Nibble-Histogram Compression for Cache-Line Security Metadata

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing compression techniques are not effectively applicable to security-oriented compression, as they are designed for larger entities and use elaborate dictionaries, which are not suitable for small data sizes like cache lines, and do not efficiently support the storage and transmission of security metadata without expanding messages, leading to overhead and cost issues.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves identifying patterns in small data units such as nibbles, bytes, and words to compress security metadata, using techniques like byte-equality compression, adjacent byte-equality compression, and nibble histogram compression, which eliminate the need for large dictionaries and minimize message expansion, allowing for the efficient storage and transmission of security metadata.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If existing compression techniques are used, then compression ratio is improved, but device complexity and overhead increase due to elaborate dictionaries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata sizeVSAvoiddictionary complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the elaborate dictionary component from traditional compression algorithms, replacing it with simple pattern-matching rules that operate directly on the input data without requiring pre-built dictionaries, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining compression effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the compression task into simple, discrete pattern-matching operations on small data units (nibbles, bytes, words) rather than applying a monolithic compression algorithm, allowing each segment to be processed independently with minimal overhead

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of substance

If existing compression techniques are used, then compression ratio is improved, but message expansion occurs which is unsuitable for security metadata

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata sizeVSAvoidmessage expansion

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies compression locally to small data units (nibbles, bytes, words) rather than globally to entire messages, allowing precise control over compression behavior and ensuring that security metadata can be appended without causing message expansion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial compression only to compressible portions of data while leaving other portions uncompressed, avoiding the need to compress entire messages and thereby preventing message expansion that would interfere with security metadata storage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Loss of substance

If existing compression techniques are used, then compression capability is improved, but latency increases which is unacceptable for hardware implementation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata sizeVSAvoidcompression latency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical/computational compression mechanisms with simple pattern-matching rules that can be implemented in hardware with minimal latency, substituting elaborate algorithmic processing with direct pattern recognition and replacement operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Loss of substance

If existing compression techniques are used, then compression ratio is improved, but adaptability to small data units is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata sizeVSAvoidadaptability to small data units

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the operational parameters of compression by targeting specific small data unit sizes (nibbles, bytes, words) rather than operating on arbitrary-sized inputs, making the compression technique specifically adapted to security-relevant data structures while maintaining effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10855815B2Security-oriented compression

Publication Date: 2020.12.01 INTEL CORP

AI summary

A method of data nibble-histogram compression can include determining a first amount of space freed by compressing the input data using a first compression technique, determining a second amount of space freed by compressing the input data using a second, different compression technique, compressing the input data using the compression technique of the first and second compression techniques determined to free up more space to create compressed input data, and inserting into the compressed input data, security data including one of a message authentication control (MAC) and an inventory control tag (ICT).