Multi-Route Bridge for PCI Express I/O Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional I/O bus systems are designed to assume a downstream PCI express-network bridge is connected to one upstream PCI express-network bridge, limiting the ability to simultaneously share I/O resources among multiple hosts and perform I/O packet tunneling with multiple upstream bridges.
Innovation Solution
An I/O bus system is constructed with multiple upstream PCI express-network bridges connected to hosts and a single downstream PCI express-network bridge, utilizing a multi-route connection bridge to swap network addresses in network packets, allowing simultaneous sharing of I/O resources and enabling I/O packet tunneling across multiple upstream bridges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a downstream PCI express-network bridge is connected to one upstream PCI express-network bridge, then the system structure is simple and easy to control, but the I/O resource cannot be simultaneously shared by multiple hosts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bridge connection structure by introducing a multi-route connection bridge that can independently connect to multiple upstream PCI express-network bridges. This segmentation allows the downstream bridge to serve multiple hosts simultaneously while maintaining independent connection paths, thus enabling I/O resource sharing without overwhelming system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-route connection bridge is designed with universal functionality to connect to multiple upstream bridges and route packets to different downstream bridges based on destination addresses. This multi-functional design enables a single bridge component to serve multiple hosts and perform both routing and address swapping functions, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If a downstream PCI express-network bridge is connected to multiple upstream PCI express-network bridges, then I/O resources can be shared by multiple hosts, but the system complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-route connection bridge implements self-service through automatic address swapping functionality. When a packet is received, the bridge automatically swaps the destination address in the packet header with the corresponding upstream bridge address based on pre-configured mapping tables. This automated address translation eliminates the need for manual routing configuration and simplifies system control while enabling multi-host I/O sharing
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms through configuration tables that map downstream bridge addresses to upstream bridge addresses. The multi-route connection bridge continuously references these tables to make routing decisions, creating a closed-loop control system that automatically adapts to different hosting configurations without requiring complex manual intervention
3Adaptability or versatility
If address swapping is implemented in the multi-route connection bridge, then I/O packet tunneling can be performed across multiple upstream bridges, but the packet processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the address swapping function as a separate, dedicated operation within the multi-route connection bridge. Instead of implementing complex routing logic that processes entire packets, the system extracts only the address translation function, swapping destination addresses in packet headers while leaving the rest of the packet content unchanged. This extraction simplifies packet processing while maintaining tunneling capability
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-route connection bridge 24 performs swapping of an address described in a header of network packet to allow a downstream PCI express-network bridge 25 to be connected with a plurality of upstream PCI express-network bridges 21. Also, the multi-route connection bridge 24 configures an I/O resource 3 in advance, maps the configured I/O resource 3 to an address space of each host 1, and swaps header data described in an I/O packet encapsulated to the network packet by using mapping data. Thus, the multi-route connection bridge 24 assigns I/O capability of I/O resource 3 to each host 1 in units of functions to allow the I/O resource 3 to be shared simultaneously by the hosts 1.