Transparent hardware-assisted memory decompression

A method for memory decompression, the method comprising:

• receiving a memory access read request, the received request causing a cache miss or page fault to occur;
• determining whether data requested by the memory access read request is in a compressed memory block;
• in response to determining that the data requested by the memory access read request is not in a compressed memory block, sending the memory access read request to a physical computer memory;
• in response to determining that the data requested by the memory access read request is in a compressed memory block, determining whether the data from the compressed memory block has previously been decompressed by a hardware decompression device and stored in a dedicated storage medium local to the hardware decompression device;
• in response to determining that the data from the compressed memory block is stored in the dedicated storage medium local to the hardware decompression device, returning the data from the storage medium in response to the received memory access read request;
• and
• in response to determining that the data from the compressed memory block is not stored in the dedicated storage medium local to the hardware decompression device,
• allocating storage space in the storage medium local to the hardware decompression device;
• reading the data from the compressed memory block;
• decompressing the read data from the compressed memory block into the storage medium local to the hardware decompression device;
• and
• returning the decompressed data from the storage medium in response to the memory access read request.

A system for memory decompression, the system comprising:

• system memory;
• at least one processor coupled to the system memory;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium associated with the at least one processor, the non-transitory medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
• receive a memory access read request, the received request causing a cache miss or page fault to occur;
• determine whether data requested by the memory access read request is in a compressed memory block;
• in response to determining that the data requested by the memory access read request is not in a compressed memory block, send the memory access read request to the system memory;
• in response to determining that the data requested by the memory access read request is in a compressed memory block, determine whether the data from the compressed memory block has previously been decompressed and stored in a dedicated storage medium local to the at least one processor;
• in response to determining that the data from the compressed memory block is stored in the storage medium, return the data from the storage medium in response to the received memory access read request;
• and
• in response to determining that the data from the compressed memory block is not stored in the storage medium,
• allocate storage space in the storage medium;
• read the data from the compressed memory block;
• decompress the read data from the compressed memory block into the storage medium;
• and
• return the decompressed data from the storage medium in response to the memory access read request