TWI465922B - Apparatus, system and method for data flow analysis and management of interface apapratuses - Google Patents

Description

Data flow analysis management device, system and method for interface device

The present invention relates to a management device, system and method for an interface device, and more particularly to a data flow analysis management device, system and method for an interface device using a lightning interface.

With the advancement of technology, the functions of computers tend to be diversified, and various peripheral devices are constantly being introduced. In order to facilitate the user to improve the computer performance or expand the computer function, the computer's motherboard is usually equipped with Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), and PCI Express (PCI Express, PCI-E) bus slots for users to insert expansion cards such as video cards, sound cards, and network cards. In addition, the computer will also be equipped with expansion interfaces such as Firewire and Universal Serial Bus (USB) for users to connect external devices such as hard disks and printers.

Recently, Intel Corporation of the United States introduced a new Thunderbolt interface that integrates both PCI-E and DisplayPort technologies to simultaneously transmit data and video streams over the same cable. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of data transmission of a lightning interface according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the lightning transmission technology provides two channels 122 and 124 as the PCI-E and the display port in the same cable 12 to respectively transmit data and video streams. By controlling the lightning controllers 14, 16 disposed at both ends of the cable 12, the transmission of each channel in both directions can reach a transmission amount of 10 gigabytes per second (GigaByte, GB), Data can be transferred back and forth between the computer and peripheral devices. The bandwidth provided by lightning transmission technology can also be cascaded in multiple Daisy-chains for multiple high-speed devices without the need for a hub or switch.

For example, FIG. 2 is a daisy-chain serial connection architecture of a conventional lightning interface. Referring to FIG. 2, in order to implement the Daisy-chain serial connection mode, the host 22 as the master terminal needs to be configured with a lightning interface 222 and a lightning controller 224 supporting dual channel transmission, and the subsequent tandem lightning The interface devices 24, 26, 28 all need to have more than two lightning interface 埠242, 244, 262, 264, 282, 284. Among them, since each lightning interface has two channels, a lightning controller 246, 266, 286 supporting four channels needs to be disposed in the lightning interface devices 24, 26, and 28, and the device is also added between the invisible devices. Cost of production.

However, the two channels of the lightning interface are only used to transmit data and video streams, and channel aggregation is not supported, which limits transmission performance. When the user-connected lightning device does not include the display related device, the channel for transmitting the video stream will be idle, and the high-cost configuration of the lightning interface and the lightning controller can only provide half of the transmission performance. Waste of resources. In addition, the daisy chain serial connection structure does not have fault tolerance function. Once an abnormality or failure occurs in a lightning device, the lightning device connected in series will not be connected and will not work. In severe cases, it may even cause The result of missing data.

In view of this, the present invention provides a data flow analysis management device, system and method for an interface device, which can balance data traffic in two channels of a lightning interface according to the characteristics of the serial interface device.

The invention provides a data flow analysis management system of an interface device, which comprises a host and at least one interface device. The host has a first controller and a first interface, wherein the first controller provides data transmission of the first channel and the second channel through the first interface. Each interface device includes a second controller, a switch, a second interface, and a third interface. The second interface is connected to the first interface 埠 to receive the data of the first channel and the second channel, and the data of the first channel and the second channel are split and transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The second controller is configured on the first transmission path for processing the data transmitted via the first transmission path. The switch is connected to the first transmission path and the second transmission path respectively, and is configured to switch the data of the first channel and the second channel transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal sent by the first controller. . The third interface is connected to the switch for outputting the data of the switched first channel and the second channel.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the interface devices further includes a third controller disposed on the second transmission path for processing data transmitted via the second transmission path.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the interface devices further uses a third interface to serially connect the second interface of the other interface device to output the data of the switched first channel and the second channel through the third interface To another interface device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first controller includes a detection module, an analysis module, and a management module. The detection module is configured to detect the interface device serially connected to the first interface, and obtain device information of each interface device. The analysis module is configured to analyze the device information of each interface device, and uses a traffic management policy to determine the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel in the interface device. The management module sends a control signal to each interface device according to the determined transmission path to control the switch to switch the data of the first channel and the second channel transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

The invention provides a data flow analysis management method for an interface device, which is suitable for a host connected by a daisy chain method and at least one interface device, wherein the host system provides data transmission of the first channel and the second channel, and switches the first channel And the transmission path of the data of the second channel in the interface device. The method first detects the serially connected interface device and obtains the device information of each interface device. Then, the device information of each interface device is analyzed, and the traffic management strategy is used to determine the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel in the interface device. Finally, according to the determined transmission path, the control signal is sent to each interface device to control the switching path of the data of the first channel and the second channel by the switch in each interface device.

The invention provides a data flow analysis management device of an interface device, which comprises an interface and a controller. The interface is used to connect at least one interface device, and the controller is configured to provide data of the first channel and the second channel. The controller includes a detection module, an analysis module and a management module. The detection module is configured to detect the serially connected interface device and obtain device information of each interface device. The analysis module is used to analyze the device information of each interface device, and uses a traffic management strategy to determine the transmission path of the provided first channel and the second channel data in the interface device. The management module is configured to send a control signal to each interface device according to the determined transmission path, so as to control the switch to switch the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel.

In an embodiment of the invention, the traffic management policy includes a load balancing policy, a data fault tolerance policy, or a traffic optimization policy for a specific interface device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the device information includes a bandwidth requirement of each interface device, a data backup requirement, and a priority order of processing data.

In an embodiment of the invention, the controller, the first controller, the second controller, and the third controller are lightning controllers that support dual channel data transmission.

In an embodiment of the invention, the interface device includes a graphics processing device, a display device, a sound device, a storage device, a network connection device, or a burning device that transmits data by using a lightning interface.

Based on the above, the data traffic analysis management device, system and method of the interface device of the present invention divides two channels of data entering the interface device into two transmission paths, and switches by using a switch, which can be connected by the host according to the connection. The characteristics of each interface device dynamically adjust the load balance of the data flow of the transmission data of the two channels and support the data fault tolerance function.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

The invention utilizes the high transmission bandwidth of the lightning interface and the daisy chain serial connection characteristic, and uses two data transmission channels of the lightning interface to transmit data, and dynamically switches two according to the characteristics of each interface device connected through the lightning interface. The data transmission channel's data transmission path in the interface device, thereby achieving load balancing of data traffic and supporting data fault tolerance.

3(a) and 3(b) are block diagrams of interface devices according to an embodiment of the invention, respectively. Referring to FIG. 3( a ), the interface device 32 of the present embodiment is, for example, a graphics processing device (including a graphics processing unit (GPU)) that uses a lightning interface to transmit data, a display device, a sound effect device, a storage device, and a network connection device. The programming device or other peripheral device includes a first interface 321 and a controller 322, a switch 323, and a second interface 324. The functions of these components are as follows:

The first interface 321 is connected to the output interface of the host device (not shown) or another interface device (not shown) for receiving the data of the first channel and the second channel, and the first channel and the first channel and The data splitting of the second channel is transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The first channel and the second channel are, for example, two data transmission channels of a lightning interface.

The controller 322 is configured on the first transmission path for processing the data transmitted via the first transmission path. Wherein, the controller 322 further includes a device body connected to the interface device 32 such that the device body can receive and process the data of the first channel via the first transmission path. The main body of the device is a hardware portion of the device such as the graphic processing device, the display device, the sound effect device, the storage device, the network connection device, and the burning device.

The switch 323 is connected to the first transmission path and the second transmission path respectively, and can switch the first channel and the second channel transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal sent by the serially connected host. data. The control signal is, for example, captured by the controller 322 from the first transmission path, thereby inputting the control contact of the switch 323, thereby controlling the switch 323 to switch the data transmitted on the transmission path.

For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a switch according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the switch 40 of the present embodiment is, for example, a high-speed switch commonly used in the router market, and includes a control contact E and four data contacts A, B, C, and D, and contacts A and B. The first transmission path and the second transmission path are respectively connected. The standard switching mode of the switch 40 is that when the control signal received by the control contact E is logic 0, the contact A is connected to the contact C, and the contact B is connected to the contact D, which means that the original is in the first The data of the first channel and the second channel transmitted on a transmission path and the second transmission path remain unchanged; when the control signal received by the control contact E is logic 1, the contact A is connected to the contact D, The contact B is connected to the contact C, which means that the data of the first channel and the second channel originally transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path have been reversed by the switching of the switch 40.

The second interface 324 is connected to the switch 323 for outputting data of the first channel and the second channel switched via the switch 323. The second interface 324 is further configured to serially connect the first interface 另一个 of the other interface device (not shown), so that the interface device 32 can switch the first channel and the second channel via the switch 323 through the second interface 324 The data is output to another interface device.

Only one controller 322 supporting the dual channel data transmission of the lightning interface is disposed in the interface device 32, and the data of one channel received by the first interface 321 is processed, and the data of the other channel is bypassed. The interface device 32 is provided to another interface device that is serially connected for processing. In this way, not only can the transmission efficiency of the two channels be effectively utilized, but also the system can be provided with fault tolerance.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3(b), the interface device 34 is also a graphic processing device, a display device, a sound effect device, a storage device, a network connection device, a burning device or other peripheral devices that use a lightning interface to transmit data. The first interface 埠341, the first controller 342, the second controller 343, the switch 344, and the second interface 345 are included. The function of the first interface 埠341, the first controller 342 switch 344 and the second interface 345, and the first interface 321 in the interface device 32, the first controller 322 switch 323 and the second interface埠324 is the same or similar, so the details thereof will not be repeated here.

Different from the interface device 32, the interface device 34 additionally configures the second controller 343 on the second transmission interface to process the data transmitted via the second transmission path. Wherein, the second controller 343 further includes a device body connected to the interface device 34 such that the device body can receive and process the data of the second channel via the second transmission path. The main body of the device is a hardware portion of the device such as the graphic processing device, the display device, the sound effect device, the storage device, the network connection device, and the burning device.

With the above architecture, two different functional device bodies can be configured in the same interface device, and the first channel originally transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path can be switched by the switching of the switch 40. And the data of the second channel is reversed.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data flow analysis management system of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the traffic analysis management system 50 of the present embodiment includes a host 51 and interface devices 52, 53, 54, and 55 connected in a daisy-chain manner using a lightning interface. The functions are as follows:

The host computer 51 is, for example, a terminal device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or a workstation, and includes a processor and various input/output interfaces, and can connect peripheral devices and process programs executed by the user. The host 51 also includes a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk, and can store programs or other materials executed by the processor. It should be noted that the host 51 further has a controller 511 and an interface 512, and the controller 511 can provide the data of the first channel and the second channel through the interface 512. The controller 511 is, for example, a lightning controller that supports dual channel data transmission of the lightning interface, and provides a dual channel data transmission function through the interface 512, including a quick peripheral component connection (PCI-E) interface and/or display.埠 (DisplayPort, DP) information.

The interface device 52, 53, 54, 55 is, for example, the architecture of the interposer device 34 of the above embodiment, which includes two interface ports, two controllers and a switch. The detailed functions of the interface device are disclosed in the foregoing embodiments. I will not repeat them here.

It should be noted that the host 51 can be used as the data traffic analysis management device of the interface devices 52, 53, 54, and 55. The controller 511 detects the type and number of interface devices 52, 53, 54, 55 connected after the interface 512, and sends a control signal according to the characteristics of each interface device 52, 53, 54, 55 to control The switch switches the data transmission path of the first channel and the second channel to achieve load balancing of the data traffic.

In more detail, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a data flow analysis management apparatus of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a data flow analysis management method of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 simultaneously, the traffic analysis management device 60 of the present embodiment includes an interface 61 and a controller 62. The interface 埠 61 is used for serial interface devices (not shown), and the controller 62 is configured to provide data of the first channel and the second channel, including the detection module 621, the analysis module 622, and the management module. Group 623. The detailed steps of the flow analysis management method of the present embodiment will be described below in conjunction with the components of the flow analysis management device 60 of FIG.

First, the detection module 621 detects the interface device serially connected to the traffic analysis management device 60, and obtains the device information of each interface device (step S702). The device information includes bandwidth requirements of each interface device, data backup requirements, or priority order of processing data, and is not limited herein.

Next, the analysis module 622 analyzes the device information of the interface devices, and uses a traffic management policy to determine the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel provided by the controller 62 in the interface device (step S704). . The traffic management policy includes a load balancing policy, a data fault tolerance policy, or a traffic optimization policy for a specific interface device, and is not limited herein.

Then, the management module 623 sends a control signal to each interface device according to the transmission path determined by the analysis module 622 to control the switch between the data of the first channel and the second channel by the switch (step S706).

For example, FIG. 8 is an example of a data flow analysis management system of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the data traffic analysis management system 80 of the present embodiment includes a data traffic analysis management device 81 and interface devices 82, 83, 84, and 85 that are connected in series by a lightning interface of a lightning interface. The data traffic analysis management device 81 is configured to provide the data transmission function of the first channel and the second channel by the controller 811 through the lightning interface.

The interface device 82 divides the data of the first channel and the second channel into the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and the controller 821 is disposed on the first transmission path, so that the graphic processing unit connected to the controller 821 The (Graphic Processing Unit, GPU) 823 can process the data of the first channel. The switch 822 can switch the data transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal output by the controller 811.

The interface device 83 distributes the data of the first channel and the second channel to the first and second transmission paths, and the controllers 831 and 832 are respectively disposed on the first and second transmission paths, so that the controller 831 is connected. The data in the hard disk 834 can be accessed by the device on the first channel, and the data in the hard disk 835 to which the controller 832 is connected can provide access to the device on the second channel. The switch 833 switches the data transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal output from the controller 811.

The hard disks 834, 835 can be used as two disks in a disk array (RAID), for example, as RAID 0 and RAID 1, and can be used to back up important data in the data traffic analysis management device 81. The data traffic analysis management device 81 transmits the backup data to the hard disks 834 and 835 through the first channel and the second channel, respectively, and the backup data can be stored on the hard disks 834 and 835, respectively. Thereby, even if any one of the hard disks 834, 835 is abnormal or malfunctions, the other device retains the backup data, thereby achieving the data fault tolerance function.

The interface device 84 distributes the data of the first channel and the second channel to the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and the controller 841 is disposed on the first transmission path, so that the optical disk drive connected to the controller 841 can be The device on the first channel is provided for reading and writing of the optical disc. The switch 842 can switch the data transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal output by the controller 811.

The interface device 85 distributes the data of the first channel and the second channel to the first and second transmission paths, and the controllers 851 and 852 are respectively disposed on the first and second transmission paths, so that the controller 851 is connected. The network card 854 can provide a device on the first channel to connect to the local area network or the Internet to access the network data, and the sound card 855 connected to the controller 852 performs sound processing on the data on the second channel. The switch 853 switches the data transmitted on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the control signal output from the controller 811.

It should be noted that the data traffic analysis management device 81 is controlled by a controller. For example, when the interface devices 82, 83, 84, and 85 are connected in series, that is, the device information of each of the interface devices 82, 83, 84, and 85 is obtained through the first channel and the second channel, and the first information is determined. The transmission path of the channel and the second channel data in the respective interface devices 82, 83, 84, 85. For example, the controller 811 determines that the data traffic of the GPU 823 and the network card 854 is large, and needs to occupy a large transmission bandwidth. Therefore, a load balancing policy is adopted to separate the transmission paths of the two devices. Since the GPU 823 has the greatest demand for the transmission bandwidth, the controller 811 adopts a traffic optimization strategy for the GPU 823, for example, and the control switch 833 switches the transmission path where the GPU 823 is located to avoid the optical disk drive 843. As shown by the thick arrows in FIG. 8, the controller 811 includes only the GPU 823, the hard disk 835, and the sound card 855 on the transmission path planned by the GPU 823, thereby allowing the GPU 823 to obtain the maximum transmission bandwidth. Optimize transmission performance.

In summary, the data flow analysis management device, system and method of the interface device of the present invention analyze and analyze the characteristics of the interface device connected in series by the host, and thereby allocate and switch the data transmission paths of the two channels of the lightning interface. Achieve load balancing, data fault tolerance, and traffic optimization for data traffic.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

12. . . Cable

122, 124. . . aisle

14, 16, 222, 242, 262, 282. . . Lightning controller

22, 51. . . Host

24, 26, 28. . . Lightning interface device

224, 244, 246, 264, 266, 284, 286. . . Lightning interface埠

32, 34, 52, 53, 54, 55, 82, 83, 84, 85. . . Interface device

321, 341. . . First interface埠

322, 511, 62, 811, 821, 831, 832, 841, 851, 852. . . Controller

323, 344, 822, 833, 842, 853, 40. . . Switcher

324, 345. . . Second interface埠

342. . . First controller

343. . . Second controller

50, 80. . . Traffic analysis management system

512, 61. . . Interface埠

60, 81. . . Traffic analysis management device

621. . . Detection module

622. . . Analysis module

623. . . Management module

823. . . GPU

834, 835. . . Hard disk

843. . . CD player

854. . . Network card

855. . . Sound Card

A, B, C, D. . . Data contact

E. . . Control contact

S702~S706. . . The steps of the data flow analysis management method of the interface device of the invention

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of data transmission of a lightning interface according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a daisy-chain serial connection architecture of a conventional lightning interface.

3(a) and 3(b) are block diagrams of interface devices according to an embodiment of the invention, respectively.

4 is a schematic diagram of a switch according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data flow analysis management system of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a data flow analysis management apparatus of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a data flow analysis management method of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a data flow analysis management system of an interface device according to an embodiment of the invention.

50. . . Traffic analysis management system

51. . . Host

52, 53, 54, 55. . . Interface device

511. . . Controller

512. . . Interface埠

Claims (17)

A data flow analysis management system of an interface device includes: a host having a first controller and a first interface, wherein the first controller provides a first channel and a second channel through the first interface And at least one interface device, each of the at least one interface device includes: a second interface port, the first interface port is connected in series to receive data of the first channel and the second channel, and the first channel is shunted and The data of the second channel is transmitted on a first transmission path and a second transmission path; a second controller is disposed on the first transmission path to process data transmitted via the first transmission path; a switch Connecting the first transmission path and the second transmission path respectively, and switching the first channel and the first transmission on the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to a control signal sent by the first controller Two channels of data; and a third interface, connecting the switch, and outputting the data of the first channel and the second channel after switching. The data traffic analysis management system of the interface device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one interface device further comprises: a third controller disposed on the second transmission path, and processing is performed via the second transmission The data transmitted by the path. The data flow analysis management system of the interface device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one interface device further uses the third interface to connect the second interface of the other interface device to transmit the third interface Jie The data of the first channel and the second channel after the switching is outputted to the other interface device. The data flow analysis management system of the interface device of claim 3, wherein the first controller comprises: a detection module, detecting the at least one interface device serially connected to the first interface And obtaining information about the device of each of the at least one interface device; analyzing the device information of each of the at least one interface device, and determining a data of the first channel and the second channel by using a traffic management policy a transmission path in each of the at least one interface device; and a management module, configured to send the control signal to each of the at least one interface device according to the determined transmission path, to control the switch to switch between the first transmission path and the The data of the first channel and the second channel transmitted on the second transmission path. The data traffic analysis management system of the interface device of claim 4, wherein the traffic management policy comprises a load balancing strategy, a data fault tolerance policy, or a specific interface device. Traffic optimization strategy. The data traffic analysis management system of the interface device of claim 4, wherein the device information includes a bandwidth requirement of each of the at least one interface device, a data backup requirement, and a priority order of processing data. The data traffic analysis management system of the interface device of claim 1, wherein the first controller, the second controller, and the third controller are lightning controllers that support dual channel data transmission. The data traffic analysis management system of the interface device of claim 1, wherein the at least one interface device comprises a graphics processing device, a display device, a sound device, a storage device, a network connection device, or a lightning transmission device. Burning device. The data flow analysis management method of the interface device is applicable to a host and at least one interface device connected in a daisy chain manner, wherein the host provides data transmission of a first channel and a second channel, and switches the first And a path of the channel and the second channel in the at least one interface device, the method comprising the steps of: detecting the at least one interface device connected in series, and obtaining a device of each of the at least one interface device Information; analyzing the device information of each of the at least one interface device, using a traffic management policy to determine the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel in the at least one interface device; and determining the transmission according to the The path sends a control signal to each of the at least one interface device to control a switch of each of the at least one interface device to switch the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel. The data traffic analysis management method of the interface device according to claim 9, wherein the traffic management policy comprises a load balancing policy, a data fault tolerance policy or a traffic optimization policy for a specific interface device. The data flow analysis management method of the interface device according to claim 9, wherein the device information includes a bandwidth requirement of each of the at least one interface device, a data backup requirement, and a priority of processing data. sequence. The method for managing data traffic analysis of an interface device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one interface device comprises a graphics processing device, a display device, a sound device, a storage device, a network connection device, or a lightning transmission device. Burning device. The data flow analysis management device of the interface device includes: an interface 串 connected in series with at least one interface device; and a controller coupled to the interface 埠, through which the first channel and the second channel are provided The method includes: a detecting module, detecting the at least one interface device connected in series, and obtaining device information of each of the at least one interface device; and an analyzing module, analyzing the device of each of the at least one interface device Information, and using a traffic management policy to determine a transmission path of the first channel and the second channel provided in the at least one interface device; and a management module to send according to the determined transmission path The control signal is sent to each of the at least one interface device to control a switch of each of the at least one interface device to switch the transmission path of the data of the first channel and the second channel. The data traffic analysis management device of the interface device of claim 13, wherein the traffic management policy comprises a load balancing policy, a data fault tolerance policy or a traffic optimization policy for a specific interface device. Information on the interface device as described in claim 13 The traffic analysis management device, wherein the device information includes a bandwidth requirement of each of the at least one interface device, a data backup requirement, and a priority order of processing data. The data flow analysis management device of the interface device according to claim 13, wherein the controller is a lightning controller that supports dual channel data transmission. The data flow analysis management device of the interface device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one interface device comprises a graphic processing device, a display device, a sound effect device, a storage device, a network connection device, or a lightning connection device. Burning device.