Reflective Memory System Hardware DMA Engine

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Solution Overview

Problem

Reflective memory systems require proprietary solutions with cumbersome remote memory access software stacks, preventing application programmers from configuring shared memory pools using memory pointer access techniques, leading to higher costs and scalability issues.

Innovation Solution

An Information Handling System with a secondary processing subsystem and memory subsystem that includes a reflective memory management engine, which receives processor memory-centric write requests and generates remote memory write information using hardware to perform local and remote memory operations, allowing for networked memory access without proprietary software stacks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If proprietary remote memory access software stacks are used to enable network accessible memory spaces, then reflective memory functionality is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereflective memory functionalityVSAvoidsoftware stack complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the software-based remote memory access mechanism with a hardware-based Direct Memory Access (DMA) engine. The DMA engine is integrated into the network interface controller to directly handle memory access operations over the network, eliminating the need for complex software stacks including middleware, libraries, and sockets. This hardware substitution maintains reflective memory functionality while significantly reducing software complexity and associated costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If proprietary software stacks with API mechanisms are used for remote memory access, then network memory access is enabled, but ease of operation deteriorates due to inability to use native memory semantics

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote memory access capabilityVSAvoidprogramming simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The DMA engine is configured to automatically handle remote memory access operations without requiring application programmers to interact with complex software APIs. The system enables applications to use native memory pointer access techniques directly, as the DMA engine self-manages the network communication and memory access translation, making remote memory appear as local memory to the application.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If remote memory access software stacks are implemented in each server device, then distributed memory access is achieved, but productivity decreases due to scaling difficulties

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedistributed memory accessVSAvoidsystem scalability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the remote memory access functionality by integrating a dedicated DMA engine into each network interface controller at the hardware level. This segmentation allows each server device to independently handle remote memory access operations without requiring centralized software coordination, enabling linear scaling as more devices are added to the reflective memory network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If proprietary solutions with middleware and libraries are used, then remote memory access communications are generated, but cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremote memory access communicationVSAvoidsystem cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent eliminates expensive proprietary software components (middleware, libraries, sockets) by replacing them with a hardware DMA engine that natively handles remote memory access communications. This hardware-based approach reduces software licensing costs, development costs, and maintenance costs while maintaining reliable remote memory access communication capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11288008B1Reflective memory system

Publication Date: 2022.03.29 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

A reflective memory system includes network-connected computing systems including respective memory subsystems. A reflective memory management subsystem in a first computing system receives a processor memory-centric reflective write request associated with a local reflective memory write operation and remote reflective memory write operations, performs the local reflective memory write operation to write data to a memory subsystem in the first computing system, and uses remote memory access hardware to generate remote memory write information for performing the remote reflective memory write operations to write the data at respective second memory subsystems in second computing systems. The reflective memory management subsystem then instructs a networking device in the first computing system to utilize the remote memory write information to transmit first memory access communications that provide for the performance of the remote reflective memory write operations to write the data at the second memory subsystem in each second computing system.