Processing system having a supported page size information register

Memory management software comprising:

• initialization software adapted to identify one or more memory page sizes supported by the processing system for storage in one or more memory page size identification registers.
• page table management software adapted to manage a page table including a plurality of page table entries, where each of the plurality of page table entries includes memory page size information for a corresponding virtual address page that is derived from the one or more memory page size identification registers;
• translation lookaside buffer management software adapted to manage a translation lookaside buffer, where the translation lookaside buffer is adapted to cache information corresponding to a plurality of the page table entries including corresponding memory page size information;
• and
• memory page size management software responsive to changes in the page table to consolidate contiguous page table entries into one or more page table entries having a larger memory page size that is identified as being supported by the one or more memory page size identification registers, where the memory page size management software further updates entries of the translation lookaside buffer corresponding to the consolidated contiguous page table entries.

A method for managing memory of a processing system comprising:

• identifying memory page sizes supported by the processing system;
• storing the identified memory page sizes and at least one memory page size identification register;
• and
• using the memory page size information stored in the at least one memory page size identification register in one or more virtual memory operations.

A storage medium comprising software code adapted to execute a method for managing memory of a processing system, where the method comprises:

• identifying memory page sizes supported by the processing system;
• storing the identified memory page sizes and at least one memory page size identification register;
• and
• using the memory page size information stored in the at least one memory page size identification register in one or more virtual memory operations.

A method for managing memory of a processing system comprising:

• identifying memory page sizes supported by a processing system;
• storing the identified memory page sizes in at least one memory page size identification register;
• detecting a change in a page table including a plurality of page table entries, where each of the plurality of page table entries includes information for translating a virtual address to a corresponding physical address, memory page size for a corresponding virtual address page, and access permission information for the corresponding virtual address page;
• responding to the detection by identifying contiguous page table entries having substantially the same access permission information;
• analyzing the identified contiguous page table entries to determine whether a change of the memory page size for any of the identified contiguous page table entries is warranted, where the change of the memory page size corresponds to a supported page size as identified in the at least one memory page size identification register;
• updating the memory page size information for at least one of the identified contiguous page table entries with new memory page size information if the analysis of the identified contiguous page table entries determines that a change of the memory page size of any of the identified contiguous page table entries is warranted, where the new memory page size information corresponds to a largest memory page size to which any of the identified contiguous page table entries may be mapped and which is supported by the processing system as identified in the at least one memory page size identification register;
• and
• updating one or more entries of the translation lookaside buffer corresponding to at least one of the identified contiguous page table entries with the new memory page size information.

A storage medium comprising software code adapted to execute a method for managing memory of a processing system, where the method comprises:

• identifying memory page sizes supported by a processing system;
• storing the identified memory page sizes in at least one memory page size identification register;
• detecting a change in a page table including a plurality of page table entries, where each of the plurality of page table entries includes information for translating a virtual address to a corresponding physical address, memory page size for a corresponding virtual address page, and access permission information for the corresponding virtual address page;
• responding to the detection by identifying contiguous page table entries having substantially the same access permission information;
• analyzing the identified contiguous page table entries to determine whether a change of the memory page size for any of the identified contiguous page table entries is warranted, where the memory page size corresponds to a supported page size as identified in the at least one memory page size identification register;
• updating the memory page size information for at least one of the identified contiguous page table entries with new memory page size information if the analysis of the identified contiguous page table entries determines that a change of the memory page size of any of the identified contiguous page table entries is warranted, where the new memory page size information corresponds to a largest memory page size to which any of the identified contiguous page table entries may be mapped and which is supported by the processing system as identified in the at least one memory page size identification register;
• and
• updating one or more entries of the translation lookaside buffer corresponding to at least one of the identified contiguous page table entries with the new memory page size information.