System and method for performing efficient hardware context switching in an instrumentation system
US5659749A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Aug 19, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/463
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for performing more efficient hardware context switches in a computer-controlled instrumentation system including a computer system which controls a plurality of instruments. The instrumentation system includes a direct memory access transfer device which performs various data transfers between the computer system and the various instruments. The direct memory access transfer device includes different hardware contexts for different transfers, and the DMA transfer device automatically configures itself to different contexts with minimal CPU involvement. For each process or thread requiring a different DMA transfer device context, the CPU prepares the context information and stores the context in memory. The CPU then provides a request list to the DMA transfer device including interleaved context pointers and data transfer packets. When the DMA transfer device is performing transfers and needs to switch to a new context, the DMA transfer device reads the context from memory and automatically configures itself. Since, the context is stored in memory and hence readily available, the DMA transfer device does not have to interrupt the CPU to receive a new context. On…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.