Host Memory Read Latency Reduction via Early Acknowledgement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage systems experience high latency during read operations due to serial processing, where an application is not notified that data is ready in memory until it is fully transferred, leading to inefficiencies and prolonged processing times.
Innovation Solution
A processor sends an acknowledgement to the application that data is available in memory before it is fully transferred, allowing preparatory actions to occur in parallel with data retrieval, and marks memory locations as invalid until data is ready, triggering a page fault if accessed prematurely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system waits for data to be fully transferred from storage to memory before notifying the application, then data integrity is ensured, but read operation latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by notifying the application that data is available in memory before the full transfer from storage is complete. This allows the application to begin preparatory operations earlier, reducing overall latency while maintaining data integrity through validation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms to track the transfer status and validate data integrity. By monitoring the transfer progress and confirming data readiness, the system can safely notify the application early while ensuring reliability through continuous validation feedback loops.
2Loss of time
If the system sends acknowledgement before data is fully transferred, then latency is reduced, but risk of accessing invalid data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary validation mechanism that acts as a mediator between the early acknowledgement and the actual data access. This intermediary layer validates data readiness and manages the transition from invalid to valid state, preventing premature access while enabling early notification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where the memory management unit automatically tracks transfer status and validates data readiness. The system serves itself by monitoring its own state and enforcing access controls, eliminating the need for external validation while maintaining reliability.
3Productivity
If the application performs preparatory actions in parallel with data transfer, then processing efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the data transfer operation with the application's preparatory actions into a coordinated parallel process. By combining these operations and managing them through a unified control mechanism, the system achieves improved efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same control structures manage both sequences.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to send to a storage device a request from an application to retrieve data from the storage device, so as to cause the data to be transferred from the storage device to the memory, to send to the application an acknowledgement that the requested data is available in the memory before the data has been fully transferred from the storage device to the memory, and, when the fetched data is ready in the memory, to provide the data to the application.