Patent · US Expired

Method and system for dynamically sharing RAM between virtual memory and disk cache

US5581736A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
6References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 18, 1994
Grant dateDec 3, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 18, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2212/311
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a computer system having a processing unit, a primary memory space (RAM) and a secondary memory space (disk), the primary memory space being allocated between a virtual memory portion and a disk cache portion, a method of dynamically adjusting the allocation of the primary memory space. The number of times that the processing unit accesses the secondary memory space in a predetermined time period is measured. Next, it is determined whether an adjustment to the allocation of the primary memory space would reduce the number of times that the secondary memory space is accessed by the processing unit. If it is determined that an adjustment to the allocation of the primary memory space would reduce the number of times that the secondary memory space is accessed by the processing unit, then the allocation of the primary memory space will be adjusted by increasing the portion allocated to either virtual memory or disk cache, and decreasing the portion allocated to the other.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.