PCIe Link Error Handling Circuitry
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) systems, uncorrectable errors lead to crashes and disruptions, as existing technologies lack effective mechanisms to handle and conceal errors without re-establishing the PCIe link, impacting system integrity and performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing safe error handling circuitry and software that detects and consumes errors, preventing their reporting to the host device, thereby maintaining the PCIe link and ensuring safe data transmission, even in the presence of uncorrectable errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uncorrectable errors are detected in the PCIe link, then the PCIe link is terminated and re-established to prevent crashes, but this causes disruptions and loss of time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting errors early in the data transmission process and consuming them before they propagate to the host. The error detection and consumption mechanisms are positioned upstream in the data path, allowing errors to be handled before they can cause system crashes or require link re-establishment, thus preventing disruptions while maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components including error consumption logic and data buffering mechanisms that sit between the PCIe link and the host. These intermediaries capture and handle errors internally, preventing them from reaching the host system while still allowing the PCIe link to remain active and continue processing legitimate data transmissions without interruption.
2Reliability
If error reporting is implemented to maintain system integrity, then crashes can be prevented, but the PCIe link must be re-established causing disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the error handling function from the main data transmission path by introducing dedicated error consumption logic. This separate error handling mechanism captures and neutralizes errors internally without involving the host system or requiring link re-establishment, thus maintaining both system integrity and continuous operation simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by consuming (discarding) erroneous data packets internally through error consumption logic while recovering continuous operation by maintaining the PCIe link active. The error consumption mechanism discards only the corrupted portions of data while preserving the overall link functionality, allowing uninterrupted processing of valid data.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the PCIe link is re-established after errors to prevent crashes, then system stability is maintained, but unaffected processes are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error handling function from the overall system operation by implementing dedicated error consumption logic at the PCIe device level. This segmentation allows errors to be handled in isolation without propagating disruptions to the host system or affecting unrelated processes, thus maintaining both system stability and continuous productivity of unaffected operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Safe handling of link errors in a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) express (PCIE) device is disclosed. In one aspect, safe handling of link errors involves detecting errors in a PCIE link and maintaining the PCIE link by preventing the reporting of detected errors and providing safe data to a host in communication with the PCIE link. A PCIE link can be established between a host (incorporating a root complex) and an endpoint device, through which the host can request the performance of operations (e.g., read data, write data) by the endpoint device. Circuitry and/or software can monitor the PCIE link and perform safe handling of link errors when they occur. The circuitry detects link errors and consumes them in such a manner that the host is unaware that an error has occurred and only safe (e.g., non-corrupted) data is provided to the host.