Large-Block Modular Addition Checksum Algorithms

TL;DR

This paper explores large-block modular addition checksum algorithms, demonstrating that increasing data block size and selecting optimal moduli can significantly enhance fault detection without increasing checksum size.

Contribution

It introduces a novel large-block checksum design with empirical modulus selection, improving fault detection performance over traditional methods.

Findings

Large-block dual-sum checksums achieve Hamming Distance 3 fault detection.

Moduli 253 and 65525 are highly effective for checksum algorithms.

Enhanced fault detection with no increase in checksum size.

Abstract

Checksum algorithms are widely employed due to their use of a simple algorithm with fast computational speed to provide a basic detection capability for corrupted data. This paper describes the benefits of adding the design parameter of increased data block size for modular addition checksums, combined with an empirical approach to modulus selection. A longer processing block size with the right modulus can provide significantly better fault detection performance with no change in the number of bytes used to store the check value. In particular, a large-block dual-sum approach provides Hamming Distance 3-class fault detection performance for many times the data word length capability of previously studied Fletcher and Adler checksums. Moduli of 253 and 65525 are identified as being particularly effective for general-purpose checksum use.