BUFFERING TECHNIQUES FOR POWER MANAGEMENT

• US 20090077401A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Jr-Shian
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Buffering techniques for power management are described. A method may comprise modifying a power state for a communications sub-system and a computing sub-system from a higher power state to a lower power state, storing packets of information in a buffer for the communications sub-system during a communications idle duration period, generating a variable receive threshold value for the buffer, and transferring the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system based on a variable receive threshold value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a power management module having a power management controller;

a managed power system to couple to the power management module, the managed power system comprising a communications sub-system and a computing sub-system, the power management controller to switch the communications sub-system and the computing sub-system to a lower power state to conserve energy, the communications sub-system having;

a transceiver;

a buffer to couple to the transceiver, the buffer to store packets of information for the transceiver during a communications idle duration period to create a computing idle duration period;

a watermark generator to couple to the buffer, the watermark generator operative to generate a variable receive threshold value; and

a buffer manager to couple to the buffer and the watermark generator, the buffer manager operative to transfer the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system based on a variable receive threshold value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the buffer manager operative to transfer the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system when a number of packets of information stored by the buffer exceeds a variable receive threshold value.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the watermark generator operative to generate the variable receive threshold value based on a receive data rate parameter, a buffer size parameter and a communications resume latency parameter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the buffer manager operative to disable the buffer to prevent the buffer from storing the packets of information when a communications idle duration parameter is lower than a communications idle duration threshold value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a buffer timer to couple to the buffer manager, the buffer timer set with a buffer unload timeout value, the buffer manager operative to transfer the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system when the buffer unload timeout value expires before a number of packets stored by the buffer exceeds the variable receive threshold value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the buffer manager operative to receive a buffer unload event signal before a number of packets stored by the buffer exceeds the variable threshold value, and transfer the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system in response to the buffer unload event signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a controller to couple to the transceiver, the buffer manager operative to send a request to adjust a communications rate for the transceiver based on a buffer size parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising controller to couple to the transceiver, the buffer manager operative to receive a power management message with an energy measurement parameter from the power management controller, and send a request to adjust a communications rate for the transceiver based on the energy measurement parameter.

9. A method, comprising:

modifying a power state for a communications sub-system and a computing sub-system from a higher power state to a lower power state;

storing packets of information in a buffer for the communications sub-system during a communications idle duration period to create a computing idle duration period;

generating a variable receive threshold value for the buffer; and

transferring the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system based on a variable receive threshold value.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising transferring the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system when a number of packets of information stored by the buffer is greater than a variable receive threshold value.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising generating the variable receive threshold value based on a receive data rate parameter, a buffer size parameter and a communications resume latency parameter.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising disabling the buffer to prevent the buffer from storing the packets of information when the communications idle duration parameter is lower than a communications idle duration threshold value.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising transferring the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system when a buffer unload timeout value expires before a number of packets stored by the buffer exceeds the variable receive threshold value.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising transferring the stored packets of information from the buffer to the computing sub-system when a buffer unload event signal is received before a number of packets stored by the buffer exceeds the variable threshold value.

15. The method of claim 9, comprising a set of computer-readable program elements operative to configure a system to implement the method of claim 9.