Memory sharing electronic circuit system and external device capable of storing data in host device
A memory sharing electronic circuit system includes an external device, a transmission interface, and a host device, and allows the external device to store data in the host device. The external device performs a storage operation after receiving input data, wherein the storage operation includes: storing the input data in a device memory of the external device under a first condition; and encapsulating the input data into a data packet with a storage request under a second condition, and transmitting the data packet to the host device via the transmission interface. The host device performs a packet storage operation after receiving the data packet, wherein the packet storage operation includes: parsing the data packet with an Ethernet engine of the host device and thereby allowing the Ethernet engine to store the input data in a host memory of the host device according to the storage request of the data packet.
1. A memory sharing electronic circuit system comprising:
a wireless network integrated circuit (wireless network IC), having a device memory with a remaining capacity, the wireless network IC configured to communicate with a wireless access point (wireless AP);
a physical transmission interface, connected to the wireless network IC; and
a host device, having a host memory, the host device connected to the physical transmission interface;
wherein:
the wireless network IC receives input data for communicating with the wireless AP; and
the wireless network IC performs storing the input data in the device memory, or, offloading the input data when the wireless IC is not ready to forward the input data, the offloading the input data including:
the wireless network IC encapsulating the input data into a data packet with a storage request, and transmitting the data packet to the host device via the physical transmission interface; and
the host device performing a packet storage operation after receiving the data packet including parsing the data packet with an Ethernet engine of the host device causing the Ethernet engine to store the input data in the host memory of the host device according to the storage request of the data packet.
2. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the data packet includes at least one of the following: an Ethernet Prefix (ETHP); an Internet Protocol (IP) header; a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/User Datagram Protocol (UDP) header; and a payload.
3. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the data packet is an Ethernet packet, the physical transmission interface is an Ethernet interface, and the Ethernet engine is configured to receive the data packet from the physical transmission interface.
4. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the physical transmission interface is not an Ethernet interface, the host device includes a central processing unit (CPU), and the CPU is configured to forward the data packet to the Ethernet engine.
5. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the Ethernet engine is an Ethernet integrated circuit (Ethernet IC) including:
a parser configured to parse the data packet; and
a memory manager configured to store the input data in the host memory according to the storage request.
6. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the host device executes a program to fulfill the Ethernet engine.
7. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the storage request includes a buffer identifier (BID); the BID is in connection with a storage space of the host memory; and the Ethernet engine parses the data packet to obtain the BID, and then stores the input data in the storage space according to the BID.
8. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 7 , wherein the Ethernet engine includes a mapping table; the mapping table indicates that the BID is in connection with the storage space; and the Ethernet engine stores the input data in the storage space according to the BID and the mapping table.
9. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless network IC includes an associative table; the associative table indicates usage states of multiple buffer identifiers (multiple BIDs); and the multiple BIDs are predetermined or assigned by the host device, and include the BID.
10. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the storage request does not include a buffer identifier (BID); and the Ethernet engine stores the input data in the host memory in a first-in first-out manner.
11. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein the storage request includes an operational command; and when the operational command is a storage command, the Ethernet engine stores the input data in the host memory according to the storage command.
12. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein:
the wireless network IC is further configured to perform a read operation, the read operation including:
encapsulating a read request into a null packet, and transmitting the null packet to the host device via the physical transmission interface; and
the host device is further configured to perform a packet read operation after receiving the null packet, the packet read operation including:
parsing the null packet with the Ethernet engine to make the Ethernet engine transmit the input data stored in the host memory to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface in accordance with the read request, or to make the Ethernet engine transmit the input data to a receiver determined by the Ethernet engine.
13. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 12 , wherein the read request includes a buffer identifier (BID); the BID is in connection with a storage space of the host memory; the Ethernet engine parses the null packet to obtain the BID; and the Ethernet engine reads out the input data of the storage space according to the BID, and transmits the input data to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface or transmits the input data to the receiver determined by the Ethernet engine.
14. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 13 , wherein the Ethernet engine transmits the input data to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface; and after transmitting the input data to the wireless network IC, the Ethernet engine transmits a notification to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface and thereby notifies the wireless network IC that the BID is free.
15. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 12 , wherein the read request does not include a buffer identifier; and the Ethernet engine transmits the input data stored in the host memory to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface in a first-in first-out manner.
16. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 12 , wherein the read request includes an operational command; and when the operational command is a read command, the Ethernet engine transmits the input data stored in the host memory to the wireless network IC via the physical transmission interface in accordance with the operational command.
17. The memory sharing electronic circuit system of claim 1 , wherein:
the wireless network IC is further configured to perform a delete operation, the delete operation including:
encapsulating a delete request into a null packet, and transmitting the null packet to the host device via the physical transmission interface; and
the host device is further configured to perform a packet delete operation after receiving the null packet, the packet delete operation including:
parsing the null packet with the Ethernet engine to make the Ethernet engine delete the input data stored in the host memory in accordance with the delete request.