Host Bus Adapter Fabric Mapping for PCIe Device Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information processing devices using PCIe as an I/O interface are limited to recognizing up to 256 devices due to the 8-bit bus number definition, and existing technologies do not provide a means to recognize more devices without special software.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device with a host bus adapter that includes a mapping table to associate functions with external I/O devices, allowing communication via a fabric communication function, enabling recognition of 257 or more devices conforming to the PCIe standard without requiring special software.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If PCIe bus number definition (8 bits) is used, then device recognition follows PCIe specification, but number of recognizable devices is limited to 256
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a translation layer between the PCIe interface and I/O devices. The host bus adapter includes a translation unit that translates PCIe address space into fabric address space, enabling the system to recognize more than 256 devices while maintaining PCIe specification compliance. This intermediary translation mechanism resolves the contradiction by decoupling the PCIe bus number limitation from the actual device addressing capability.
2Quantity of substance
If SR-IOV technology is used to recognize multiple devices with one bus number, then number of recognizable devices increases, but compatibility with non-SR-IOV devices is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device recognition mechanism into two independent parts: the PCIe interface layer that maintains specification compliance, and the fabric communication layer that provides extended device recognition. By segmenting these functions, the system can recognize multiple devices including non-SR-IOV devices while maintaining compatibility with standard PCIe devices. Each I/O device can be independently mapped to fabric addresses without requiring SR-IOV capability.
3Quantity of substance
If special software is used to access extended PCIe fabric, then number of recognizable devices exceeds 256, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The host bus adapter performs automatic address translation and device mapping without requiring special software intervention. The translation unit automatically translates PCIe address space into fabric address space, and the host bus adapter autonomously manages the mapping between PCIe devices and fabric addresses. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for special software while enabling recognition of more than 256 devices, thereby reducing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an information processing device and a method for controlling an information processing device that can increase the number of devices that can be recognized without special software. The information processing device includes a central processing unit and a host bus adapter in which input/output (I/O) devices conforming to the PCI Express standard are connected to a fabric, wherein the host bus adapter is an input/output interface of the PCI Express standard and uses a fabric communication function to communicate with an input/output unit (IOU) including at least one of the I/O devices, and the host bus adapter includes a functional part including a plurality of functions conforming to the PCI Express standard, and a mapping table in which the functions of the functional part and external I/O devices connected to the fabric are mapped in association with each other.