TLB Operation Fields for Data Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current CPU translation lookaside buffers (TLBs) lack sufficient information to facilitate validation and data protection for operations beyond the CPU pipeline, as they only store address mappings and not additional data needed for validation and protection.
Innovation Solution
Storing additional data in the TLB, such as encryption keys, authentication keys, and transaction identifiers, and transmitting this data to system memory to enable validation and protection mechanisms, allowing operations like data encryption and access regulation to be performed away from the CPU.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional data is stored in the TLB to enable validation and protection mechanisms, then data protection and validation capabilities are enhanced, but the device complexity and memory usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds operation fields containing validation and protection data within the existing TLB structure. These operation fields are nested alongside the traditional address mapping fields, allowing the TLB to store both address translation information and operational control information in a unified, integrated manner. This nesting approach enhances data protection capabilities while minimizing the increase in device complexity by utilizing the existing TLB framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The TLB is enhanced to serve multiple functions: traditional address translation and new validation/protection operations. By making the TLB multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for separate dedicated structures for validation data, thereby reducing overall device complexity while improving reliability. The same TLB infrastructure supports both address mapping and operational control.
2Reliability
If operation fields are transmitted to system memory for validation, then data validation and protection are enabled beyond CPU pipeline, but the transmission overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The operation fields containing validation and protection data are prepared and stored in the TLB in advance, during the address translation process. This preliminary preparation allows the media controller to perform validation operations without requiring additional data retrieval from system memory, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining robust validation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The TLB serves as an intermediary structure that pre-loads operation data needed for validation. Instead of direct communication between CPU and system memory for each validation operation, the TLB acts as a buffer that provides validation data locally, reducing the frequency and volume of transmissions to system memory and thereby reducing overall processing time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If encryption keys and authentication data are stored in TLB, then secure operations away from CPU are enabled, but the security risk of exposing sensitive data in TLB increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the TLB structure. Sensitive operation fields containing encryption keys and authentication data are segregated from address mapping fields. This local differentiation allows the system to optimize for both security and functionality, enabling secure operations while minimizing the exposure surface area for potential security risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts sensitive operation data from the main address translation pathway and places it in dedicated operation fields within the TLB. This extraction isolates sensitive information from the general address translation process, allowing secure operations to be performed with minimal exposure. The separated structure reduces the attack surface while maintaining the ability to perform secure operations away from the CPU.
Data Source
AI summary
In example implementations, mapping fields and respective operation fields may be stored in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) of a central processing unit (CPU) that is communicatively coupled to a storage volume. The operation fields may be populated based on processes, running on the CPU, corresponding to the respective mapping fields. In response to a storage volume access request generated by one of the processes, and based on contents of one of the mapping fields that matches the storage volume access request, a memory address corresponding to a memory location in the storage volume may be identified. A translated address based on the identified memory address, and contents of the respective operation field, may be transmitted to a media controller communicatively coupled to the CPU and the storage volume.