Hardware-assisted memory compression management using page filter and system MMU
US9740631B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 7, 2015 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 16, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D10/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Provided are methods and systems for managing memory using a hardware-based page filter designed to distinguish between active and inactive pages (“hot” and “cold” pages, respectively) so that inactive pages can be compressed prior to the occurrence of a page fault. The methods and systems are designed to achieve, among other things, lower cost, longer battery life, and faster user response. Whereas existing approaches for memory management are based on pixel or frame buffer compression, the methods and systems provided focus on the CPU's program (e.g., generic data structure). Focusing on hardware-accelerated memory compression to offload CPU translates higher power efficiency (e.g., ASIC is approximately 100× lower power than CPU) and higher performance (e.g., ASIC is approximately 10× faster than CPU), and also allows for hardware-assisted memory management to offload OS/kernel, which significantly increases response time.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.