International Business Machines Corporation

Patrick James Meaney

Glenn David Gilda

Gary A Van Huben

Steven R Carlough

Eldee Stephens

Luis Alfonso Lastras-Montano

Stephen J Powell

Vesselina K Papazova

Michael F Fee

Susan M Eickhoff

Jie Zheng

John Steven Dodson

Arthur J O'Neill

Kevin Charles Gower

Barry Marshall Trager

Lawrence D Curley

Warren Edward Maule

Jonathan Yang Chen

Christian Jacobi

Eric Eugene Retter

Chin-Long Chen

Judy S Johnson

Christopher J Berry

Ekaterina M Ambroladze

Brad William Michael

Timothy Gerard McNamara

Arthur J O'Neill, Jr

William Wu Shen

Adrian Eric Seigler

Luiz Carlos Alves

Mark R Hodges

Pak-kin Mak

David D Cadigan

Mu-Yue Hsiao

Alan P Wagstaff

George C Wellwood

James A O'Connor

Craig Raymond Walters

Marc Avery Gollub

Gary E Strait

Hieu Trong Huynh

Irving G Baysah

Ashutosh Mishra

William J Scarpero, Jr

Bryan L Mechtly

Mark S Farrell

Frank David Ferraiolo

James J Bonanno

Michael Andrew Blake

Adam B Collura

Christopher W Steffen

Paul Allen Ganfield

Scott Barnett Swaney

Jentje Leenstra

Tobias Webel

Michael J Cadigan, Jr

Scot H Rider

Daniel Lipetz

Luis A Lastras

Michael B Spear

Rebecca S Wisniewski

Dietmar Schmunkamp

James Charles Gregerson

Rajat Rao

Jason Andrew Thompson

William J Clarke

Gary Alan Peterson

Frank Malgioglio

Chung-Lung K Shum

Paul William Coteus

Kyu-hyoun Kim

Timothy Jay Dell

William Vincent Huott

Mary Prilotski Kusko

Robert J Sonnelitter, Iii

Kenneth Lee Wright

Donald W Plass

Timothy Carl Bronson

John D Davis

Paul Alan Bunce

Garrett M Drapala

Hubert Harrer

Barry Watson Krumm

Paul David Muench

Dean G Bair

Pradip Patel

Diana Lynn Orf

Thomas J Knips

Bodo Hoppe

Richard Frank Rizzolo

Thomas J Dewkett

Bryan J Robbins

David Allan Webber

Peter J Camporese

Benjamin Neil Trombley

Shiri Moran

Douglas G Balazich

Ra'ed Mohammad Al-Omari

Liyong Wang

Markus Cebulla

A computer system, computer readable storage medium, and computer-implemented method for dynamically degrading a link between multiple processing devices to facilitate uninterrupted service between the multiple processing devices. The method includes determining a number of undegraded lanes within the link. The method also includes determining, subject to the number of undegraded lanes, a first operational degrade mode for the link. The method further includes initiating a retrain of the link to a second operational degrade mode. The method also includes dynamically, subject to the first degrade mode of operation, determining one or more message packet types to transmit through the link during the link retrain, thereby facilitating uninterrupted service between the multiple processing devices.

Dynamic multi-lane degrade capability to facilitate uninterrupted service

Error protection analysis of an integrated circuit includes receiving a design model for the integrated circuit, and a list of error checkers associated with the design model. The design model is traversed from each of the error checkers to group storage cells of the design model into checking groups. The design model is updated to include, for each checking group, a unique group identifier associated with each of the storage cells in the checking group.

Error protection analysis of an integrated circuit

Concurrent servicing of a first cable of a cable pair while a second cable of the cable pair remains operational improves multi-processor computer system availability and serviceability. A pair of processing chips in different processing drawers may continue operation by way of the second cable while the first cable is degraded or serviced. Upon the servicing of the first cable, the serviced cable may transition to a fully operational state with no interruptions to the operations between the processing drawers by way of the second cable. Since cable faults are typically more common than processing chip or processing drawer faults, identification of cable faults and the ability to maintain operations of the processing drawers connected therewith is increasingly important.

Cable pair concurrent servicing

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented method of operating a data transmission system. The data transmission system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The computer-implemented method includes using the transmitter to send serialized data from the transmitter through a plurality of lanes to the receiver. The transmitter sends the serialized data at a first serialization ratio. The receiver is configured to receive and load the serialized data at a second deserialization ratio, wherein the first serialization ration is greater than the second deserialization ratio.

Low-latency deserializer having fine granularity and defective-lane compensation

One or more memory systems, architectural structures, and/or methods of storing information in memory devices is disclosed to improve the data bandwidth and or to reduce the load on the communications links in a memory system. The system may include one or more memory devices, one or more memory control circuits and one or more data buffer circuits. In one embodiment, the Host only transmits data (and CRC) and does not transmit control signals, over its communications link with the data buffer circuits. In one aspect, the memory control circuit does not send the store data tag to the data buffer circuits. In one embodiment, the Host and the data buffer circuits each maintain a separate state machine-driven address pointer or local address sequencer, e.g., local store tag FIFO, which contains the same tags in the same sequence. A periodic system check and resynchronization method is also disclosed.

Host synchronized autonomous data chip address sequencer for a distributed buffer memory system

A computer-implemented method includes using a transmitter to send data from the transmitter through a plurality of lanes to a receiver using a synchronous operation mode that includes sending the data from the transmitter through the plurality of lanes to the receiver in a synchronous transmission manner that relies on an alignment between a transmitter clock frequency and a receiver clock frequency. A synchronous operation performance analysis (SOPA) is performed during the synchronous operation mode. A switch from the synchronous operation mode to an asynchronous operation mode is made based on a result of performing the SOPA. The asynchronous operation mode includes sending the data from the transmitter through the plurality of lanes to the receiver without requiring alignment between the transmitter clock frequency and the receiver clock frequency.

Low-latency, high-availability and high-speed SerDes interface having multiple synchronization modes

A computer-implemented method includes fetching, by a controller, data using a plurality of memory channels of a memory system. The method further includes detecting, by the controller, that a first memory channel of the plurality of memory channels has not returned data. The method further includes marking, by the controller, the first memory channel from the plurality of memory channels as unavailable. The method further includes, in response to a fetch, reconstructing, by the controller, fetch data based on data received from all memory channels other than the first memory channel.

Low latency availability in degraded redundant array of independent memory

One or more memory systems, architectural structures, and/or methods of storing information in memory devices is disclosed to improve the data bandwidth and or to reduce the load on the communication links. The system may include one or more memory devices, one or more memory control circuits and one or more data buffer circuits. The memory system, architectural structure and/or method improves the ability of the communications links to transfer data downstream to the data buffer circuits. The memory control circuit receives a store command and a store data tag (Host tag) from a Host and sends the store data command and the store data tag to the data buffer circuits. No store data tag or control signal is sent over the communication links between the Host and the data buffer circuits, only data is sent over the communication links between the Host and the data buffer circuits.

Address/command chip controlled data chip address sequencing for a distributed memory buffer system

A computer-implemented method includes refreshing a set of memory channels in a memory system substantially simultaneously, each memory channel refreshing a rank that is distinct from each of the other ranks being refreshed. Further, the method includes marking a memory channel from the set of memory channels as being unavailable for the rank being refreshed in the memory channel. In one or more examples, the method further includes blocking a fetch command to the memory channel for the rank being refreshed in the memory channel.

Refresh-hiding memory system staggered refresh

One or more memory systems, architectural structures, and/or methods of storing information in memory devices is disclosed to improve the data bandwidth and or to reduce the load on the communications links in a memory system. The system may include one or more memory devices, one or more memory control circuits and one or more data buffer circuits. In one embodiment, the Host only transmits data over its communications link with the data buffer circuit. In one aspect, the memory control circuit does not send a control signal to the data buffer circuits. In one aspect, the memory control circuit and the data buffer circuits each maintain a separate state machine-driven address pointer or local address sequencer, which contains the same tags in the same sequence. In another aspect, a resynchronization method is disclosed.

Address/command chip synchronized autonomous data chip address sequencer for a distributed buffer memory system

Aspects of the invention include using a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) multiple-input signature register (MISR) for early warning and fail detection. Received bits are monitored at a receiver for transmission errors. The monitoring includes receiving frames of bits that are a subset of frames of bits used by the transmitter to generate a multi-frame CRC. At least one of the received frames of bits includes payload bits and a source single check bit not included in the multi-frame CRC. It is determined whether a transmission error has occurred in the received frames of bits. The determining includes generating a calculated single check bit based at least in part on bits in the received frames of bits, and comparing the received source single check bit to the calculated single check bit. An error indication is transmitted to the transmitter if they don't match.

Use of a cyclic redundancy code multiple-input shift register to provide early warning and fail detection

Embodiments of the present invention include a memory module that includes a plurality of memory devices and a memory buffer device. The memory devices are characterized as one of a high or low random bit error rate (RBER) memory device. The memory buffer device includes a read data interface to receive data read from a memory address on one of the memory devices, and common error correction logic to detect and correct error conditions in data read from both high RBER and low RBER memory devices. The memory buffer device also includes refresh rate logic configured to adjust a refresh rate based on the detected error conditions.

Common high and low random bit error correction logic

Embodiments of the present invention include a memory module that includes a plurality of memory devices and a memory buffer device. Each of the memory devices are characterized as one of a high random bit error rate (RBER) and a low RBER memory device. The memory buffer device includes a read data interface to receive data read from a memory address on one of the memory devices. The memory buffer device also includes common error correction logic to detect and correct error conditions in data read from both high RBER and low RBER memory devices. The common error correction logic includes a plurality of error correction units which provide different complexity levels of error correction and have different latencies. The error correction units include a first fast path error correction unit for isolating and correcting random symbol errors.

Growing community of inventors

Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Patrick James Meaney