From Block to Byte: Transforming PCIe SSDs with CXL Memory Protocol and Instruction Annotation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kwon, Miryeong, Gouk, Donghyun, Jang, Junhyeok, Baek, Jinwoo, You, Hyunwoo, Ji, Sangyoon, Jung, Hongjoo, Moon, Junseok, Kang, Seungkwan, Lee, Seungjun, Jung, Myoungsoo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Kwon, Miryeong
Gouk, Donghyun
Jang, Junhyeok
Baek, Jinwoo
You, Hyunwoo
Ji, Sangyoon
Jung, Hongjoo
Moon, Junseok
Kang, Seungkwan
Lee, Seungjun
Jung, Myoungsoo
author_facet Kwon, Miryeong
Gouk, Donghyun
Jang, Junhyeok
Baek, Jinwoo
You, Hyunwoo
Ji, Sangyoon
Jung, Hongjoo
Moon, Junseok
Kang, Seungkwan
Lee, Seungjun
Jung, Myoungsoo
contents This paper explores how Compute Express Link (CXL) can transform PCIe-based block storage into a scalable, byte-addressable working memory. We address the challenges of adapting block storage to CXL's memory-centric model by emphasizing cacheability as a key enabler and advocating for Type 3 endpoint devices, referred to as CXL-SSDs. To validate our approach, we prototype a CXL-SSD on a custom FPGA platform and propose annotation mechanisms, Determinism and Bufferability, to enhance performance while preserving data persistency. Our simulation-based evaluation demonstrates that CXL-SSD achieves 10.9x better performance than PCIe-based memory expanders and further reduces latency by 5.4x with annotation enhancements. In workloads with high locality, CXL-SSD approaches DRAM-like performance due to efficient on-chip caching. This work highlights the feasibility of integrating block storage into CXL's ecosystem and provides a foundation for future memory-storage convergence.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_15613
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle From Block to Byte: Transforming PCIe SSDs with CXL Memory Protocol and Instruction Annotation
Kwon, Miryeong
Gouk, Donghyun
Jang, Junhyeok
Baek, Jinwoo
You, Hyunwoo
Ji, Sangyoon
Jung, Hongjoo
Moon, Junseok
Kang, Seungkwan
Lee, Seungjun
Jung, Myoungsoo
Hardware Architecture
This paper explores how Compute Express Link (CXL) can transform PCIe-based block storage into a scalable, byte-addressable working memory. We address the challenges of adapting block storage to CXL's memory-centric model by emphasizing cacheability as a key enabler and advocating for Type 3 endpoint devices, referred to as CXL-SSDs. To validate our approach, we prototype a CXL-SSD on a custom FPGA platform and propose annotation mechanisms, Determinism and Bufferability, to enhance performance while preserving data persistency. Our simulation-based evaluation demonstrates that CXL-SSD achieves 10.9x better performance than PCIe-based memory expanders and further reduces latency by 5.4x with annotation enhancements. In workloads with high locality, CXL-SSD approaches DRAM-like performance due to efficient on-chip caching. This work highlights the feasibility of integrating block storage into CXL's ecosystem and provides a foundation for future memory-storage convergence.
title From Block to Byte: Transforming PCIe SSDs with CXL Memory Protocol and Instruction Annotation
topic Hardware Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.15613