Memory Controller Boot Prefetching for Lower I/O Latency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing memory controllers face challenges in optimizing booting performance due to inefficiencies in handling input/output requests during the booting process, leading to increased latency and operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A memory controller with a buffer, prefetch controller, and boot controller is designed to store workload information, read expected data before requests are received, and update this information based on actual requests to minimize read and write latency by optimizing data storage in buffer and main areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If workload information is stored in memory devices during booting operation, then booting performance can be optimized, but write latency and the number of write operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by prefetching expected data from memory devices to a buffer before the host actually requests it during booting. The prefetch controller identifies expected input/output requests based on workload information and preloads corresponding data, so that when the host requests the data, it is already available in the buffer, eliminating wait time and reducing the impact of write operations on booting performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a buffer as an intermediary between the memory devices and the host. The buffer stores both workload information and prefetched expected data, acting as a mediator that decouples the host's data requests from the memory devices' write operations. This intermediary layer allows the system to serve host requests from the buffer without immediately accessing memory devices, thereby reducing write latency and the number of direct write operations to memory devices during booting
2Productivity
If workload information is updated based on actual requests, then data access efficiency is improved, but the number of write operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively updating workload information only when necessary - specifically, when the actual host request differs from the expected request. The boot controller compares the target input/output request with the expected request and updates workload information only for the difference, rather than performing full updates on every request. This reduces the number of write operations while maintaining data access efficiency by keeping workload information accurate for future prefetching decisions
3Loss of time
If expected data is prefetched before host requests, then booting time is reduced, but buffer memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by prefetching only the expected data that is anticipated to be requested by the host during booting, rather than prefetching all possible data. The prefetch controller uses workload information to identify and prefetch only the necessary expected input/output requests, minimizing buffer memory usage while still achieving booting time reduction. This selective prefetching approach balances the trade-off between booting performance and memory resource consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A memory controller includes a buffer, a prefetch controller, and a boot controller. The buffer stores workload information including a history of an expected I/O request expected to be received from a host during booting operation. The prefetch controller is configured to, before a target I/O request is received from the host after start of booting, read expected data corresponding to the expected I/O request from memory devices based on workload information, and store the expected data in the buffer. The boot controller updates the workload information based on the target I/O request depending on whether target data corresponding to the target I/O request is included in the expected data, and stores updated workload information in an area in which data is readable with a minimum number of accesses from a plurality of the memory devices.