Patent · US Expired

Method and system for efficient memory management in a data processing system utilizing a dual mode translation lookaside buffer

US5715420A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
12References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 10, 1995
Grant dateFeb 3, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 10, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/1027
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for efficient memory management in a data processing system which utilizes a memory management unit to translate effective addresses into real addresses within a translation lookaside buffer is disclosed. During a first mode of operation a selected number of effective address identifiers are stored in the translation lookaside buffer. In association with each virtual address identifier is a corresponding real address entry for a single memory block wherein selected virtual addresses may be translated into corresponding real addresses utilizing the translation lookaside buffer. In a second mode of operation, a selected number of virtual address identifiers are stored in a translation lookaside buffer and each virtual address identifier has a number of protection bits stored in association therewith, wherein each protection bit is indicative of a protection status for a large number of contiguous memory blocks beginning with the associated virtual address identifier, wherein memory block protection may be provided for a large number of memory blocks utilizing a fixed size translation lookaside buffer.

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