User specifiable allocation of memory for processes in a multiprocessor computer having a non-uniform memory architecture

In a multiprocessor computer having an operating system and having shared memory distributed among a multiple of nodes, a method of establishing a physical memory placement policy that governs the allocation of physical pages for a portion of a process's virtual address space, the method comprising the following steps:

• receiving a request to create a portion of virtual address space and to allocate, in accordance with a specified one of a plurality of policies specifiable by an application program, physical memory on at least one node as a result of a subsequent reference to the virtual address space portion;
• and
• in response, creating a data structure that controls the allocation, in response to a subsequent reference to the virtual address space portion, of physical memory on a node in accordance with the specified policy for association with the virtual address space portion;
• wherein the policy specified by the application program is to allocate the physical memory successively on the next node of a list of nodes at the time the subsequent reference is made.

In a multiprocessor computer having shared memory distributed among multiple nodes, a method of allocating physical memory to a process, the method comprising:

• creating a portion of virtual address space for the process;
• and
• allocating, in accordance with a specified one of a plurality of policies specifiable by the process, physical memory on a node for association with the virtual address space portion;
• wherein a policy specifiable by the process includes one of the following:
• to allocate the physical memory on the node from which the first subsequent reference is made;
• to allocate the physical memory on the node with the most amount of free physical memory at the time the subsequent reference is made;
• or
• to allocate the physical memory successively on the next node of a list of nodes at the time the subsequent reference is made.

In a multiprocessor computer having shared memory distributed among multiple nodes, a method of allocating physical memory to a process, the method comprising:

• creating first and second portions of virtual address space for the process;
• allocating, in accordance with a first policy specified by the process, physical memory on a node for association with the first portion of virtual address space;
• and
• allocating, in accordance with a second policy specified by the process, physical memory on a node for association with the second portion of virtual address space;
• wherein allocating physical memory on a node for association with the first portion of virtual address space occurs in response to a subsequent reference to the first portion of virtual address space portion and allocating physical memory on a node for association with the second portion of virtual address space occurs in response to a subsequent reference to the second portion of virtual address space portion.

In a multiprocessor computer having shared memory distributed among multiple nodes, a method of allocating physical memory to a process, the method comprising:

• creating first and second portions of virtual address space for the process;
• allocating, in accordance with a first policy specified by the process, physical memory on a node for association with the first portion of virtual address space;
• and
• allocating, in accordance with a second policy specified by the process, physical memory on a node for association with the second portion of virtual address space;
• wherein the first and second policies specified by the process are from the following plurality of policies;
• to allocate a page of physical memory on the node from the first subsequent reference to portion of virtual address space associated with the policy is made;
• to allocate a page of physical memory on the node with the most amount of free physical memory at the time the subsequent reference to the portion of virtual address space associated with the policy is made;
• and
• to allocate a page of physical memory successively on the next node of a list of nodes at the time the subsequent reference to the portion of virtual address space associated with the policy is made.