|Publication number||US7403409 B2|
|Application number||US 11/735,640|
|Publication date||22 Jul 2008|
|Filing date||16 Apr 2007|
|Priority date||30 Jul 2004|
|Also published as||CN1728073A, CN100545796C, US7224595, US7529112, US7551468, US7729153, US20060023482, US20070195572, US20070288679, US20080177942, US20080183957|
|Publication number||11735640, 735640, US 7403409 B2, US 7403409B2, US-B2-7403409, US7403409 B2, US7403409B2|
|Inventors||Daniel M. Dreps, Frank D. Ferraiolo, Kevin C. Gower, Mark W. Kellogg, Roger A. Rippens|
|Original Assignee||International Business Machines Corporation|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (101), Non-Patent Citations (10), Referenced by (5), Classifications (8), Legal Events (4)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/903,371 filed Jul. 30, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The invention relates to computer memory subsystems and, more particularly, to a buffered memory module having enhanced fault tolerance.
Computer memory subsystems have evolved over the years, but continue to retain many consistent attributes. Computer memory subsystems from the early 1980's, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,194 to LeVallee et al, of common assignment herewith, included a memory controller, a memory assembly (contemporarily called a basic storage module (BSM) by the inventors) with array devices, buffers, terminators and ancillary timing and control functions, as well as several point-to-point busses to permit each memory assembly to communicate with the memory controller via its own point-to-point address and data bus.
As shown in
As new systems emerge which offer enhanced performance, improved reliability and/or reduced power consumption, customers will often replace existing systems with these new systems. To reduce total purchase cost, however, many may wish to re-use many or all of their storage devices in the new system—often in conjunction with the new storage technology of that system, in order to take advantage of the increased speed and density. At the same time, it is also desirable to be able to provide the high-speed, high-density storage capability in a reliable manner that is resistant to faults such as pin discontinuity, single points-of-failure, and other related faults, as well as supporting increased DRAM body widths therein.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a dual inline memory module (DIMM) including a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. The card includes at least 276 pins configured thereon.
Further exemplary embodiments include a dual inline memory module (DIMM), including a card having a length of about 151.35 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card. The buffer device is configured to re-drive information to one or more external memory modules in a cascaded manner, and at least one positioning key is formed on the card.
Further exemplary embodiments include a computer memory system, including a memory controller device, a first dual inline memory module (DIMM) coupled to the memory controller device through a set of at least two single-ended busses, the first DIMM including a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card. The buffer device is configured for converting a packetized memory interface. En-or code connection (ECC) logic is further included for identifying and correcting bus faults, and a set of at least two high-speed busses connects the first DIMM to at least one of the memory controller device and a second DIMM.
Additional exemplary embodiments include a computer memory system, including a dual inline memory module (DIMM) including a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. A plurality of high-speed busses are in communication with the DIMM for implementing a cascade connection to upstream and downstream devices with respect to the DIMM. The DIMM further includes a plurality of high-speed bus interface pins arranged on the card, such that for a given high-speed bus, a first portion of the high-speed bus interface pins associated therewith is located one side of the card, with respect to a midpoint of the length, and a second portion of said high-speed bus interface pins associated therewith is located on the opposite side of the card, with respect to the midpoint.
Additional exemplary embodiments include a dual inline memory module (DIMM), including a card having a length of about 151.2 to about 151.5 millimeters, a plurality of individual local memory devices attached to the card, and a buffer device attached to the card, the buffer device configured for converting a packetized memory interface. The card includes at least 276 pins configured thereon, wherein a first portion of the pins is configured to operate at a first supply voltage, and a second portion of the pins is configured to operate at a second supply voltage.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention include a flexible, high-speed and high reliability memory system architecture and interconnect structure that includes a single-ended point-to-point interconnection between any two high-speed communication interfaces. The memory subsystem may be implemented in one of several structures, depending on desired attributes such as reliability, performance, density, space, cost, component re-use and other elements. A bus-to-bus converter chip enables this flexibility through the inclusion of multiple, selectable memory interface modes. This maximizes the flexibility of the system designers in defining optimal solutions for each installation, while minimizing product development costs and maximizing economies of scale through the use of a common device. In addition, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a migration path that allows an installation to implement a mix of buffered memory modules and unbuffered and/or registered memory modules from a common buffer device.
Memory subsystems may utilize a buffer device to support buffered memory modules (directly connected to a memory controller via a packetized, multi-transfer interface with enhanced reliability features) and/or existing unbuffered or registered memory modules (in conjunction with the identical buffer device, on an equivalent but, programmed to operate in a manner consistent with the memory interface defined for those module types). A memory subsystem may communicate with buffered memory modules at one speed and with unbuffered and registered memory modules at another speed (typically a slower speed). Many attributes associated with the buffered module structure are maintained, including the enhanced high-speed bus error detection and connection features and the memory cascade function. However, overall performance may be reduced when communicating with most registered and unbuffered DIMMs due to the net topologies and loadings associated with them.
Although point-to-point interconnects permit higher data rates, overall memory subsystem efficiency must be achieved by maintaining a reasonable number of memory modules 806 and memory devices per channel (historically four memory modules with four to thirty-six chips per memory module, but as high as eight memory modules per channel and as few as one memory module per channel). Using a point-to-point bus necessitates a bus re-drive function on each memory module, to permit memory modules to be cascaded such that each memory module is interconnected to other memory modules as well as to the memory controller 802.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes two uni-directional busses between the memory controller 802 and memory module 806 a (“DIMM #1”) as well as between each successive memory module 806 b-d (“DIMM #2”, “DIMM #3” and “DIMM #4”) in the cascaded memory structure. The downstream memory bus 904 is comprised of twenty-two single-ended signals and a differential clock pair. The downstream memory bus 904 is used to transfer address, control, data and error code correction (ECC) bits downstream from the memory controller 802, over several clock cycles, to one or more of the memory modules 806 installed on the cascaded memory channel. The upstream memory bus 902 is comprised of twenty-three single-ended signals and a differential clock pair, and is used to transfer bus-level data and ECC bits upstream from the sourcing memory module 806 to the memory controller 802. Using this memory structure, and a four to one data rate multiplier between the DRAM data rate (e.g., 400 to 800 Mb/s per pin) and the unidirectional memory bus data rate (e.g., 1.6 to 3.2 Gb/s per pin), the memory controller 802 signal pincount, per memory channel, is reduced from approximately one hundred and twenty pins to about fifty pins.
The DRAM package outline is a combination of a tall/narrow (i.e., rectangular) DRAM package and a short/wide (i.e., squarish) DRAM package. Thus configured, a single card design may accommodate either “tall” or “wide” DRAM device/package combinations, consistent with historical and projected device trends. Moreover, the buffer device 1002 is rectangular in shape, thereby permitting a minimum distance between high-speed package interconnects and the DIMM tab pins, as well as reducing the distance the high-speed signals must travel under the package to reach an available high-speed pin, when an optimal ground referencing structure is used.
As is also shown in
In addition to inputting the original or re-ordered signals to the bus sparing logic 1136, the bus sparing logic 1126 also inputs the original or re-ordered signals into a downstream bus ECC functional block 1120 to perform error detection and correction for the frame. The downstream bus ECC functional block 1120 operates on any information received or passed through the multi-mode buffer device 1002 from the downstream memory bus 904 to determine if a bus error is present. The downstream bus ECC functional block 1120 analyzes the bus signals to determine if it they are valid. Next, the downstream bus ECC functional block 1120 transfers the corrected signals to a command state machine 1114. The command state machine 1114 inputs the error flags associated with command decodes or conflicts to a pervasive and miscellaneous functional block 1110. The downstream and upstream modules also present error flags and/or error data (if any) to the pervasive and miscellaneous functional block 1110 to enable reporting of these errors to the memory controller, processor, service processor or other error management unit.
The command state machine 1114 also determines if the corrected signals (including data, command and address signals) are directed to and should be processed by the memory module 806. If the collected signals are directed to the memory module 806, then the command state machine 1114 determines what actions to talk and may initiate DRAM action, write buffer actions, read buffer actions or a combination thereof. Depending on the type of memory module 806 (buffered, unbuffered, registered), the command state machine 1114 selects the appropriate drive characteristics, timings and timing relationships. The write data buffers 1112 transmit the data signals to a memory data interface 1106 and the command state machine 1114 transmits the associated addresses and command signals to a memory command interface 1108, consistent with the DRAM specification. The memory data interface 1106 reads from and writes memory data 1142 to a memory device.
Data signals to be transmitted to the memory controller 802 may be temporarily stored in the read data buffers 1116 after a command, such as a read command, has been executed by the memory module 806, consistent with the memory device ‘read’ timings. The read data buffers 1116 transfer the read data into an upstream bus ECC functional block 1122. The upstream bus ECC functional block 1122 generates check bits for the signals in the read data buffers 1116. The check bits and signals from the read data buffers 1116 are input to the upstream data multiplexing functional block 1132. The upstream data multiplexing functional block 1132 merges the data on to the upstream memory bus 902 via the bus sparing logic 1138 and the driver functional block 1130. If needed, the bus sparing logic 1138 may re-direct the signals to account for a defective segment between the current memory module 806 and the upstream receiving module (or memory controller). The driver functional block 1130 transmits the original or re-ordered signals, via the upstream memory bus 902, to the next memory assembly (i.e., memory module 806) or memory controller 802 in the chain. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bus sparing logic 1138 is implemented using a multiplexor to shift the signals. The driver functional block 1130 provides macros and support logic for the upstream memory bus 902 and, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, includes support for a twenty-three bit, high-speed, low latency cascade driver bus.
Data, clock and ECC signals from the upstream memory bus 902 are also received by any upstream multi-mode buffer device 1002 in any upstream memory module 806. These signals need to be passed upstream to the next memory module 806 or to the memory controller 802. Referring to
In addition to passing the data and ECC signals to the upstream data multiplexing functional block 1132, the bus sparing functional block 1140 also inputs the original or re-ordered data and ECC signals to the upstream bus ECC functional block 1122 to perform error detection and correction for the frame. The upstream bus ECC functional block 1122 operates on any information received or passed through the multi-mode buffer device 1002 from the upstream memory bus 902 to determine if a bus error is present. The upstream bus ECC functional block 1122 analyzes the data and ECC signals to determine if they are valid. Next, the upstream bus ECC functional block 1122 transfers any error flags and/or error data to the pervasive and miscellaneous functional block 1110 for transmission to the memory controller 802. In addition, once a pre-defined threshold for the number or type of failures has been reached, the pervasive and miscellaneous functional block 1110, generally in response to direction of the memory controller 802, may substitute the spare segment for a failing segment.
The block diagram in
As indicated in
The terms “net topology” in
In an exemplary embodiment, each of the redundant pins is located behind the respective primary function pin for which it is redundant. For example, redundant service pins serv_ifc(1)_r and serv_ifc(2)_r (pins 142, 143) are located directly behind service pins serv_ifc(1) and serv_ifc(2) (pins 4, 5), respectively. In this manner, the DIMM is resistant to single point-of-fail memory outage (e.g., such as if the DIMM were warped or tilted toward one side or the other).
Among the various functions included within the 276-pin layout are a pair of continuity pins (1, 138) and scope trigger pins (3, 141). As will be appreciated from an inspection of the pin assignment table in
As will also be noted from
As described above, the embodiments of the invention may be embodied in the form of computer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes. Embodiments of the invention may also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiling or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.
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|US8639874||22 Dec 2008||28 Jan 2014||International Business Machines Corporation||Power management of a spare DRAM on a buffered DIMM by issuing a power on/off command to the DRAM device|
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|US20100162020 *||22 Dec 2008||24 Jun 2010||International Business Machines Corporation||Power Management of a Spare DRAM on a Buffered DIMM by Issuing a Power On/Off Command to the DRAM Device|
|US20100162037 *||22 Dec 2008||24 Jun 2010||International Business Machines Corporation||Memory System having Spare Memory Devices Attached to a Local Interface Bus|
|U.S. Classification||365/63, 365/52, 365/51, 361/728|
|International Classification||G11C5/02, G11C5/06|
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