Software Prioritization for Transactional Memory Conflict Arbitration

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current conflict arbitration mechanisms in transactional memory systems lack a universally optimal approach, leading to inefficiencies in contention management and potential livelock, which affects performance, especially in scenarios with frequent conflicts.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a software prioritization method for concurrent transactions by setting different priority values for transactions in hardware registers, allowing for dynamic conflict arbitration based on externally specified priority logic, which enables flexible contention management policies tailored to specific benchmarks or applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If simple conflict arbitration mechanisms are used, then device complexity is reduced, but transaction throughput deteriorates due to livelock and frequent retries

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconflict arbitration mechanismVSAvoidtransaction throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of transaction priority by assigning different priority values to different transactions using hardware registers. This allows the conflict arbitration mechanism to differentiate between transactions and make arbitration decisions based on priority levels, thereby improving throughput without significantly increasing complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements self-service by allowing external software to programmatically set priority values in hardware registers. This enables the system to automatically manage conflict arbitration based on application-specific requirements without requiring complex centralized control, thus maintaining simplicity while improving performance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If sophisticated contention management policies are implemented, then transaction throughput is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction throughputVSAvoidcontention management policy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer consisting of hardware registers that store priority values. These registers act as a simple mediator between transactions and the conflict arbitration logic, enabling sophisticated contention management through priority-based arbitration without requiring complex embedded policies within the arbitration mechanism itself

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic contention management by allowing priority values to be programmatically set and changed by external software. This enables the system to adapt to different workloads and applications by adjusting priority assignments, providing flexibility without hardcoding complex policies into the hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If priority-based conflict arbitration is implemented, then fairness and transaction throughput are improved, but device complexity increases due to additional hardware registers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction throughputVSAvoidhardware registers

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the priority management functionality into separate hardware registers that are distinct from the core transactional memory logic. This separation allows the priority arbitration mechanism to be implemented with minimal additional complexity, as the registers serve as simple storage elements that can be configured independently

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9170844B2Prioritization for conflict arbitration in transactional memory management

Publication Date: 2015.10.27 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for software prioritization of concurrent transactions for embedded conflict arbitration in transactional memory management. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for software prioritization of concurrent transactions for embedded conflict arbitration in transactional memory management can include setting different hardware registers with different priority values for correspondingly different transactions in a transactional memory system configured for transactional memory management according to respective priority values specified by priority assignment logic in external software support for the system. The method also can include detecting a conflict amongst the transactions in the system. Finally, the method can include applying conflict arbitration within the system based upon the priority values specified by the priority assignment logic in the external software support for the system.