Execution in place of a file stored non-contiguously in a non-volatile memory

A method for executing-in-place a program stored in a nonvolatile memory, comprising the steps of:

• a) mapping a first region of the nonvolatile memory into a paging window of a system memory address space for execution, wherein the first region stores a first portion of a program, wherein the program is stored non-contiguously in the nonvolatile memory;
• b) storing a first page map entry corresponding to the first portion of the program in a virtual memory page map;
• c) executing at least a portion of the program mapped into the paging window;
• d) generating a page fault interrupt, if a requested address does not correspond to any region currently mapped into the paging window;
• e) mapping a subsequently needed region of the nonvolatile memory into the paging window for execution in response to the page fault interrupt, wherein the subsequently needed region is associated with the requested address, wherein the subsequently needed region stores a subsequently needed portion of the program, wherein the first and subsequently needed portions are non-contiguously stored in the nonvolatile memory;
• f) updating the virtual memory page map to indicate the mapping of a page corresponding to the subsequently needed portion of the program, wherein the first and subsequently needed portions are sequentially, continuously mapped in the virtual memory page map;
• and
• g) repeating steps c) thru f) until execution of the program is completed.

A method for executing-in-place a program stored in a nonvolatile memory, comprising the steps of:

• a) mapping a first region of the nonvolatile memory into a first paging window of a system memory address space for execution, wherein the first region stores a first portion of a program, wherein the program is stored non-contiguously in the nonvolatile memory;
• b) storing a first page map entry corresponding to the first portion of the program in a virtual memory page map;
• c) mapping a second region of the nonvolatile memory into a second paging window of the system memory address space for execution, wherein the second region stores a second portion of the program, wherein the first and second portions are non-contigously stored in the nonvolatile memory;
• d) storing a second page map entry corresponding to the second portion of the program in the virtual memory page map, wherein the second page map entry is contiguous to the first page map entry such that the first and second portions of the program are sequentially, contiguously mapped in the virtual memory page map;
• and
• e) executing the first and second portions of the program.