Multi-host Memory Sharing via Switch Fabric Arbitration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current interconnect systems, such as switches, fail to achieve desired data exchange rates and latencies, leading to performance bottlenecks in data storage and transfer between hosts and physical memory devices.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a fabric manager, a memory mapper, and a switch that maps memory locations between hosts and physical devices, allowing multiple hosts to share physical devices and access shared memory locations, with only one host able to access shared memory at a time, thereby improving data transfer efficiency and reducing latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each host is assigned to a dedicated physical memory device, then host memory access is simplified, but data exchange rates and latencies are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Physical memory devices are configured to be shared by multiple hosts simultaneously. The memory system allows different hosts to access the same physical memory device through a switch fabric, enabling one memory device to serve multiple hosts rather than being dedicated to a single host. This multi-functional approach increases data exchange rates while maintaining simplified access protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
A switch fabric acts as an intermediary between hosts and physical memory devices. The switch receives requests from multiple hosts and routes them to appropriate physical memory devices, enabling efficient data exchange between multiple hosts and shared memory resources. This intermediary structure resolves the conflict between simplified access and high-speed data exchange.
2Device complexity
If each host is assigned to a dedicated physical memory device, then memory allocation is simplified, but system performance bottlenecks occur
Solution Approach 1:
Physical memory devices are designed to be universally accessible by multiple hosts through the switch fabric. This allows a single memory device to be shared across multiple hosts, increasing system productivity and resource utilization while the switch fabric manages allocation complexity through standardized routing protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple host-memory connections are merged through a common switch fabric infrastructure. Instead of maintaining separate dedicated connections for each host, the system combines access paths through the switch, which manages multiple hosts accessing shared memory resources efficiently, thereby improving system performance without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Productivity
If multiple hosts share physical devices, then data exchange efficiency is improved, but memory access conflicts may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The switch fabric serves as an intermediary that manages access requests from multiple hosts to shared physical memory devices. It implements arbitration and routing logic to handle concurrent access requests, ensuring that memory access consistency is maintained while allowing multiple hosts to share memory resources efficiently. The switch prevents conflicts by coordinating access timing and routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic access control where the switch fabric adaptively manages memory access based on current system state and request priorities. Access rights and routing paths are dynamically adjusted to prevent conflicts while maximizing data transfer efficiency, allowing the system to respond to changing conditions in real-time.
Data Source
AI summary
A system including a fabric manager, a memory mapper, and a switch is described. The memory mapper receives and stores mapping information from the fabric manager that maps memory locations in a plurality of hosts to corresponding memory locations in a plurality of physical devices. The switch receives at least a portion of the mapping information from the memory mapper, receives a request from a host, and accesses memory that is identified by the request on a physical device of the plurality of physical devices.