PCI Express Scalable Routing via Additional Transaction Headers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current PCI Express infrastructure faces challenges in providing scalable and efficient routing and addressing of transaction packets, which limits its ability to support high data throughput and flexible connectivity between devices.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves generating an additional header with a source identifier and a target identifier for transaction packets at an ingress point, allowing for routing through a shared infrastructure, and removing this header at an egress point, thereby facilitating fast, flexible, and scalable routing and addressing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If PCI Express uses a traditional tree structure with strict host-to-endpoint protocol, then device connectivity is established, but scalability and flexibility for high data throughput are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transaction packet into multiple components with separate handling. The original PCI Express packet is divided into a header portion, data portion, and end-to-end CRC portion, allowing independent processing and routing of each segment through the shared infrastructure, thereby enabling flexible connectivity while maintaining high data throughput
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary shared infrastructure between hosts and endpoints, replacing the traditional direct host-to-endpoint protocol. This intermediary layer enables multiple devices to share the connection while maintaining scalability and flexibility for high data throughput through standardized interface definitions
2Productivity
If PCI Express imposes a stringent tree structure relationship, then device hierarchy is maintained, but routing scalability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal shared infrastructure that can handle multiple routing scenarios simultaneously. The interface definitions and packet handling mechanisms are designed to work across different device types and configurations, eliminating the need for complex tree structure relationships while maintaining routing scalability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters of the communication protocol, including packet format, addressing scheme, and routing rules, to enable scalable routing in a shared infrastructure. These parameter changes allow the system to move away from fixed tree structures to more flexible routing configurations without increasing device complexity
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional routing information is added to transaction packets, then routing flexibility is improved, but packet size and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the additional routing information with the existing PCI Express packet structure by integrating it into the header portion. This combining approach allows routing flexibility to be improved without significantly increasing overall packet size, as the routing information shares space with other header fields rather than adding separate overhead
Data Source
AI summary
PCI Express transactions can be transmitted via a shared PCI Express infrastructure. At an infrastructure ingress point an additional header comprising at least a source identifier and a target identifier is generated for a transaction packet that comprises a header portion, a data portion and an end-to-end CRC portion. The transaction packet is then transmitted with the additional header from the ingress point to an egress point. At the egress point the additional header is removed. The additional header can further include a resource key. It can further include protection information such as a CRC.