Adjusting Thread Priority to Improve Throughput between Peer-to-peer (P2P) Devices

• US 20130283285A1
• Filed: 04/23/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Zhou, Qiao, Zhao, Xueming
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

In some implementations, a processor is configured to receive a current pending packet number representing a number of packets of data that currently remain to be transferred between two devices, determine whether to adjust a priority of a thread based on the current pending packet number, a previous pending packet number, and a priority pending packet number, and adjust or maintain the priority of the thread based on determining whether to adjust the priority of the thread. The thread is to be executed by the processor to perform a transfer of the packets of data between the two devices, the previous pending packet number represents a number of packets of data that previously remained to be transferred between the two devices, and the priority pending packet number corresponds to the current priority of the thread.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a current pending packet number representing a number of packets of data that currently remain to be transferred between two devices;

determining, by the processor, whether to adjust a priority of a thread based on the current pending packet number, a previous pending packet number, and a priority pending packet number, wherein the thread is to be executed by the processor to perform a transfer of the packets of data between the two devices, the previous pending packet number represents a number of packets of data that previously remained to be transferred between the two devices, and the priority pending packet number corresponds to the current priority of the thread; and

adjusting or maintaining, by the processor, the priority of the thread based on an outcome of the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to adjust the priority of the thread comprises:

comparing the current pending packet number with the previous pending packet number;

comparing the current pending packet number with the priority pending packet number; and

determining to adjust the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the previous pending packet number, and the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the priority pending packet number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting or maintaining the priority of the thread comprises:

upgrading the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is greater than the priority pending packet number;

degrading the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is less than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is less than the priority pending packet number; and

maintaining the priority of the thread otherwise.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the two devices are peer-to-peer (P2P) devices, the priority pending packet number is a value stored in a pending packet number array at an index associated with the thread, and values stored in the pending packet number array are defined according to different configurations of one of the two P2P devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the priority of the thread comprises:

adjusting the index associated with the thread; and

setting the priority of the thread to a value stored in a thread priority array at the index associated with the thread, values stored in the thread priority array being defined according to different configurations of the one of the two P2P devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the priority of the thread comprises:

adjusting the priority of the thread based on a step representing an amount of adjustment to apply to the priority of the thread, the step being user defined.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the adjusting of the priority of the thread is consistent with a previous adjustment of the priority of the thread; and

repeating the adjusting of the priority of the thread based on the step.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a high speed interface; and

a processor coupled with the high speed interface, the processor configured to;

receive a current pending packet number representing a number of packets of data that currently remain to be transferred between two devices;

determine whether to adjust a priority of a thread based on the current pending packet number, a previous pending packet number, and a priority pending packet number, wherein the thread is to be executed by the processor to perform a transfer of the packets of data between the two devices, the previous pending packet number represents a number of packets of data that previously remained to be transferred between the two devices, and the priority pending packet number corresponds to the current priority of the thread; and

adjust or maintain the priority of the thread based on an outcome of the determination.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

compare the current pending packet number with the previous pending packet number;

compare the current pending packet number with the priority pending packet number; and

determine to adjust the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the previous pending packet number, and the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the priority pending packet number.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

upgrade the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is greater than the priority pending packet number;

degrade the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is less than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is less than the priority pending packet number; and

maintain the priority of the thread otherwise.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the two devices are peer-to-peer (P2P) devices, the priority pending packet number is a value stored in a pending packet number array at an index associated with the thread, and values stored in the pending packet number array are defined according to different configurations of one of the two P2P devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

adjust the index associated with the thread; and

set the priority of the thread to a value stored in a thread priority array at the index associated with the thread, values stored in the thread priority array being defined according to different configurations of the one of the two P2P devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

adjust the priority of the thread based on a step representing an amount of adjustment to apply to the priority of the thread, the step being user defined.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that the adjusting of the priority of the thread is consistent with a previous adjustment of the priority of the thread; and

repeat the adjusting of the priority of the thread based on the step.

15. A system, comprising:

a first device;

a second device;

a high speed interface coupling the first device with the second device; and

a processor coupled to the second device, the processor configured to;

receive a current pending packet number representing a number of packets of data that currently remain to be transferred between the first and the second devices;

determine whether to adjust a priority of a thread based on the current pending packet number, a previous pending packet number, and a priority pending packet number, wherein the thread is to be executed by the processor to perform a transfer of the packets of data between the first and the second devices, the previous pending packet number represents a number of packets of data that previously remained to be transferred between the first and the second devices, and the priority pending packet number corresponds to the current priority of the thread; and

adjust or maintain the priority of the thread based on an outcome of the determination

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to:

compare the current pending packet number with the previous pending packet number;

compare the current pending packet number with the priority pending packet number; and

determine to adjust the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the previous pending packet number, and the current pending packet number is greater than or less than the priority pending packet number.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to:

upgrade the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is greater than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is greater than the priority pending packet number;

degrade the priority of the thread when the current pending packet number is less than the previous pending packet number and the current pending packet number is less than the priority pending packet number; and

maintain the priority of the thread otherwise.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the high speed interface couples the first device with the second device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) configuration, the priority pending packet number is a value stored in a pending packet number array at an index associated with the thread, and values stored in the pending packet number array are defined according to different configurations of the second device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to:

adjust the index associated with the thread; and

set the priority of the thread to a value stored in a thread priority array at the index associated with the thread, values stored in the thread priority array being defined according to different configurations of the second device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to:

adjust the priority of the thread based on a step representing an amount of adjustment to apply to the priority of the thread, the step being user defined.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that the adjusting of the priority of the thread is consistent with a previous adjustment of the priority of the thread; and

repeat the adjusting of the priority of the thread based on the step.