Northbridge Token Scheme for Burst Memory Access Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The northbridge in processors can be taxed by bursts of memory access requests from a single processing core, reducing overall memory access throughput and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a token scheme where the northbridge issues a minimum number of tokens to each processor core, with reserve tokens dynamically allocated based on memory access patterns, allowing additional resources to be provided to cores with high activity and returned when activity decreases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the northbridge manages communication traffic to prevent collisions, then traffic safety is improved, but memory access throughput is reduced due to resource taxation from burst requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource allocation through a token bucket mechanism where the northbridge can adjust the number of available tokens (representing memory access permissions) based on current traffic conditions. During burst periods, the northbridge dynamically increases token availability to maintain throughput, while under normal conditions it enforces stricter token limits to prevent collisions. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the resource management system adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a token bucket buffer that pre-accumulates tokens before traffic bursts occur. The northbridge continuously refills the token bucket at a controlled rate, so that when burst traffic arrives, pre-stored tokens are already available to immediately permit access without waiting for gradual resource accumulation. This preliminary preparation of resources ensures both collision prevention (through controlled refill rates) and high throughput (through available buffer tokens during bursts).
Data Source
AI summary
A processor uses a token scheme to govern the maximum number of memory access requests each of a set of processor cores can have pending at a northbridge of the processor. To implement the scheme, the northbridge issues a minimum number of tokens to each of the processor cores and keeps a number of tokens in reserve. In response to determining that a given processor core is generating a high level of memory access activity the northbridge issues some of the reserve tokens to the processor core. The processor core returns the reserve tokens to the northbridge in response to determining that it is not likely to continue to generate the high number of memory access requests, so that the reserve tokens are available to issue to another processor core.