Method and apparatus for shared resource management in a multiprocessing system
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsSteven Tu, Hang Nguyen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a multiprocessor, access to shared resources is provided by a semaphore control mechanism, herein dislosed. The semaphore control mechanism provides for a high degree of programmable firmware reuse requiring relatively few modifications from a uniprocessor. The semaphore control mechanism receives one or more semaphore modification requests from one or more requesting devices, identifies an ownership state of a semaphore corresponding to the one or more semaphore modification requests, arbitrates to identify modification request from a particular requesting device to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to the particular requesting device or if the identified ownership state corresponds to no ownership.
Claims18
An article of manufacture including one or more machine-accessible medium having executable code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to:
- receive one or more semaphore modification requests from one or more requesting devices;
- identify an ownership state of a semaphore corresponding to the one or more semaphore modification requests;
- arbitrate to identify a first modification request of the one or more semaphore modification requests, the first modification request from a first requesting device to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to the first requesting device;
- and
- allow the first modification request to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to no ownership.
A method comprising:
- receiving one or more semaphore modification requests from one or more requesting devices;
- identifying an ownership state of a semaphore corresponding to the one or more semaphore modification requests;
- arbitrating to identify a first modification request of the one or more semaphore modification requests, the first modification request from a first requesting device to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to the first requesting device;
- and
- allowing the first modification request to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to no ownership.
A system for resource sharing comprising:
- a resource scheduling device to provide access to a set of resources;
- a shared resource of the set of resources having a semaphore;
- and
- a semaphore checker coupled to the resource scheduling device and to the semaphore to:
- receive one or more semaphore modification requests from one or more of a plurality of processors,
- identify an ownership state of the semaphore,
- arbitrate the one or more semaphore modification requests and identify a first modification request from a first requesting processor of the one or more of the plurality of processors,
- allow the first modification request to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to the first requesting processor and
- allow the first modification request to succeed if the identified ownership state corresponds to no ownership.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.