US 10,884,829 B1Granted

Shared buffer memory architecture

AssigneeInnovium, Inc.

InventorMohammad Kamel Issa

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Abstract

An improved buffer for networking devices and other computing devices comprises multiple memory instances, each having a distinct set of entries. Transport data units (“TDUs”) are divided into storage data units (“SDUs”), and each SDU is stored within a separate entry of a separate memory instance in a logical bank. A grid of the memory instances is organized into overlapping horizontal logical banks and vertical logical banks. A memory instance may be shared between horizontal and vertical logical banks. When overlapping logical banks are accessed concurrently, the memory instance that they share may be inaccessible to one of the logical banks. Accordingly, when writing a TDU, a parity SDU may be generated for the TDU and also stored within its logical bank. The TDU's content within the shared memory instance may then be reconstructed from the parity SDU without having to read the shared memory instance.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A network switching apparatus comprising:

a plurality of memory instances that form a buffer, each of the memory instances comprising a plurality of entries configured to store storage data units (‘SDU”), each of the entries configured to store a single SDU, the memory instances organized into overlapping logical banks, including horizontal logical banks and vertical logical banks;
write logic configured to write transport data units (“TDUs”) to the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs, writing one or more SDUs into which the TDU has been divided to different entries in different memory instances of a logical bank assigned to the TDU, and, when the logical bank is one of the horizontal logical banks, calculating a parity SDU and writing the parity SDU to the logical bank;
read logic configured to output the TDUs from the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs, reading one or more of the SDUs into which the TDU was divided from the different memory instances of the logical bank to which the TDU was written, and, when the logical bank is a horizontal logical bank that shares a same memory instance with a vertical logical bank that is being read concurrently, instead of reading a particular SDU from the shared memory instance, reconstructing the particular SDU using a particular parity SDU that was written for the TDU in another memory instance of the horizontal logical bank.

A method comprising:

utilizing a plurality of memory instances as a buffer, each of the memory instances comprising a plurality of entries configured to store storage data units (′SDU″), each of the entries configured to store a single SDU, the memory instances organized into overlapping logical banks, including horizontal logical banks and vertical logical banks;
writing transport data units (“TDUs”) to the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs:
writing one or more SDUs into which the TDU has been divided to different entries in different memory instances of a logical bank assigned to the TDU;
and
when the logical bank is one of the horizontal logical banks, calculating a parity SDU and writing the parity SDU to the logical bank;
and
outputting the TDUs from the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs:
reading one or more of the SDUs into which the TDU was divided from the different memory instances of the logical bank to which the TDU was written;
and
when the logical bank is a horizontal logical bank that shares a same memory instance with a vertical logical bank that is being read concurrently, instead of reading a particular SDU from the shared memory instance, reconstructing the particular SDU using a particular parity SDU that was written for the TDU in another memory instance of the horizontal logical bank.

7 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of:

utilizing a plurality of memory instances as a buffer, each of the memory instances comprising a plurality of entries configured to store storage data units (′SDU″), each of the entries configured to store a single SDU, the memory instances organized into overlapping logical banks, including horizontal logical banks and vertical logical banks;
writing transport data units (“TDUs”) to the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs:
writing one or more SDUs into which the TDU has been divided to different entries in different memory instances of a logical bank assigned to the TDU;
and
when the logical bank is one of the horizontal logical banks, calculating a parity SDU and writing the parity SDU to the logical bank;
and
outputting the TDUs from the logical banks by, for each TDU of the TDUs:
reading one or more of the SDUs into which the TDU was divided from the different memory instances of the logical bank to which the TDU was written;
and
when the logical bank is a horizontal logical bank that shares a same memory instance with a vertical logical bank that is being read concurrently, instead of reading a particular SDU from the shared memory instance, reconstructing the particular SDU using a particular parity SDU that was written for the TDU in another memory instance of the horizontal logical bank.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.