Initiator Timeout Detection via Single Timer Reset
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communication systems where storage devices process only one access request at a time, existing timeout detection methods become complex due to the accumulation of execution times for successive access requests, making it difficult to calculate timeout times accurately.
Innovation Solution
An initiator apparatus uses a single timer to detect timeouts by resetting and restarting the timing operation for each access request and response, allowing for a fixed, sufficiently large timeout time that accounts for maximum processing times and retransmission delays, eliminating the need to calculate individual timeout times for each access request.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple access requests are issued successively to storage that processes only one request at a time, then productivity is improved by avoiding wireless communication latency, but device complexity increases due to the need to manage multiple timers for timeout detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple timeout detection functions into a single timer mechanism. Instead of using separate timers for each access request, the system uses one timer that is reset whenever a new access request is issued. This consolidation reduces the number of timer management operations and simplifies the timeout detection mechanism while still providing accurate timeout detection for each request in the sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary timeout time calculation based on the position of each access request in the execution sequence. Before issuing access requests, the system pre-calculates appropriate timeout times considering that storage processes requests sequentially. This preliminary action allows the single timer to use a fixed or pre-determined timeout value rather than requiring dynamic calculation during runtime, reducing computational complexity.
2Measurement precision
If timeout time is calculated by accumulating execution times of previous access requests, then measurement precision of timeout detection is improved, but device complexity increases due to complex timeout time calculation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary timeout time calculation based on the request sequence position rather than accumulating actual execution times during runtime. By pre-determining timeout values based on the known sequential processing nature of storage and the position of requests in the queue, the system achieves adequate timeout accuracy without the computational overhead of tracking and summing actual execution times of previous requests.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the timeout time parameter from a dynamically calculated value based on accumulated execution times to a fixed or pre-determined value based on the maximum expected processing time. This parameter change simplifies the timeout detection mechanism while maintaining sufficient accuracy for sequential storage processing, as the timeout is set to accommodate the worst-case scenario of processing all queued requests.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an initiator apparatus that, when issuing access requests for remote access via wireless communication to a storage section that processes only one access request at a time, can easily detect timeouts with one timer irrespective of the number of access requests issued via wireless communication. In this apparatus, an access-request processor (102) sends one or more access requests to a target apparatus (110) provided with a storage section that processes only one access request at a time and receives access acknowledgments for the access requests from the target apparatus (110). Until all the access requests are completed, a timeout detector (103) resets the timer operation and starts it again each time an access request is sent or an access acknowledgment is received, and detects a timeout when the timer operation exceeds a timeout period.