Patent · US Expired

Kernel identification for space management in compressed memory systems

US6279092A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
5References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 6, 1999
Grant dateAug 21, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 6, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2212/401
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved method, system, and a computer program storage device for management of compressed main memory allocation and utilization. The present invention has features which advantageously avoid system abends or inefficient operation that would otherwise result. We identify 3 types of addresses associated with a page: a virtual address, a real address, and a physical address. The OS is responsible for converting virtual addresses to real addresses, and the memory controller is responsible for converting real addresses to the physical addresses where the compressed data are actually stored. We assume that the memory controller has the capability to store a page either compressed, or uncompressed. Depending on the characteristics of the controller, this may be done either on a per page basis via an indicator bit that is settable by the OS, or on a range of real addresses.

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