Low power polling techniques
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsMazhar Memon, Steven King
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques are described to provide the capability to halt execution of a thread by a processor and potentially lower power consumption of the processor while responding to events in a timely manner. An operating system provided system call allows for identification of events that cause the execution of the thread to resume. A processor core uses a signal mask and translation unit that monitors for the identified events. In the event an event is detected, the thread unhalts and determines a manner to process the event.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- indicating events that unhalt thread execution;
- identifying any of the indicated events, wherein the identifying takes place while the thread is in a halt state and independent of execution of a routine by a core to monitor for the events;
- and
- unhalting the thread in response to the identification of any of the indicated events.
An article of manufacture including a machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed cause a machine to:
- permit identification of events that unhalt thread execution;
- identify any of the events independent of execution of a routine by a core to monitor for the events;
- and
- unhalt the thread in response to the identification of any of the events.
An apparatus comprising:
- a processor comprising:
- at least one thread;
- logic to identify at least one event that unhalts a thread;
- and
- logic to unhalt the thread in the event of detection of any of the at least one event independent of execution of a monitoring routine by the processor.
A system comprising:
- a display device;
- and
- a computer system communicatively coupled to the display device and comprising a processor and a storage device, wherein the processor comprises:
- at least one thread;
- logic to identify at least one event that unhalts a thread;
- and
- logic to unhalt the thread in the event of detection of any of the at least one event independent of execution of a monitoring routine by the processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.