CXL Network Card Storage Layout for Host Memory Bandwidth Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network cards require multiple accesses to the host memory for data transmission, which occupies the access bandwidth and affects the performance of other CPU cores sharing the memory.
Innovation Solution
A network card device with a storage module, descriptor queue address register, and network data processing module that allows direct access to local storage, reducing the need for host memory access by using a Compute Express Link protocol to transfer data and descriptors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transmitted through host memory using traditional PCIe protocol, then data transmission can be achieved, but host memory access bandwidth is occupied and performance of other CPU cores is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data storage function from host memory and places it in a local storage module within the network card device. This allows data to be stored locally at the network card rather than in host memory, eliminating the need for host memory access during data transmission and freeing up host memory bandwidth for other CPU cores.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a Compute Express Link (CXL) protocol as an intermediary between the host and the network card's local storage module. This protocol enables direct access to the local storage module without going through host memory, serving as a mediator that resolves the conflict between data transmission needs and host memory bandwidth conservation.
2Ease of operation
If data is stored in host memory for network transmission, then data access is simplified, but excessive occupation of memory access bandwidth affects other processor cores
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage system into two parts: host memory for control data (descriptors, commands) and local storage module for actual data to be transmitted. This segmentation allows simplified access to data through the local storage module while minimizing host memory bandwidth usage, as only control information needs to be accessed in host memory.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a network card device and a data transmission system. The network card device includes a storage module; a descriptor queue address register; a compute express link hard core module, configured to transmit data sent by a host to a first data storage area, transmit a descriptor sent by the host to a first descriptor storage area, and transmit a trigger instruction sent by the host to a network data processing module; and the network data processing module, configured to acquire a base address from the descriptor queue address register in response to the trigger instruction being received, read a target descriptor in the first descriptor storage area based on the base address and the trigger instruction, read target data corresponding to the target descriptor from the first data storage area, and output the target data to a network.