Interrupt Grouping Mechanism for Network Adapter Resource Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network systems face inefficiencies in managing interrupts generated from multiple modules in adapters, leading to potential monopolization of resources by a single interrupt source, which can hinder overall system performance.
Innovation Solution
The system assigns interrupts from multiple sources into groups, notifies the adapter of these groups, and suspends further interrupts from the same group until the initial interrupt is processed, allowing interrupts from different groups to be processed concurrently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If interrupts from multiple sources are processed concurrently without grouping, then system responsiveness is improved, but resource monopolization occurs when a single source generates multiple interrupts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments interrupt sources into distinct groups (first group and second group) so that interrupts from different groups can be processed concurrently. This segmentation prevents resource monopolization by ensuring that multiple interrupts from the same source do not simultaneously occupy system resources, while still allowing parallel processing of interrupts from different sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the interrupt grouping and monitoring system) that mediates between multiple interrupt sources and the processing system. This intermediary tracks which group's interrupt is currently being processed and selectively allows or suspends interrupts from different groups, thereby preventing resource monopolization while maintaining system responsiveness.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If interrupts from the same source are suspended until processing completes, then resource monopolization is prevented, but interrupt processing latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting interrupt sources into groups, the patent reduces the suspension duration for each group. When one group's interrupt is being processed, only interrupts from that specific group are suspended, while interrupts from other groups can proceed. This segmentation minimizes the time loss compared to suspending all interrupts from a source regardless of group.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic interrupt handling where the suspension decision is made in real-time based on the current processing state. The system dynamically monitors which group's interrupt is being processed and selectively suspends or allows interrupts from other groups, optimizing the balance between preventing resource monopolization and minimizing processing latency.
3Productivity
If all interrupt sources are allowed to generate interrupts simultaneously, then system throughput is maximized, but resource contention and system instability occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides interrupt sources into multiple groups and processes interrupts from different groups concurrently. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high throughput by processing multiple interrupt streams in parallel, while preventing resource contention and instability by ensuring that interrupts from the same group are serialized (one at a time).
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages interrupt processing by monitoring which group's interrupt is currently being processed and selectively allowing or suspending interrupts from other groups. This dynamic control mechanism enables the system to adapt to varying interrupt loads while maintaining stability through controlled serialization within groups and parallelism across groups.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and system for managing interrupts originating from multiple sources is provided. The method includes assigning interrupt sources to a group; notifying an adapter of interrupt groups; identifying each interrupt group; writing a first interrupt to an interrupt module, where the interrupt occurs from a first source of the multiple sources; monitoring for a second interrupt; suspending the second interrupt until the first interrupt is processed, if the second interrupt is requested from the first source; and processing the second interrupt, if the second interrupt occurs from a source other than the first source.