Remote PHY Node DMA Data Transfer for Cable Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing remote PHY architecture in cable television systems faces inefficiencies in processing downstream DOCSIS data, leading to substantial computing resource consumption due to memory copying and cache contention, especially in multi-core environments, which affects data forwarding rates and computational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a direct memory access (DMA) technique to transfer DOCSIS data without copying it to a new buffer, and using an internal header to indicate packet completeness, allowing for direct encoding and transmission, thereby reducing computational overhead and cache contention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If memory copying is used to transfer DOCSIS data in remote PHY architecture, then data can be transferred between buffers, but computational resource consumption increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful memory copying operation from the data transfer process. Instead of copying data from the DEPI packet buffer to a new buffer, the system directly accesses and processes the original data in place, eliminating the unnecessary computational overhead while maintaining data transfer functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the physical data copying operation with a logical reference mechanism. By using buffer descriptors that reference the original data location rather than creating actual copies, the system maintains the ability to process data while eliminating the resource-intensive copying step
2Ease of operation
If memory copying is performed for each DEPI packet, then data can be processed, but cache contention increases in multi-core environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the data processing system to serve itself by eliminating the need for intermediate buffer copies. The processing cores directly access the original DEPI packet data in memory, reducing the number of memory access operations and thereby reducing cache contention without sacrificing processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces buffer descriptors as intermediaries that manage data access without requiring physical data movement. These descriptors act as mediators between the processing cores and the original data, allowing multiple cores to efficiently access data with reduced cache conflicts
3Ease of manufacture
If data is copied to a new buffer for encoding, then encoding can proceed, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary setup by organizing data in the DEPI packet with proper formatting and metadata before encoding begins. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for post-reception buffer copying and reformatting, allowing encoding to proceed directly on the prepared data with reduced overhead
Data Source
AI summary
A cable distribution system that includes a headend connected to a plurality of customer devices through a transmission network that includes a remote fiber node that converts digital data to analog data suitable for the plurality of customer devices. The remote fiber node receiving a downstream external protocol interface packet that includes a header portion and a data portion in memory. The remote fiber node encoding and transmitting the data portion to at least one of the plurality of customer devices, wherein the data portion is transferred from the memory using direct memory access based upon a buffer descriptor for the encoding.