Memory Subsystem Pause Mechanism for Critical Event Debugging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional memory sub-systems struggle to effectively debug issues, especially in hardware accelerated data paths, where timing is critical and the memory sub-system may have already begun modifying its state by the time an issue is detected.
Innovation Solution
A memory sub-system controller with a front-end device that automatically stores the memory sub-system's state upon detecting critical events and then transmits an interrupt signal to initiate debugging operations, ensuring point-in-time state preservation without waiting for controller instructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the memory sub-system operates with hardware accelerated data paths for high speed, then productivity is improved, but the ability to debug issues is worsened because the system state changes too quickly to capture
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring operations and preparing to capture state information before critical events occur. The front-end device is pre-configured with trigger conditions and ready to immediately store state information when a critical event is detected, eliminating the delay that would otherwise cause state changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between the hardware accelerated data path and the debugging system. The front-end device acts as a mediator that intercepts critical events, captures the exact state at those moments, and transmits this frozen state information to the controller for analysis, allowing debugging without slowing down the high-speed data path.
2Reliability
If the controller monitors operations to detect issues, then reliability is improved, but the state of the system changes by the time the issue is detected, worsening measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The front-end device performs preliminary monitoring and is pre-configured with critical event trigger conditions. When a critical event occurs, the system immediately captures the state information without waiting for the controller to detect and respond to the issue, thereby preserving the exact state at the moment of the error.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the front-end device continuously monitors operations, compares them against predefined critical event conditions, and immediately triggers state capture when a mismatch is detected. This closed-loop feedback ensures that the state is captured at the precise moment of the error, providing accurate debugging information.
3Device complexity
If the system waits for controller instructions to store state information, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of time increases because the state may already be modified
Solution Approach 1:
The front-end device is pre-configured with critical event trigger conditions and the capability to autonomously capture state information. When a critical event occurs, the system immediately stores the state without waiting for controller instructions, thereby preserving the exact state at the moment of the error while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure configure a system component, such as memory sub-system controller, to pause memory sub-system operations in response to a critical event. The memory sub-system controller can include a front-end (FE) device that stores critical event trigger data in trigger event logic registers. Upon detecting that operations of the memory sub-system, such as command latencies, correspond to the critical event trigger data, the FE device performs pause operations, including storing a state of the memory sub-system and transmitting an interrupt signal to the memory sub-system controller, such as a CPU, to initiate debugging operations.