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US 6,674,841 B1Granted
Method and apparatus in a data processing system for an asynchronous context switching mechanism
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsCharles Ray Johns, Wei Kuo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus in a data processing system for asynchronous context switching. Requests of graphics processes are received to process graphics data for display in a queue in the graphics adapter. A current context is switched for a first graphics process to a new context for a second graphics process only in response to requests received in the queue. In this manner, the graphics adapter is able to continuously process commands in the queue instead of waiting for new commands to be sent after each context switch.
Claims29
A method in a data processing system for asynchronous context switching, the method comprising:
- providing a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data;
- generating a first plurality of commands utilizing a first graphics application for producing a first graphical depiction;
- generating a second plurality of commands utilizing a second graphics application for producing a second graphical depiction;
- including a queue in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing commands, said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- providing access to said queue to said first application for processing said first plurality of commands;
- receiving a context switch command within said queue to switch from a first context that is associated with said first graphics application to a second context that is associated with said second graphics application;
- in response to a receipt of said context switch command, providing access to said queue to said second application for processing said second plurality of commands regardless of whether said context switch has been completed;
- and
- receiving, by said queue, said second plurality of commands before all of said first plurality of commands have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
6 more elements
A method in a data processing system for processing context switch commands, the method comprising:
- providing a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data in order to produce a graphical depiction;
- including a queue in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing graphics data commands, said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- processing all context switch commands through said queue;
- and
- receiving, by said queue, said second plurality of commands before all of said first plurality of commands have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
2 more elements
A data processing system comprising:
- a bus system;
- a communications unit connected to the bus system;
- a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data in order to produce a graphical depiction;
- a queue included in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing commands, said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes as set of instructions;
- a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to generate a first plurality of commands utilizing a first graphics application for producing a first graphical depiction, generate a second plurality of commands utilizing a second graphics application for producing a second graphical depiction, provide access to said queue to said first application for processing said first plurality of commands, receive a context switch command within said queue to switch from a first context that is associated with said first graphics application to a second context that is associated with said second graphics application;
- and in response to a receipt of said context switch command, provide access to said queue to said second application for processing said second plurality of commands regardless of whether said context switch has been completed;
- and
- said queue receiving said second plurality of commands before all of said first plurality of commands have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
6 more elements
A data processing system for asynchronous context switching, the data processing system comprising:
- a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data;
- generating means for generating a first plurality of commands utilizing a first graphics application for producing a first graphical depiction;
- generating means for generating a second plurality of commands utilizing a second graphics application for producing a second graphical depiction;
- a queue included in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing commands, and said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- providing means for providing access to said queue to said first application for processing said first plurality of commands;
- receiving means for receiving a context switch command within said queue to switch from a first context that is associated with said first graphics application to a second context that is associated with said second graphics application;
- in response to a receipt of said context switch command, providing means for providing access to said queue to said second application for processing said second plurality of commands regardless of whether said context switch has been completed;
- and
- said queue receiving said second plurality of commands before all of said first plurality of commands have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
6 more elements
A data processing system for processing context switch commands, the data processing system comprising:
- a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data in order to produce a graphical depiction;
- a queue included in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing graphics data commands, and said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- processing means for processing all context switch commands through said queue;
- and
- said queue receiving a second plurality of commands associated with a second context before all of a first plurality of commands associated with a first context have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
2 more elements
A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for asynchronous context switching, the computer program product comprising:
- instruction means for providing a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data in order to produce a graphical depiction;
- instruction means for generating a first plurality of commands utilizing a first graphics application for producing a first graphical depiction;
- instruction means for generating a second plurality of commands utilizing a second graphics application for producing a second graphical depiction;
- instruction means for including a queue in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing commands, and said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- instruction means for providing access to said queue to said first application for processing said first plurality of commands;
- instruction means for receiving a context switch command within said queue to switch from a first context that is associated with said first graphics application to a second context that is associated with said second graphics application;
- in response to a receipt of said context switch command, instruction means for providing access to said queue to said second application for processing said second plurality of commands regardless of whether said context switch has been completed;
- and
- instruction means for receiving, by said queue, said second plurality of commands before all of said first plurality of commands have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
6 more elements
A computer program product in a computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing context switch commands, the computer program product comprising:
- instruction means for providing a graphics adapter that is capable of processing graphics data in order to produce a graphical depiction;
- instruction means for including a queue in said graphics adapter, said queue for storing graphics data commands, and said queue receiving and processing commands continuously with no wait period;
- instruction means for processing all context switch commands through said queue;
- and
- instruction means for receiving, by said queue, a second plurality of commands associated with a second context before all of a first plurality of commands associated with a first context have finished being processed by said queue, said queue not having to empty before accepting said second plurality of commands.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.