Expanded Packet Headers for SoC Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of diverse intellectual property blocks into a single System-on-Chip (SoC) is complex due to varying requirements and design uniqueness, leading to slow design emergence and increased complexity, while existing communication protocols lack flexibility in header information transmission, increasing packet size and decoding complexity.
Innovation Solution
A sideband interface is configured to send additional header information, allowing arbitrary length expansion of standard headers, enabling specific agents to comprehend extended headers while routers process based on standard headers, reducing design complexity and enhancing security by hardcoded security attribute information transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tunneling protocols encapsulate original packets with additional headers for multi-protocol communication, then agents can access comprehensible packet headers, but packet size and decoding complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The packet header is segmented into a standard header portion and an expanded header portion. The standard header contains routing information that routers process, while the expanded header contains protocol-specific information that target agents interpret. This segmentation allows routers to handle packets efficiently without being burdened by protocol-specific details, while still enabling multi-protocol communication through the expanded header mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The expanded header acts as an intermediary layer between the standard packet structure and protocol-specific requirements. It provides a standardized interface that accommodates various tunneling protocols without requiring routers to understand protocol-specific formats, thus reducing decoding complexity while maintaining adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If IP blocks are re-designed to accommodate interface and signaling requirements of a given SoC, then integration into the SoC is enabled, but design complexity and customization requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sideband interface is designed as a universal communication mechanism that can accommodate multiple IP blocks with different requirements. By providing a standardized expanded header format that can carry protocol-specific information, the same interface infrastructure can support diverse IP blocks without requiring custom design for each integration scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface parameters are made configurable through the expanded header mechanism, allowing IP blocks to be integrated with varying signaling requirements by changing header parameters rather than redesigning the entire interface. This enables flexibility in accommodating different IP block requirements while maintaining a consistent base design.
3Device complexity
If fixed header formats are used in communication protocols, then protocol simplicity is maintained, but flexibility to provide additional information through headers is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The header format transitions from fixed to dynamic by introducing an expandable structure. The standard header remains fixed for routing purposes, while the expanded header can be dynamically adjusted in size and content based on the specific protocol requirements, providing both simplicity and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The header structure is extended from a single dimension (standard header) to multiple dimensions by adding the expanded header portion. This allows the system to maintain the original simple header format for basic routing while adding another layer for protocol-specific information, effectively solving the contradiction between simplicity and flexibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to method for receiving a packet in a first agent, where the packet includes a first packet header with an expanded header indicator. Based on this indicator, the agent can determine if the packet includes one or more additional packet headers. If so, the agent can next determining if it supports information in the additional packet header based on a header identifier of the additional header. Other embodiments are described and claimed.