Using a memory controller to mange access to a memory based on a memory initialization state indicator
AssigneeHewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
InventorsAmro J. Awad, Pratyusa K. Manadhata, William G. Horne
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Abstract
A technique includes receiving, in a memory controller, a request to read data that is stored in the region of memory. The technique includes using the memory controller to manage access to the memory based on an initialization state indicator for the region of memory. Managing the access includes determining whether the region of memory is associated with the initialized state based on the indicator; and based at least in part on the determination, selectively bypassing accessing the memory and using the memory controller to provide data having a provide a predetermined data pattern.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- receiving, in a memory controller, a request to read data stored in a given subregion of a plurality of subregions of a memory;
- using the memory controller to manage access to the memory based on an initialization state indicator for the given subregion of memory, wherein managing access comprises:
- determining whether the given subregion of memory is associated with an initialization state based on the initialization state indicator;
- and
- based at least in part on the determination, selectively bypassing accessing the memory and using the memory controller to provide data having a predetermined data pattern;
- using the memory controller to maintain a table containing entries, wherein each entry of the entries is associated with a subregion of the plurality of subregions and represents that the associated subregion is associated with the initialization state;
- and
- selectively updating the table to represent that the given subregion is associated with the initialization state in response to an address of the given subregion being communicated to the memory controller.
An apparatus comprising:
- a tracking table to store data representing locations of a memory associated with an initialized data pattern entries, wherein each entry of the entries is associated with a location of a plurality of locations of a memory and represents that the associated location is associated with an initialized data pattern;
- and
- a controller to:
- receive a request to access the memory, the request to access the memory targeting a given location of the plurality of locations of the memory;
- in response to the request, selectively provide signals to a memory bus to access the memory, based at least in part on the data stored in the tracking table;
- and
- selectively update the tracking table to represent that the given location is associated with the initialized data pattern an initialization state in response to an address of the given location being communicated to a memory controller.
A system comprising:
- a memory comprising a plurality of pages and first pages of the plurality of pages being associated with zero fill page requests;
- a processor to provide a request to read data from the memory, the request being associated with a given page of the first pages;
- and
- a memory controller to:
- access a table storing entries, wherein each first page comprises a plurality of cache line regions, and each entry of the table is associated with a first page of the first pages and represents states of the cache line regions of the associated first page;
- manage the request to read data from the memory based at least in part on the entry associated with the given page;
- and
- selectively update the table to represent that a given page of the plurality of pages to represent that the given page is associated with an initialization state in response to an address of the given page being communicated to the memory controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.