US 8,266,407 B2Granted

Writing to asymmetric memory

AssigneeVirident Systems Inc.

InventorsVijay Karamcheti, Kenneth A. Okin, Kumar Ganapathy, Ashish Singhai, Rajesh Parekh

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Abstract

A memory controller writes to a virtual address associated with data residing within an asymmetric memory component of main memory that is within a computer system and that has a symmetric memory component, while preserving proximate other data residing within the asymmetric memory component. The symmetric memory component within the main memory of the computer system is configured to enable random access write operations in which an address within a block of the symmetric memory component is written without affecting the availability of other addresses within the block of the symmetric memory component during the writing of that address. The asymmetric memory component is configured to enable block write operations in which writing to an address within a region of the asymmetric memory component affects the availability of other addresses within the region of the asymmetric memory component during the block write operations involving the address.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of managing a memory system that has multiple parts including at least a first part of the memory system and a second part of the memory system, the first part of the memory system being different from the second part of the memory system in that the first part of the memory system has different access characteristics than the second part of the memory system or the first part of the memory system is used for a different type of memory-dependent operation than the second part of the memory system, the method comprising:

receiving a command from an application to write data to the memory system;
determining that the data is to be written to the second part of the memory system based on the command from the application;
despite determining that the data is to be written to the second part of the memory system based on the command from the application:
configuring a memory table to associate the data with a physical address within the first part of the memory system instead of the second part of the memory system,
writing the data to the physical address within the first part of the memory system, and
configuring a memory map to map the physical address within the first part of the memory system to which the data is written to a first virtual address;
receiving a first read request for the data;
determining, based on the memory map, that the first read request is associated with the first virtual address that is mapped to the physical address within the first part of the memory system;
and
in satisfaction of the first read request, and based on determining that the first read request is associated with the first virtual address that is mapped to the physical address within the first part of the memory system, enabling access to the data at the physical address within the first part of the memory system.

7 more elements

A system comprising:

a memory system that has multiple parts including at least a first part of the memory system that is different from a second part of the memory system in that the first part of the memory system has different access characteristics than the second part of the memory system or the first part of the memory system is used for a different type of memory-dependent operation than the second part of the memory system;
and
a controller configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving a command from an application to write data to the memory system;
determining that the data is to be written to the second part of the memory system based on the command from the application;
despite determining that the data is to be written to the second part of the memory system based on the command from the application:
configuring a memory table to associate the data with a physical address within the first part of the memory system instead of the second part of the memory system,
writing the data to the physical address within the first part of the memory system, and
configuring a memory map to map the physical address within the first part of the memory system to which the data is written to a first virtual address;
receiving a first read request for the data;
determining, based on the memory map, that the first read request is associated with the first virtual address that is mapped to the physical address within the first part of the memory system;
and
in satisfaction of the first read request, and based on determining that the first read request is associated with the first virtual address that is mapped to the physical address within the first part of the memory system, enabling access to the data at the physical address within the first part of the memory system.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/053,371Filed 22 Mar 2011 · continuation
Priority: 4 Nov 2006
Published: US 2011/0173371 A114 Jul 2011
Granted: 11 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

G06F 12/1009
Address translation: using page tables, e.g. page table structures
G06F 3/0604
Specifically adapted to achieve a particular effect: improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
G06F 3/064
Organizing or formatting or addressing of data: management of blocks
G06F 3/0647
Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems: migration mechanisms

Family

Application60/864,399Us provisional application · filed 4 Nov 2006
Application11/935,281Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Nov 2007
US 2011/0173371 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Jul 2011
US 7,930,513 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2008/0109593 A1Published application
US 8,266,407 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.