US 7,149,855 B2 · Network attached memory and implementation thereof

Abstract

A Distributed Memory Computing Environment (herein called “DMCE”) architecture and implementation is disclosed in which any computer equipped with a memory agent can borrow memory from other computer(s) equipped with a memory server on a distributed network. A memory backup and recovery as an optional subsystem of the Distributed Memory Computing system is also disclosed. A Network Attached Memory (herein called “NAM” or “NAM Box” or “NAM Server”) appliance is disclosed as a dedicated memory-sharing device attached to a network. A Memory Area Network (herein called “MAN”) is further disclosed, such a network is a network of memory device(s) or memory server(s) which provide memory sharing service to memory-demanding computer(s) or the like, when one memory device or memory server fails, its service will seamlessly transfer to other memory device(s) or memory server(s).

Claims30

Dependent claims

A network attached memory device comprising:

a CPU, and said network attached memory device having a device ID, and said device ID comprising an index to a device entry in a device ID lookup table;
a memory having at least one memory block, and said memory block having a block ID;
a connection to a network;
and
a memory management function managing said memory block in said memory,
means for providing access to said memory block to a computing device attached elsewhere to said network such that a memory location in said memory block has a virtual address comprising said device ID, said block ID and an offset in said memory block.

3 more elements

A memory service architecture comprising:

a first network attached memory device having first memory, having first device ID, said first device ID is a first index to a first entry in a device ID lookup table, and said first memory comprises at least a first memory block having a first block ID;
and
a second network attached memory device having second memory, having second device ID, said second device ID is a second index to a second entry in said device ID lookup table, and said second memory comprises at least a second memory block having a second block ID;
and
said first network attached memory device and said second network attached memory device are connected to a network;
wherein said first and second network attached memory devices provide to a separate computing device access said first memory and said second memory through said network connection, and a first memory location in said first memory block having a first virtual address comprising said first device ID, said first block ID and a first offset in said first memory block;
and a second memory location in said second memory block having a second virtual address comprising said second device ID, said second block ID and a second offset in said second memory block.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/763,889Filed 23 Jan 2004 · continuation

Priority

22 Jan 2003

Published

US 2004/0143718 A15 Aug 2004

Granted

12 Dec 2006

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06F 12/0284
User address space allocation, e.g. contiguous or non contiguous base addressing: multiple user address space allocation, e.g. using different…
G06F 11/1666
Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware: where the redundant component is memory or memory area
G06F 11/20
Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware: using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by…
G06F 12/1036
Using associative or pseudo-associative address translation means, e.g. translation look-aside buffer [TLB]: for multiple virtual address spaces,…

Network attached memory and implementation thereof

Life of this patent

Network attached memory and implementation thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30