US 8,751,854 B2Granted

Processor core clock rate selection

AssigneeEmpire Technology Development LLC

InventorsAndrew Wolfe, Tom Conte

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Abstract

Techniques described herein generally relate to multi-core processors including two or more processor cores. Example embodiments may set forth devices, methods, and computer programs related to calculating a clock rate for one or more of the processor cores in the multi-core processor. One example method may include determining a first estimated workload for a first processor core and a second estimated workload for a second processor core within a scheduling interval in a periodic scheduling environment. In addition, a first clock rate for the first processor core may be calculated based on one or more of the first estimated workload, a maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor and/or the scheduling interval. Similarly, a second clock rate for the second processor core may also be calculated based on one or more of the second estimated workload, the maximum clock rate, and/or the scheduling interval.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method to calculate a clock rate for processor cores in a multi-core processor, the method comprising:

generating a first set of estimated workloads for a first set of tasks, which are assigned to a first processor core in the multi-core processor and which are to be executed within a scheduling interval in a scheduling environment, by extracting first information related to one or more of a first workload type and first workload characteristics associated with the first set of tasks, extracting first historical data related to the first workload type, and calculating the first set of estimated workloads based on the extracted first information and the extracted first historical data;
determining a first estimated workload for the first processor core as a sum of the first set of estimated workloads;
generating a second set of estimated workloads for a second set of tasks, which are assigned to a second processor core in the multi-core processor and which are to be executed within the scheduling interval, by extracting second information related to one or more of a second workload type and second workload characteristics associated with the second set of tasks, extracting second historical data related to the second workload type, and calculating the second set of estimated workloads based on the extracted second information and the extracted second historical data;
determining a second estimated workload for the second processor core as a sum of the second set of estimated workloads;
calculating a first clock rate for the first processor core based on one or more of the first estimated workload, a maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor, and the scheduling interval;
and
calculating a second clock rate for the second processor core based on one or more of the second estimated workload, the maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor, and the scheduling interval.

4 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes instructions to calculate a clock rate for a first processor core and a second processor core in a multi-core processor, which in response to execution by a host processor, cause the host processor to:

generate a first set of estimated workloads for a first set of tasks, which are assigned to the first processor core and which are to be executed within a scheduling interval in a scheduling environment, by extraction of first information related to one or more of a first workload type and first workload characteristics associated with the first set of tasks, extraction of first historical data related to the first workload type, and calculation of the first set of estimated workloads based on the extracted first information and the extracted first historical data;
determine a first estimated workload for the first processor core as a sum of the first set of estimated workloads;
generate a second set of estimated workloads for a second set of tasks, which are assigned to the second processor core and which are to be executed within the scheduling interval, by extraction of second information related to one or more of a second workload type and second workload characteristics associated with the second set of tasks, extraction of second historical data related to the second workload type, and calculation of the second set of estimated workloads based on the extracted second information and the extracted second historical data;
determine a second estimated workload for the second processor core as a sum of the second set of estimated workloads;
calculate a first clock rate for the first processor core based on one or more of the first estimated workload, a maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor, the scheduling interval, and a first compensation weight;
and
calculate a second clock rate for the second processor core based on one or more of the second estimated workload, the maximum clock rate, the scheduling interval, and a second compensation weight.

4 more elements

A computing device, comprising:

a multi-core processor including a first processor core and a second processor core;
a first clock selector and a second clock selector, wherein the first clock selector is coupled to the first processor core, and the second clock selector is coupled to the second processor core;
and
a host processor, wherein the host processor is configured to:
generate a first set of estimated workloads for a first set of tasks, which are assigned to the first processor core and which are to be executed within a scheduling interval in a scheduling environment, by extraction of first information related to one or more of a first workload type and first workload characteristics associated with the first set of tasks, extraction of first historical data related to the first workload type, and calculation of the first set of estimated workloads based on the extracted first information and the extracted first historical data,
sum the first set of estimated workloads to determine a first estimated workload for the first processor core,
generate a second set of estimated workloads for a second set of tasks, which are assigned to the second processor core and which are to be executed within the scheduling interval, by extraction of second information related to one or more of a second workload type and second workload characteristics associated with the second set of tasks, extraction of second historical data related to the second workload type, and calculation of the second set of estimated workloads based on the extracted second information and the extracted second historical data,
sum the second set of estimated workloads to determine a second estimated workload for the second processor core,
calculate a first clock rate for the first processor core based on one or more of the first estimated workload, a maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor, and the scheduling interval, and
calculate a second clock rate for the second processor core based on one or more of the second estimated workload, the maximum clock rate supported by the multi-core processor, and the scheduling interval.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/642,871Filed 21 Dec 2009
Published: US 2011/0154089 A123 Jun 2011
Granted: 10 Jun 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 1/04
Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00: generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom
G06F 1/08
Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom: clock generators with changeable or programmable clock frequency
G06F 11/34
Monitoring: recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical…
G06F 9/4881
By program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system: scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Family

US 2011/0154089 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Jun 2011
US 8,751,854 B2This patent

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

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