Mailbox Lock Register for Ownership Arbitration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mailbox systems face inefficiencies when initiators compete for allocation, often requiring resource arbitrators to manage idle and allocated mailboxes, leading to overhead and potential queuing of requests, especially in scenarios where the number of initiators exceeds available mailboxes.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a Lock register with a Lock port and a Lock Clear port allows initiators to directly allocate and manage mailboxes by using unique claim IDs, enabling them to lock and unlock mailboxes without interference from other initiators, thereby simplifying the allocation process and reducing overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a resource arbitrator is used to manage mailbox allocation, then mailbox distribution can be controlled, but system overhead increases and request processing becomes slower
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the arbitration function from a centralized resource arbitrator and implements it locally at each mailbox through ownership tags. Each mailbox independently tracks its ownership state, eliminating the need for a centralized arbitration mechanism and reducing system overhead while maintaining allocation control.
Solution Approach 2:
Mailboxes perform self-arbitration by maintaining ownership tags that indicate their current owner. When an initiator wants to use a mailbox, it checks the ownership tag locally and either uses the mailbox directly or queues its request, eliminating the need for external arbitration and reducing system complexity.
2Device complexity
If initiators directly manage mailbox allocation, then resource arbitrator overhead is reduced, but conflicts may occur when multiple initiators claim the same mailbox
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through ownership tags that provide real-time information about mailbox ownership status. Initiators read these tags before attempting to claim a mailbox and adjust their behavior accordingly, either claiming the mailbox directly if unowned or queuing if already claimed, thus preventing conflicts while maintaining direct management benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
Initiators perform preliminary checks of the ownership tag before attempting to claim a mailbox. This preliminary action allows them to determine in advance whether they can directly claim the mailbox or need to queue their request, preventing conflicts before they occur while maintaining the simplicity of direct initiator management.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of mailboxes is less than the number of initiators, then mailbox resource utilization improves, but request queuing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic request queuing where initiators automatically queue their requests when mailboxes are unavailable and are notified when mailboxes become available. This dynamic approach allows the system to efficiently utilize limited mailbox resources while minimizing request processing delays through automated queue management and notification mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A Lock register can be associated with a mailbox. The Lock register can store a claim ID of a process that has allocated the mailbox. The Lock register can include a Lock port and a Lock Clear port, used to claim and release the Lock register. The Lock register only permits data to be written to the Lock Register when the Lock register is not currently allocated, and the Lock Clear port only permits the process that has allocated the Lock register to write a value.