Method for altering memory configuration and sizing memory modules while maintaining software code stream coherence
AssigneeDigital Equipment Corporation
InventorsArthur J. Beaverson, Stephen Francis Shirron, Harold Canute Buckingham, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A memory of a computer system is sized and configured after the memory has been loaded with data. The sizing and configuration of the memory causes the data to become scattered among memory chips on a single memory module or among two or more memory modules. To gather the data, gather code loads itself into the instruction cache of the computer system and while executing from the instruction cache configures the memory and gathers the data in the memory such that it is again located at the same address it held before the configuration occurred.
Claims12
A method for configuring a memory of a computer system, while maintaining data integrity, including the steps of:
- loading data into the memory using a first addressing scheme;
- determining an initial memory configuration of the computer system;
- reconfiguring the memory in accordance with said initial memory configuration providing a second memory addressing scheme;
- determining a location of said data using said second memory addressing scheme;
- and
- relocating said data in the memory at a location using said second addressing scheme corresponding to an address of the location of said data using said first addressing scheme.
A method for reconfiguring a memory of a computer system during initialization of the computer system, while maintaining software code stream coherency including the steps of:
- providing a limited initialization of the computer system including a first configuration of memory providing a first memory addressing scheme;
- loading console firmware into the memory of the computer system;
- executing said console firmware;
- loading gather code into an instruction cache of the computer system;
- and
- executing said gather code including the steps of:
- reconfiguring the memory in accordance with a second configuration of memory providing a second memory addressing scheme;
- and
- relocating said console firmware in the memory to a location using said second memory addressing scheme corresponding to an address of a location that said console firmware was stored at in the memory using said first memory addressing scheme.
A memory included in a computer system comprising:
- machine executable instructions for loading data into the memory using a first addressing scheme;
- machine executable instructions for determining an initial memory configuration of the computer system;
- machine executable instructions for reconfiguring the memory in accordance with said initial memory configuration providing a second memory addressing scheme;
- machine executable instructions for determining a location of said data using said second memory addressing scheme;
- and
- machine executable instructions for relocating said data in the memory at a location using said second addressing scheme corresponding to an address of the location of said data using said first addressing scheme.
A memory included in a computer system comprising:
- machine executable instructions for providing a limited initialization of the computer system including a first configuration of memory providing a first memory addressing scheme;
- machine executable instructions for loading console firmware into the memory of the computer system;
- machine executable instructions for executing said console firmware;
- machine executable instructions for loading gather code into an instruction cache of the computer system;
- and
- machine executable instructions for executing said gather code including:
- machine executable instructions for reconfiguring the memory in accordance with a second configuration of memory providing a second memory addressing scheme;
- and
- machine executable instructions for relocating said console firmware in the memory to a location using said second memory addressing scheme corresponding to an address of a location that said console firmware was stored at in the memory using said first memory addressing scheme.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.