DISTRIBUTED DATA HANDLING AND PROCESSING RESOURCES SYSTEM

• US 20080098059A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kinstler, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 8,261,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The distributed data handling and processing resources system of the present invention includes a) a number of data handling and processing resource nodes that collectively perform a desired data handling and processing function, each data handling and processing resource node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction; and, b) a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting the data handling and processing resource nodes. In the least, among the data handling and processing resource nodes, is a processing unit (PU) node for providing a control and data handling/processing subfunction; and, an input/output (I/O) node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction for data collection/distribution to an external environment. The present invention preferably uses the IEEE-1394b databus due to its unique and specialized low latency, shared bandwidth characteristics.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A distributed data handling and processing system comprising:

a plurality of heat sink elements;

a plurality of resource nodes collectively configured to perform a desired data handling and processing function, each of said resource nodes configured to perform one desired data handling and processing sub-function, each of said resource nodes remotely packaged such that a thermal path to one of said heat sink elements is minimized; and

a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting said plurality of resource nodes.

41. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 wherein said plurality of resource nodes comprises at least one processing unit node configured for control, data handling, and data processing sub-functions.

42. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 wherein said plurality of resource nodes comprises at least one input/output node configured for data collection and distribution with respect to an external environment.

43. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 wherein said plurality of resource nodes comprises at least one memory node configured to provide a memory subfunction.

44. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus comprises a IEEE-1394b databus.

45. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 further comprising an application programming interface (API) configured to segment messages from said databus into multiple, smaller messages for communication with an environment external to said distributed data handling and processing system.

46. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 45 wherein said API is configured to create gaps within the messages so that other messages can have timely access to said databus.

47. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 40 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus comprises a directly addressable, non-overlapping address space serving all of said resource nodes.

48. A method for reducing a total weight of a system configured to perform a given data handling and processing function, said method comprising:

dividing the system into a plurality of resource nodes collectively configured to perform the data handling and processing function, each of the resource nodes configured to perform at least one sub-function of the desired data handling and processing function;

providing a plurality of heat sink elements;

remotely packaging each of the resource nodes such that a thermal path to one of the heat sink elements is minimized for each resource node; and

interconnecting the plurality of resource nodes with a low latency, shared bandwidth databus.

49. A method according to claim 48 wherein dividing the system into a plurality of resource nodes comprises:

configuring at least one of the resource nodes as a processing node; and

configuring at least one of the resource nodes as an input/output node configured for data collection and distribution with respect to an external environment.

50. A method according to claim 49 wherein dividing the system into a plurality of resource nodes comprises configuring at least one of the resource nodes as a memory node configured to provide a memory subfunction.

51. A method according to claim 48 wherein interconnecting the plurality of resource nodes comprises interconnecting the plurality of resource nodes utilizing a IEEE-1394b databus.

52. A method according to claim 48 further comprising configuring the databus to include a directly addressable, non-overlapping address space serving all of the resource nodes.

53. A method according to claim 48 further comprising segmenting messages from the databus into multiple, smaller messages for communication with an environment external to the system

54. A method according to claim 53 wherein segmenting messages comprises creating gaps within the messages to provide timely access to the databus for other messages.

55. A distributed data handling and processing system comprising:

a plurality of heat sink elements;

at least one processing unit resource node configured for control, data handling, and data processing sub-functions;

at least one input/output resource node configured for data collection and distribution with respect to an external environment;

at least one special purpose resource node configured to perform a subsystem control function, each of said resource nodes remotely and separately packaged such that a thermal path to one of said heat sink elements is minimized; and

a databus for interconnecting said resource nodes, said databus incorporating message packet sizes to control a latency of messages between said resource nodes.

56. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 55 wherein said databus is configured such that messages between said resource nodes have a latency between about 0.5 and 10 microseconds.

57. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 55 wherein said databus comprises a IEEE-1394b databus.

58. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 55 further comprising a passive cooling interface assembly operable for connection to a passive cooling system, said resource nodes separately connectable to said passive cooling interface assembly.

59. A distributed data handling and processing system according to claim 55 wherein each said resource node comprises a separate enclosure, said separate enclosures independently connectable to one of said heat sink elements.