Failure Control Device for PCIe Buffer Overflow Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In storage devices with redundant controller modules connected via a PCIe bus, identifying the correct failure occurrence site is challenging due to buffer fullness issues, leading to potential system crashes when incorrect maintenance is performed.
Innovation Solution
A communication system with a failure control device that obtains buffer usage state information to identify failure sites by predicting buffer-full states and determining hardware troubles, using credit values to manage data transmission and reception, and switching operation modes to prevent buffer overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If buffer usage is monitored to identify failure sites, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission source communication device autonomously monitors its own buffer usage state and identifies failure sites based on its own buffer fullness, without requiring external monitoring systems. The device uses its own credit value changes to detect reception failures, making the system self-diagnostic and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from buffer usage state changes to identify failures. When the buffer usage state changes from not full to full, this feedback indicates a reception failure at the transmission destination. The credit value mechanism provides continuous feedback about buffer status, enabling automatic failure detection without additional monitoring infrastructure.
2Reliability
If credit values are used to manage data transmission, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-allocates credit values to the reception buffer before data transmission begins. This preliminary action establishes a flow control mechanism that prevents buffer overflow from the start. The transmission source device checks credit values before sending data, ensuring reliable transmission without requiring complex runtime buffer management or dynamic resource allocation.
3Ease of operation
If buffer fullness is used to detect failures, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The failure detection is segmented into specific buffer instances rather than treating all buffers uniformly. The system monitors individual reception buffers and identifies failures at specific buffer locations. This segmentation allows simple buffer fullness checking to precisely locate failures at the buffer level, maintaining both ease of operation and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The credit value acts as an intermediary that translates complex buffer state information into simple failure indicators. Instead of directly analyzing complex buffer states, the system uses credit value changes as an intermediary signal to indicate reception failures. This intermediary simplifies the detection process while maintaining accurate failure identification through the credit value mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system includes: a first communication device configured to include first buffers to store data to be transmitted and received; a second communication device configured to include second buffers to store data to be transmitted and received; and a failure control device configured to include: an obtainment unit configured to obtain buffer usage state information to indicate a state of use of each of the first buffers and the second buffers from each of the first communication device and the second communication device; and an identification unit configured to identify a failure occurrence site on a channel, based on the obtained buffer usage state information, wherein the first communication device is configured to transmit and receive the data via the channel to and from the second communication device.