International Business Machines Corporation

Chin-Long Chen

Mu-Yue Hsiao

Douglas Craig Bossen

William Wu Shen

Vincenzo Condorelli

Patrick James Meaney

John Atkinson Fifield

Howard L Kalter

Camil Fayad

Walter Heinrich Lipponer

Robert M Blake

Timothy Jay Dell

Ricky A Rand

James Michael Mulligan

Wayne C Kwan

Douglas S Goodman

Tin-Chee Lo

Douglas S Search

Paul Vincent McCann

Fuad Elias Doany

Frederick Hayes Dill

Nihad Hadzic

Edward W Chencinski

Arnold Weinberger

Michael Edward Wazlowski

Edward Kelley Evans

Charles F Pells

R Brett Tremaine

Samir Kirit Patel

Willem B Van Der Hoeven

David L Arlington

Giacomo Vincent Ingenio

Charles D Holtz

Leonard L Fogell

Surasak K O'Trakoun

Ralf J Terbruggen

Klaus Ruediger Baat

Canh Xuan Le

Fredrick Hayes Dill

Douglas D Bossen

Modular reduction and modular multiplication for large numbers are required operations in public key cryptography. Moreover, efficient execution of these two operations is important to achieve high performance levels in cryptographic engines and processes. The present invention uses multiplication and addition instead of using division and subtraction to perform modular arithmetic. The present invention also achieves some of its advantages through processing which begins with the high order bits coupled with judicious observations pertaining to circumstances under which carry output signals from addition operations are generated. These carry output signals are used to provide corrections which thus enable the use of the higher order bits and the efficiencies that such use engenders. Additionally, unlike other methods, the present invention avoids the baggage of preprocessing and post processing operations.

Efficient modular reduction and modular multiplication

Byte or symbol organized linear block codes are optimized in terms of reducing the number of ones in their parity check matrices by means of symbol column transformations carried out by multiplication by non-singular matrices. Each optimized symbol column preferably, and probably necessarily, includes a submatrix which is the identity matrix which contributes to low weight check matrices and also to simplified decoding procedures and apparatus. Since circuit cost and layout area are proportional to the number of Exclusive-OR gates which is determined by the number of ones in the check matrix, it is seen that the reduction procedures carried out in accordance with the present invention solve significant problems that are particularly applicable in the utilization of byte organized semiconductor memory systems. Reduced weight coding systems are also generated in accordance with weight reducing procedures used in conjunction with modified Reed Solomon codes. The decoding and encoding methods and apparatus are extendable to the inclusion of any number of check symbols.

Low cost symbol error correction coding and decoding

An (18, 9) error correction code that is simultaneously double error correcting and triple error detecting is disclosed. The code is defined by the following parity check matrix: where &#x3b2; is a root of the polynomial x&#x2212;1 in the finite field of 256 elements. Logic circuitry for efficiently determining the locations of single and double errors as well as for detecting the presence of uncorrectable errors is also disclosed.

(18, 9) Error correction code for double error correction and triple error detection

An error correction code for encoding the presence of a special uncorrectable error as well as its type. In the encoder, modification logic modifies the regular data symbols to indicate the type of special uncorrectable error. The encoder appends to the regular data symbols a special uncorrectable error symbol indicating the presence of a special uncorrectable error to form an extended data word, which is encoded to generate a code word. In the decoder, a syndrome generator generates a syndrome vector using an assumed value for the special uncorrectable error symbol indicating the absence of a special uncorrectable error, while a syndrome decoder determines the presence of the special uncorrectable error by determining the presence of an error in the assumed value of the special uncorrectable error symbol. By so using its error detection logic, the decoder makes it unnecessary to actually store or transmit the special uncorrectable error symbol.

Method and apparatus for encoding special uncorrectable errors in an error correction code

Error correction and detection codes are designed with several properties: the ability to perform error correction and detection operations via syndrome generation in multiple cycles of information delivery from a source such as a set of memory chips; a code structure which is cooperatively designed in terms of the bits-per-chip architecture of a set of memory chips so as to provide enhanced robustness in the face of bus line and chip failures; and a structured parity check matrix which provides circuits which are cheaper, take up less room, and are faster than standard designs.

Symbol level error correction codes which protect against memory chip and bus line failures

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design comprising a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed to the structure and linking of a plurality of almost identical processing elements.

Hardware implementation for modular multiplication using a plurality of almost entirely identical processor elements

Symbol level multi-cycle error correction and detection coding systems are developed and deployed in computer memory architectures resulting in an increase in robustness in terms of single bus line failures having no effect on the robustness of the coding technique and capabilities. The multi-cycle symbol level error correction techniques of the present invention also provide a mechanism for reducing the pin-out requirements for memory chips and dual in-line memory modules. The resulting ECC circuitry is thus simpler and consumes less real estate.

Multi-cycle symbol level error correction and memory system

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design which includes a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed to the incorporation and integration of circuits used for calculating a modular multiplicative inverse used as an input parameter to the process.

Circuits for calculating modular multiplicative inverse

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design comprising a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed to circuits and methods for carrying out modular exponentiation.

Circuits and methods for modular exponentiation

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design comprising a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed to a method for performing modular exponentiation which takes advantage of processing element chain partitioning and the Chinese Remainder Theorem.

Method for implementing the chinese remainder theorem

Finite field elements from the Galois field GF(2) are represented as polynomials with binary valued coefficients. As such, multiplication in the field is defined modulo an irreducible polynomial of degree k&#x2212;1. One of the multiplicands is treated in blocks of polynomials of degree n&#x2212;1 so that the multiplier operates over T cycles where k=nT. If k is not a composite number to start with, higher order terms are added, so that multipliers are now constructable even when k is prime. Since n&#x3c;k, the construction of the needed multiplier circuits are much simpler. Designers are now provided with an opportunity of easily trading off circuit speed for circuit complexity in an orderly and structured fashion.

Block-serial finite field multipliers

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design comprising a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed a system and method for performing modular checksum operations.

Method for checking modular multiplication

The modular exponentiation function used in public key encryption and decryption systems is implemented in a standalone engine having at its core modular multiplication circuits which operate in two phases which share overlapping hardware structures. The partitioning of large arrays in the hardware structure, for multiplication and addition, into smaller structures results in a multiplier design which includes a series of nearly identical processing elements linked together in a chained fashion. As a result of the two-phase operation and the chaining together of partitioned processing elements, the overall structure is operable in a pipelined fashion to improve throughput and speed. The chained processing elements are constructed so as to provide a partitionable chain with separate parts for processing factors of the modulus. In this mode, the system is particularly useful for exploiting characteristics of the Chinese Remainder Theorem to perform rapid exponentiation operations. A checksum mechanism is also provided to insure accurate operation without impacting speed and without significantly increasing complexity. While the present disclosure is directed to a complex system which includes a number of features, the present application is particularly directed to the operation of a plurality of chained processing elements in a pipelined fashion.

Pipelining operations in a system for performing modular multiplication

A method of detecting double-symbol errors and correcting single-symbol errors in a data stream being transmitted in a computer system, e.g., from a memory array to a memory controller. The method includes decoding the data stream which was encoded using a logic circuit which had, as inputs, the data being sent and two address parity bits derived from the system address of the data. Data retrieved from the wrong address can be detected by this code. The logic circuit is described by a parity-check matrix for this ( ) code comprising 128 data bits, 16 check bits, and 2 address parity bits. Although the symbol width of the code is four bits, the code can also be used effectively in memory systems where the memory chip width is eight bits.

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Fishkill, NY, United States of America

Chin-Long Chen