Resource sharing using a locking mechanism in a multiprocessor environment
OwnerJens Kloster Andreassen, Steen Vase Kockinventors
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Abstract
A locking architecture corresponding to a plurality of processors is implemented in hardware. The architecture includes a common resource having one or more memory addresses. A locking mechanism is coupled to the processors and the common resource, where the locking mechanism selectively locks the addresses based on requests from the processors. In one embodiment, the locking mechanism includes an arbiter and a locking memory. The arbiter is coupled between the processors and the common resource, and the locking memory is coupled to the arbiter. The locking memory contains addresses that have been locked.
Claims29
A locking architecture corresponding to a plurality of processors, the architecture comprising:
- a common resource having one or more memory addresses;
- a locking mechanism coupled to the processors and the common resource, the locking mechanism to selectively lock the addresses based on read requests from the processors.
A locking mechanism comprising:
- an arbiter coupled between a plurality of processors and a common resource;
- and
- a locking memory coupled to the arbiter, the locking memory to contain addresses that have been locked.
A locking architecture corresponding to a plurality of processors, the architecture comprising:
- a random access memory (RAM) having one ore more memory addresses, the memory addresses corresponding to control blocks;
- an arbiter coupled between the processors and the RAM;
- and
- a locking memory coupled to the arbiter, the locking memory to contain addresses that have been locked, the arbiter to lock addresses by storing them in the locking memory.
A method of controlling access to a common resource, the method comprising:
- receiving a request to access the common resource, the request having a corresponding requested address;
- determining whether the requested address is stored in a locking memory;
- and
- granting access to the requested address when the requested address is not stored in the locking memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.