Method and apparatus for managing memory

• US 10,409,498 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Kibeom, Koo, Jinkyu, Kim, Kwonsik, Lee, Hyojeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Krofcheck, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/172,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0223 User address space allocation, e.g. contiguous or non contiguous base addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0284 Multiple user address space allocation, e.g. using different base addresses interprocessor communication G06F15/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2515 being configurable for different purposes, e.g. as cache or non-cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/502 using adaptive policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

A method for managing a memory and an electronic device are provided. The method includes setting a list including an exclusive relationship, between a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester, corresponding to a segment of a contiguous memory allocation region, receiving a memory allocation request, confirming whether the memory allocation requester comprises the memory allocation requester included in the list, and allocating a page of the contiguous memory allocation region corresponding to the segment, if the memory allocation requester is included in the list.

Claims

1. A method for managing a memory, the method comprising:

setting a segment list of a contiguous memory allocation region, the segment list including a plurality of segments, each segment associated with a corresponding page unit memory allocation requester and a corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester;

receiving a first memory allocation request from a first memory allocation requester;

identifying a segment in the segment list having the first memory allocation requester as one of the corresponding page unit memory allocation requester or the corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester; and

allocating a page included in the segment in response to the memory allocation request,

wherein the setting of the segment list comprises;

identifying a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester that are not activated simultaneously; and

associating the identified page unit memory allocation requester and the identified contiguous memory allocation requester with a segment of the segment list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing bitmap information for the contiguous memory allocation region,

wherein the bitmap information indicates whether a page included in the contiguous memory allocation region is reclaimable.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the memory allocation request includes a contiguous memory allocation request; and

determining a contiguous memory page region of the contiguous memory allocation region for processing the contiguous memory allocation request based on the bitmap information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the contiguous memory page region comprises determining a page region of the contiguous memory allocation region in which a page movement required for the requested contiguous memory allocation is minimized relative to other page regions of the contiguous memory allocation region.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the page region in which the page movement is minimized comprises a page region in which a number of reclaimable pages based on the bitmap information is maximized relative to other page regions of the contiguous memory allocation region based on memory allocation request.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating the bitmap information when reclaimable information of the page included in the contiguous memory region is changed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second memory allocation request from a second memory allocation requester;

determining that the second memory allocation requester is a page unit allocation requester;

identifying a second segment in the segment list in which a corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester is not activated; and

adding the second memory allocation requester to the second segment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying that a third contiguous memory allocation requester corresponding to the second segment is activated while the second memory allocation requester is activated; and

adding the second memory allocation requester to a third segment in the segment list while the second page unit memory allocation is activated.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a memory including a contiguous memory allocation region; and

at least one processor configured to;

set a segment list of the contiguous memory allocation region, the segment list including a plurality of segments, each segment associated with a corresponding page unit memory allocation requester and a corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester,

receive a first memory allocation request from a first memory allocation requester,

identify a segment in the segment list having the first memory allocation requester as one of the corresponding page unit memory allocation requester or the corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester, and

allocate a page included in the segment in response to the memory allocation request,

wherein to set the segment list, the at least one processor is configured to;

identify a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester that are not activated simultaneously, and

associate the identified page unit memory allocation requester and the identified contiguous memory allocation requester with a segment of the segment list.

10. The electronic device of claim 9,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to manage bitmap information for the contiguous memory allocation region, and

wherein the bitmap information indicates whether a page included in the contiguous memory allocation region is reclaimable.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine that the memory allocation request includes a contiguous memory allocation request, and

determine a contiguous memory page region of the contiguous memory allocation region for processing the contiguous memory allocation request based on the bitmap information.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a page region of the contiguous memory allocation region in which a page movement required for the requested contiguous memory allocation is minimized relative to other page regions of the contiguous memory allocation region.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the page region in which the page movement is minimized comprises a page region in which a number of reclaimable pages based on the bitmap information is maximized relative to other page regions of the contiguous memory allocation region based on memory allocation request.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the bitmap information when reclaimable information of the page included in the contiguous memory region is changed.

15. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a second memory allocation request from a second memory allocation requester,

determine that the second memory allocation requester is a page unit allocation requester,

identify a second segment in the segment list in which a corresponding contiguous memory allocation requester is not activated, and

adding the second memory allocation requester to the second segment.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

identify that a third contiguous memory allocation requester corresponding to the second segment is activated while the second memory allocation requester is activated, and

add the second memory allocation requester to a third segment in the segment list while the second page unit memory allocation is activated.