Data and control integrity for transactions in a computer system
View Patent ↗A computer system configured to enhance data protection. A computer system includes one or more clients, such as processing subsystems and a memory subsystem interconnected via a network. Transactions within the system may involve the separation of data and a corresponding address in both space and time. At various points in the system, operations may be performed which seek to reunite a data and corresponding address, such as a store operation. In order to further ensure the correspondence of data and an address which is to be used in an operation, clients are configured to generate and utilize an additional symbol. The symbol is generated at least in part on an address which corresponds to data. The symbol is then associated with the data and serves to represent the corresponding address. The symbol may then be utilized by various clients within the system to check an address which is proposed to be used in an operation with the data.
1. A computing system comprising:
one or more clients; and
a network interconnecting the one or more clients;
wherein a first client of said one or more clients is configured to convey data and a generated symbol via the network to a second client of the one or more clients, wherein the data corresponds to an address and the symbol is generated at least in part based upon the address; and
wherein the second client is configured to receive the data and the symbol; and
wherein subsequent to receiving said data and symbol from the first client, the second client is configured to:
retrieve a previously stored address; and
use the received symbol to verify the retrieved address corresponds to the received data.
2. The computing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the address to be used in association with said data is conveyed from the first client to the second client.
3. The computing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the symbol comprises a parity bit of the address.
4. The computing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a representation of the symbol is embedded within an error correcting code which corresponds to the data.
5. The computing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the network comprises a separate address network and data network, wherein the address network is configured to convey address packets, and the data network is configured to convey data packets and the symbol.
6. The computing system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first client comprises a processing subsystem and the second client comprises a memory controller.
7. The computing system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the data is stored in a location of a local cache of the first client, and conveying the data and symbol from the first client to the second client is performed responsive to a write back operation, and wherein the first client is configured to generate the symbol when the write back operation is performed.
8. The computing system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the data and symbol are stored in a location of a local cache of the first client.
9. The computing system as recited in claim 8 , wherein conveying the data and symbol from the first client is performed responsive to a write back operation or a copy back operation.
10. The computing system as recited in claim 8 , wherein data stored in the local cache of the first client corresponds to transaction data which was previously received by the first client from the second client.
11. A node for use in a computing system, the node comprising:
a network interface, the network interface comprising a separate address network and data network; and
a symbol processing unit;
wherein subsequent to receiving data and a symbol, the symbol having been generated based at least in part on an address which corresponds to the data, the node is configured to:
retrieve a previously stored address; and
use the received symbol to verify the retrieved address corresponds to the received data.
12. The node as recited in claim 11 , wherein the symbol comprises a parity bit of the address.
13. The node as recited in claim 11 , wherein a representation of the symbol is embedded within an error correcting code which corresponds to the data.
14. The node as recited in claim 11 , wherein the network comprises a separate address network and data network, wherein the address network is configured to convey address packets, and the data network is configured to convey data packets and the first symbol.
15. The node as recited in claim 11 , wherein the data and first symbol are stored in a location of a local cache of the node.
16. The node as recited in claim 15 , wherein the data and first symbol are conveyed by the node responsive to a write back operation or a copy back operation.
17. A method comprising:
generating a symbol based at least in part on an address;
conveying data and the symbol via a data network, wherein the data corresponds to the address;
receiving the data and the symbol; and
utilizing the symbol to determine whether the data and an address to be used in association with the data correspond to one another;
wherein subsequent to receiving said data and symbol from the first client, the method further comprises the second client:
retrieving a previously stored address which corresponds to said transaction; and
using the received symbol to verify the retrieved address corresponds to the received data.
18. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the data and symbol are stored in a location of a local cache of a first client.
19. The method as recited in claim 18 , wherein conveying the data and symbol is performed responsive to a write back operation or a copy back operation.
20. The method as recited in claim 18 , wherein data stored in the local cache of the first client corresponds to transaction data which was previously received by the first client from the second client.