Virtual Identifiers for Shared Resource Traffic Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems face performance limitations due to the disruption of DDR interface operations by PCIe interface routing, particularly when accessing peripheral devices, as traffic is not balanced and often uses the same routing path, affecting overall performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing virtual identifiers to distribute traffic for secondary shared resources among different routing paths within the routing system, independent of the primary load balancing scheme, using software-generated identifiers that do not require hardware overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If PCIe interface traffic is routed through the DDR routing system, then peripheral device communication is enabled, but DDR interface performance is disrupted due to load imbalance on routing paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments PCIe traffic into multiple virtual channels (VCs), each with its own routing path through the routing system. This segmentation allows traffic to be distributed across different physical paths, preventing any single path from becoming a bottleneck and thus maintaining DDR performance while enabling PCIe communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of virtual channel identification to the routing system. By adding virtual channel tags to PCIe packets and creating multiple virtual routing paths, the system can differentiate and balance traffic without requiring additional physical routing resources, thereby maintaining DDR performance.
2Speed
If dedicated routing channels are used for PCIe peripheral access, then routing performance is improved, but device complexity and fabrication cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing DDR routing system universal by enabling it to handle both DDR and PCIe traffic through virtual channel multiplexing. The same physical routing infrastructure serves multiple functions, eliminating the need for dedicated PCIe routing channels and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of routing paths through virtual channel identification. Instead of building multiple physical routing channels, the system uses software-generated virtual identifiers to create multiple logical routing paths that share the same physical infrastructure, reducing fabrication cost and complexity.
3Productivity
If load balancing is applied to PCIe traffic, then routing path distribution is improved, but the primary load balancing scheme cannot accommodate secondary resource traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces virtual channel identifiers as an intermediary layer between PCIe traffic and the physical routing system. This intermediary mechanism allows the routing system to distinguish between different types of traffic (DDR vs. PCIe) and apply appropriate load balancing strategies without interfering with each other, enabling both primary and secondary resource access.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a processing system configured to send, via a routing system, a first request for access to a secondary shared resource. The first request is associated with a first virtual identifier, and the first virtual identifier is associated with a first routing path through the routing system from the initiator device to the secondary shared resource. The processing system is further configured to send, via the routing system, a second request for access to the secondary shared resource. The second request is associated with a second virtual identifier, and the second virtual identifier is associated with a second routing path through the routing system from the initiator device to the secondary shared resource. The second routing path is different than the first routing path.