
If container image is reloaded into volatile memory from non-volatile memory, then error recovery is achieved, but system productivity is reduced due to reloading process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs partial reloading by only loading the affected container image rather than rebooting the entire system. The memory checking procedure identifies specific containers with errors and reloads only those, minimizing the impact on overall system productivity while maintaining error recovery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the system into independent containers that can be managed separately. When errors occur in one container, only that specific container needs to be reloaded from non-volatile memory, while other containers continue to operate uninterrupted. This segmentation isolates errors and minimizes productivity impact.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing system is disclosed. The computing system includes a computation unit (102), one or more processors (106), a volatile memory (108), and a non-volatile memory (110) communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors, causing the one or more processor to instantiate a container and perform at least one of a volatile memory checking procedure or a non-volatile memory checking procedure. The volatile memory checking procedure includes checking the first physical address space for errors, loading a container into volatile memory containing the first physical address space if an error is determined, rechecking the first physical address space for error, loading the container to a second physical address space and updating a memory management unit if an error in the first physical address space is determined.