Hardware Diagnostics Circuitry for High-Frequency Event Logging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Complex electronic systems, such as network devices, face challenges in efficiently diagnosing malfunctions and performance degradation due to the complexity of inter-dependent digital sub-units, making it difficult to locate the root cause of issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Hardware Diagnostics Circuitry (HDC) that receives trigger rules and logging definitions, logs pre-trigger and post-trigger data sources, and evaluates trigger events to efficiently monitor and diagnose issues in operational circuitry, allowing for flexible and coherent data logging and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If comprehensive data logging is performed continuously to capture all diagnostic information, then measurement precision is improved, but memory usage increases and diagnostic efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures multiple logging sets with different data sources and evaluation criteria before operation. When a trigger event occurs, the appropriate pre-configured logging set is immediately activated, eliminating the need for real-time decision-making about what to log and reducing memory overhead from continuous logging of all parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
Different logging sets are configured with different data sources and retention policies based on specific diagnostic needs. The system logs detailed information for critical trigger events while using reduced logging for normal operation, applying different quality levels of data collection to different operational contexts.
2Reliability
If continuous monitoring of all data sources is performed to ensure complete diagnostic coverage, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is divided into multiple independent logging sets, each configured to monitor specific data sources relevant to particular trigger events. This segmentation allows the system to maintain comprehensive diagnostic coverage by activating only the necessary monitoring subsets when their corresponding trigger conditions are met, rather than continuously monitoring all parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The trigger evaluation circuit and logging control mechanism serve multiple functions: they evaluate trigger conditions, select appropriate logging sets, control data acquisition, and manage memory allocation. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating control logic into a unified diagnostic controller.
3Measurement precision
If detailed post-trigger logging is enabled for all trigger events to ensure thorough analysis, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to data processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
Logging sets are pre-configured with specific data sources and evaluation criteria before operation. When a trigger event occurs, the system immediately activates the appropriate pre-configured logging set, eliminating real-time decision-making overhead and enabling rapid switching between different logging modes based on the trigger type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the logging behavior by selecting different logging sets based on the specific trigger event that occurred. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to apply detailed logging only when necessary for specific critical events, while using reduced logging for other events, thereby optimizing the balance between analysis accuracy and processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes operational circuitry and Hardware Diagnostics Circuitry (HDC). The HDC is configured to receive a definition of multiple trigger rules, each trigger rule specifying a respective trigger event as a function of trigger data sources in the operational circuitry, to receive a definition of (i) a pre-trigger logging set selected from among a plurality of diagnostics data sources in the operational circuitry, and (ii) for each trigger rule, a respective post-trigger logging set including a set of one or more of the diagnostics data sources, and, during operation of the operational circuitry, to log the diagnostics data sources in the pre-trigger logging set, to log the trigger data sources and to repeatedly evaluate the trigger rules, and, in response to triggering of a given trigger event by a given trigger rule, to start logging the diagnostics data sources in the post-trigger logging set of the given trigger rule.