Approach for context switching of lock-bit protected memory
US9678897B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 27, 2012 |
| Grant date | Jun 13, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/1774
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A streaming multiprocessor in a parallel processing subsystem processes atomic operations for multiple threads in a multi-threaded architecture. The streaming multiprocessor receives a request from a thread in a thread group to acquire access to a memory location in a lock-protected shared memory, and determines whether a address lock in a plurality of address locks is asserted, where the address lock is associated the memory location. If the address lock is asserted, then the streaming multiprocessor refuses the request. Otherwise, the streaming multiprocessor asserts the address lock, asserts a thread group lock in a plurality of thread group locks, where the thread group lock is associated with the thread group, and grants the request. One advantage of the disclosed techniques is that acquired locks are released when a thread is preempted. As a result, a preempted thread that has previously acquired a lock does not retain the lock indefinitely.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.