Local memory with ownership that is transferrable between neighboring processors

In a multiprocessor system including a compiler, an operating system, first and second processors for executing first and second tasks, respectively, and a local memory having pages physically disposed externally of the processors,

• a method of assigning at least one page of the external local memory to at least one of the processors comprising the steps of:
• (a) determining a number of pages of the external local memory used to execute each of the first and second tasks;
• (b) assigning, initially, a common page of the local memory to the first and second processors;
• (c) assigning, initially, ownership of the common page to the first processor;
• (d) accessing the common page during execution of the first task;
• (e) giving up ownership of the common page, after completion of the first task by the first processor;
• and
• (f) granting ownership of the common page, directly to the second processor, free-of intervention from the operating system.

In a multiprocessor system including a scalable processor architecture (SPARC), and first and second processors concurrently executing a SPARC instruction set,

• a method of accessing a local memory, in which the local memory is externally located between the first and second processors, the method comprising the steps of:
• (a) assigning, by an operating system, a first task to the first processor and a second task to the second processor;
• (b) assigning, by the operating system, a first portion of the externally located local memory to the first processor, based on execution resource requirements for executing the first task;
• and
• (c) preventing, by the operating system, access by the second processor to the first portion of the externally located local memory assigned to the first processor.