Abstract: Methods and apparatuses relating to a hardware memory test unit to check a section of a data storage device for a transient fault before the data is stored in and/or loaded from the section of the data storage device are described. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a hardware processor to operate on data in a section of a data storage device, and a memory test unit to check the section of the data storage device for a transient fault before the data is stored in the section of the data storage device, wherein the transient fault is to cause a machine check exception if accessed by the hardware processor.

Abstract: Mechanisms for out-of-band (OOB) management of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) bitstreams and associated methods, apparatus, systems and firmware. Under a first OOB mechanism, a management component, such as a baseband management controller (BMC) is coupled to a processor including an agent in a compute node that includes an FGPA. An FPGA bitstream file is provided to the BMC, and the agent reads the file from the BMC and streams the FPGA bitstream contents in the file to the FPGA to program it. Under second and third OOB mechanisms, a pointer to an FPGA bitstream file that identifies the location of the file that is accessible via a network or fabric is provided to the BMC or other management entity. The BMC/management entity forwards the pointer to BIOS running on the compute node or an agent on the processor. The BIOS or agent then uses the pointer to retrieve the FPGA bitstream file via the network or fabric, as applicable, and streams the FPGA bitstream to the FPGA to program it.

Abstract: Management controller solutions for processor and platform RAS and associated methods, apparatus, and software. A computing platform including a processor coupled to at least one system memory device, a platform management controller (PMC), and a plurality of Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) data sources. The PMC collects and/or receives RAS data from at least a portion of the plurality of RAS data sources using one or more out-of-band schemes and enables an operating system running on the computing platform to access the RAS data. The RAS data sources include machine specific registers and registers associated with various processor components and platform components. The RAS data includes SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) data, as well as performance and/or health data. A MMIO scheme may be implemented to enable an operating system (OS) to access RAS data stored in on-board memory on the PMC.

Abstract: Mechanisms for Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chaining and unified FPGA views to a composed system hosts and associated methods, apparatus, systems and software A rack is populated with pooled system drawers including pooled compute drawers and pooled FPGA drawers communicatively coupled via input-output (IO) cables. The FPGA resources in the pooled system drawers are enumerated, identifying a location of type of each FPGA and whether it is a chainable FPGA. Intra-drawer chaining mechanisms are identified for the chainable FPGAs in each pooled compute and pooled FPGA drawer. Inter-drawer chaining mechanism are also identified for chaining FPGAs in separate pooled system drawers. The enumerated FPGA and chaining mechanism data is aggregated to generate a unified system view of the FPGA resources and their chaining mechanisms. Based on available compute nodes and FPGAs in the unified system view, new compute nodes are composed using chained FPGAs.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing data coherency is described herein. The apparatus includes a global persistent memory. The global persistent memory is accessed using a protocol that includes input/output (I/O) semantics and memory semantics. The apparatus also includes a reflected memory region. The reflected memory region is a portion of the global persistent memory, and each node of a plurality of nodes maps the reflected memory region into a space that is not cacheable. Further, the apparatus includes a semaphore memory. The semaphore memory provides a hardware assist for enforced data coherency.

Abstract: A processor of an aspect includes a decode unit to decode a read from memory instruction. The read from memory instruction is to indicate a source memory operand and a destination storage location. The processor also includes an execution unit coupled with the decode unit. The execution unit, in response to the read from memory instruction, is to read data from the source memory operand, store an indication of defective data in an architecturally visible storage location, when the data is defective, and complete execution of the read from memory instruction without causing an exceptional condition, when the data is defective. Other processors, methods, systems, and instructions are disclosed.

Abstract: Unified hardware and software two-level memory mechanisms and associated methods, systems, and software. Data is stored on near and far memory devices, wherein an access latency for a near memory device is less than an access latency for a far memory device. The near memory devices store data in data units having addresses in a near memory virtual address space, while the far memory devices store data in data units having addresses in a far memory address space, with a portion of the data being stored on both near and far memory devices. In response to memory read access requests, a determination is made to where data corresponding to the request is located on a near memory device, and if so the data is read from the near memory device; otherwise, the data is read from a far memory device. Memory access patterns are observed, and portions of far memory that are frequently accessed are copied to near memory to reduce access latency for subsequent accesses.

Abstract: Mechanisms for disaggregated storage class memory over fabric and associated methods, apparatus, and systems. A rack is populated with pooled system drawers including pooled compute drawers and pooled storage class memory (SCM) drawers, also referred to as SCM nodes. Optionally, a pooled memory drawer may include a plurality of SCM nodes. Each SCM node provides access to multiple storage class memory devices. Compute nodes including one or more processors and local storage class memory devices are installed in the pooled compute drawers, and are enabled to be selectively-coupled to access remote storage class memory devices over a low-latency fabric. During a memory access from an initiator node (e.g., a compute node) to a target node including attached disaggregated memory (e.g., an SCM node), a fabric node identifier (ID) corresponding to the target node is identified, and an access request is forwarded to that target node over the low-latency fabric.

Abstract: A processor can be configured to access boot firmware from a remote location independent from use of a chipset. After a processor powers-on or reboots, the processor can execute microcode. The microcode will cause the processor to train a link with a remote device. The remote device can provide the processor with access to boot firmware. The processor can copy the boot firmware to the processor's cache or memory. The processor will attempt to authenticate the boot firmware. If the boot firmware is authenticated, the processor executes the copy of the boot firmware.

Abstract: A system and method are described for integrating a memory and storage hierarchy including a non-volatile memory tier within a computer system. In one embodiment, PCMS memory devices are used as one tier in the hierarchy, sometimes referred to as “far memory.” Higher performance memory devices such as DRAM placed in front of the far memory and are used to mask some of the performance limitations of the far memory. These higher performance memory devices are referred to as “near memory.

Abstract: An apparatus for coherent shared memory across multiple clusters is described herein. The apparatus includes a fabric memory controller and one or more nodes. The fabric memory controller manages access to a shared memory region of each node such that each shared memory region is accessible using load store semantics, even in response to failure of the node. The apparatus also includes a global memory, wherein each shared memory region is mapped to the global memory by the fabric memory controller.

Abstract: Unified hardware and software two-level memory mechanisms and associated methods, systems, and software. Data is stored on near and far memory devices, wherein an access latency for a near memory device is less than an access latency for a far memory device. The near memory devices store data in data units having addresses in a near memory virtual address space, while the far memory devices store data in data units having addresses in a far memory address space, with a portion of the data being stored on both near and far memory devices. In response to memory read access requests, a determination is made to where data corresponding to the request is located on a near memory device, and if so the data is read from the near memory device; otherwise, the data is read from a far memory device. Memory access patterns are observed, and portions of far memory that are frequently accessed are copied to near memory to reduce access latency for subsequent accesses.

Abstract: A processor includes an instruction decoder to receive an instruction to perform a machine check operation, the instruction having a first operand and a second operand. The processor further includes a machine check logic coupled to the instruction decoder to determine that the instruction is to determine a type of a machine check bank based on a command value stored in a first storage location indicated by the first operand, to determine a type of a machine check bank identified by a machine check bank identifier (ID) stored in a second storage location indicated by the second operand, and to store the determined type of the machine check bank in the first storage location indicated by the first operand.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for detecting and correcting data fetch errors within a processor core. For example, one embodiment of an instruction processing apparatus for detecting and recovering from data fetch errors comprises: at least one processor core having a plurality of instruction processing stages including a data fetch stage and a retirement stage; and error processing logic in communication with the processing stages to perform the operations of: detecting an error associated with data in response to a data fetch operation performed by the data fetch stage; and responsively performing one or more operations to ensure that the error does not corrupt an architectural state of the processor core within the retirement stage.

Abstract: Technologies for migrating virtual machines (VMs) includes a plurality of compute sleds and a memory sled each communicatively coupled to a resource manager server. The resource manager server is configured to identify a compute sled of a for a virtual machine instance, allocate a first set of resources of the identified compute sled for the VM instance, associate a region of memory in a memory pool of a memory sled with the compute sled, and create the VM instance on the compute sled. The resource manager server is further configured to migrate the VM instance to another compute sled, associate the region of memory in the memory pool with the other compute sled, and start-up the VM instance on the other compute sled. Other embodiments are described herein.

Abstract: Technologies for providing efficient pooling for a system that includes a hyper converged infrastructure. A sled of the system includes a network interface controller that includes a first bridge logic unit to communicatively couple to a network of bridge logic units.

Abstract: Technologies for managing configuration-free platform firmware include a compute device, which further includes a management controller. The management controller is to receive a system configuration request to access a system configuration parameter of the compute device and access the system configuration parameter in response to a receipt of the system configuration request.

Abstract: Technologies for providing local disaggregation of memory include a compute sled. The compute sled includes a compute engine having a processor. The compute engine receives a request to perform a memory access operation on data residing in a first memory (e.g., a storage class memory) of the compute sled. The compute engine determines whether the data is cached in a second memory (e.g., a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM)). The compute engine performs, in response to a determination that the data is not cached in the second memory via a transactional protocol over a serial link connecting the processor and the first memory, the requested memory access operation.

Abstract: Technologies for efficiently booting sleds in a disaggregated architecture include a sled. The sled includes a network interface controller, a set of processors, and firmware that includes an operating system. Additionally, the sled includes circuitry to perform, with multiple processors in the set of processors, a boot process. The circuitry is also to initialize the operating system present in the firmware, receive, with the network interface controller and from another sled, an assignment of a workload, and execute the assigned workload with the operating system.

Abstract: Technologies for composing a managed node based on telemetry data include communication circuitry and a compute device. The compute device is to receive resource-level telemetry data for each resource of a plurality of resources and rack-level telemetry data from each rack of a plurality of racks and a managed node composition request, which identifies at least one metric to be achieved by a managed node. In response to a receipt of the managed node composition request, the compute device is further to determine a present utilization of each resource of the plurality of resources and a present performance level of each rack of the plurality of racks, and determine a set of resources from the plurality of resources that satisfies the managed node composition request based on the resource-level and rack-level telemetry data.