Direct I/O Data Transfer via Hardware Bypass
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer system architectures experience significant performance degradation due to numerous context switches and software overhead caused by the need for multiple buffer transfers during input/output operations, particularly evident in multimedia data processing where multiple context switches and software buffers are required for data transfer between application programs and operating system components.
Innovation Solution
A computer system architecture that allows direct data transmission between input/output devices without the need for context switching or software buffers by configuring device drivers to communicate directly through software handles, reducing the number of context switches and software buffers required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is transferred through multiple device drivers and the operating system using traditional architecture, then data can be transferred between input/output devices, but the number of context switches increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data transfer function from the traditional software layer (device drivers and operating system) and implements it directly in the hardware layer. Network interface cards are configured to transfer data directly to other input/output devices without involving device drivers or the operating system, thereby eliminating the time-consuming context switches while maintaining reliable data transfer capability.
2Ease of operation
If traditional device driver architecture is used, then input/output operations can be controlled, but software overhead increases due to multiple buffer transfers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical software-based data transfer mechanism (device drivers managing buffers) with a hardware-based direct transfer mechanism. Network interface cards directly transfer data to other input/output devices through hardware interfaces, eliminating the need for software buffers and the complex buffer management operations, thereby reducing software overhead while maintaining ease of operation.
3Productivity
If multiple context switches are performed for multimedia data processing, then data can be processed through the operating system, but overall system performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data transfer operation with the data processing operation by enabling network interface cards to directly transfer multimedia data to other input/output devices. This consolidation eliminates the separate context switch operations that would otherwise occur during data transfer, thereby improving multimedia data processing throughput by eliminating context switch overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention is a computer system having an operating system that includes a first device driver and a second device driver, and a hardware layer that includes a first input/output device controlled by the first device driver and a second input/output device controlled by the second device driver. In response to a request, the first input/output device is configured to transmit data directly to the second input/output device, without the data first being transmitted to the first device driver or to the second device driver. One advantage of the disclosed architecture is that all related input/output operations are performed in the hardware layer such that data can be transmitted directly between input/output devices without context switching or use of software data buffers. Such an approach may substantially increase overall performance due to reductions in context switching and software overhead.