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US 10,540,275 B2Granted
Memory controller, information processing system, and memory extension area management method
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsHideaki Okubo, Kenichi Nakanishi, Yasushi Fujinami
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To secure flexibility of the memory extension area which is secured on the memory of the host computer and used by the memory controller. [Solution] A controller memory stores data corresponding to an area allocated to a memory in a memory controller configured to control the memory. An access control unit allocates a partial area of the controller memory to a host memory in a host computer and uses the areas as a memory extension area. The extension area managing unit performs management so that a size of the memory extension area in the host memory is changeable.
Claims19
A memory controller comprising:
- a host interface configured to interface with a host computer;
- a memory interface configured to interface with a memory;
- a controller memory;
- and
- a controller processing unit including
- an access control unit configured to access an area of a host memory in the host computer and use the area as a memory extension area to the memory,
- an extension area managing unit configured to perform management in which a size of the memory extension area in the host memory is changeable, and
- a parameter managing unit configured to manage one or more parameters of the memory extension area,
- wherein the controller processing unit is configured to
- control the host interface to transmit an activation notification to the host computer,
- receive a parameter query from the host computer via the host interface,
- control the host interface to transmit a query response including the one or more parameters that are managed by the parameter managing unit,
- receive an area acquisition notification from the host computer via the host interface,
- determine whether the area acquisition notification indicates a size of memory extension area that satisfies the one or more parameters that are managed by the parameter managing unit,
- responsive to determining that the area acquisition notification indicates the size of memory extension area that does satisfy the one or more parameters, control the host interface to transmit a positive acknowledgement to the host computer,
- responsive to controlling the host interface to transmit the positive acknowledgement, control the memory interface to transmit a read request to the memory, and
- responsive to controlling the memory interface to transmit the read request to the memory, control the memory interface, the controller memory, and the host interface to transfer first data from the memory to the memory extension area in the host computer.
14 more elements
An information processing system, comprising:
- a memory;
- a host computer;
- a memory controller including
- a host interface configured to interface with the host computer,
- a memory interface configured to interface with the memory,
- a controller memory, and
- a controller processing unit including
- an access control unit configured to allocate an area of a host memory in the host computer and use the area as a memory extension area to the memory,
- an extension area managing unit configured to perform management in which a size of the memory extension area in the host memory is changeable, and
- a parameter managing unit configured to manage one or more parameters of the memory extension area,
- wherein the controller processing unit is configured to
- control the host interface to transmit an activation notification to the host computer,
- receive a parameter query from the host computer via the host interface,
- control the host interface to transmit a query response including the one or more parameters that are managed by the parameter managing unit,
- receive an area acquisition notification from the host computer via the host interface,
- determine whether the area acquisition notification indicates a size of memory extension area that satisfies the one or more parameters that are managed by the parameter managing unit,
- responsive to determining that the area acquisition notification indicates the size of memory extension area that does satisfy the one or more parameters, control the host interface to transmit a positive acknowledgement to the host computer,
- responsive to transmitting the positive acknowledgement to the host computer, control the memory interface to transmit a read request to the memory, and
- responsive to transmitting the read request to the memory, control the memory interface, the controller memory, and the host interface to transfer data from the memory to the memory extension area in the host computer.
16 more elements
A memory extension area management method comprising:
- controlling, with a controller processing unit of a memory controller, a host interface to transmit an activation notification to a host computer to activate a memory extension area in a host memory of the host computer;
- receiving, with the controller processing unit, a parameter query from the host computer via the host interface;
- controlling, with the controller processing unit, the host interface to transmit a query response including one or more parameters that are managed by a parameter managing unit;
- receiving, with the controller processing unit, an area acquisition notification from the host computer via the host interface;
- determining, with the controller processing unit, whether the area acquisition notification indicates a size of memory extension area that satisfies the one or more parameters that are managed by the parameter managing unit;
- responsive to determining that the area acquisition notification indicates the size of memory extension area that does satisfy the one or more parameters, controlling, with the controller processing unit, the host interface to transmit a positive acknowledgement to the host computer;
- responsive to transmitting the positive acknowledgement to the host computer, controlling, with the controller processing unit, a memory interface to transmit a read request to a memory;
- and
- responsive to controlling the memory interface to transmit the read request to the memory, controlling, with the controller processing unit, the memory interface, a controller memory, and the host interface to transfer first data from the memory to the memory extension area,
- wherein the memory controller includes the controller processing unit, the memory interface, the controller memory, and the host interface.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.