Memory caching scheme in a distributed-memory network

• US 20030093626A1
• Filed: 11/14/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Fister, James D.M.
• Application Number:
  US10/000,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/147
• 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 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0837 with software control, e.g. non-cacheable data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A structure having a plurality of systems interconnected within a network. The structure includes a distributed memory to provide for use of a local memory by enabling memory mapping of the system addresses to distributed memory, and a network processor to control and execute the memory mapping. The structure also includes a cache to store data frequently used within the distributed memory but not stored in the local memory.

Claims

1. A structure within a network, comprising:

a plurality of systems interconnected within the network, each system having a local memory;

a distributed memory to provide for use of the local memory in the distributed memory by enabling memory mapping of addresses of the plurality of systems to the distributed memory;

a network processor to control and execute the memory mapping of addresses; and

a cache to store data frequently used within the distributed memory but not stored in the local memory.

2. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a look-up table to enable memory mapping of system addresses by redirecting memory requests to the system addresses.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the local memory includes a non-volatile memory.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the plurality of systems includes computer systems.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein the network includes the Internet.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein the addresses of the plurality of systems include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

7. The structure of claim 6, wherein the IP addresses adhere to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).

8. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a network adapter to manage and provide the plurality of systems access to the network.

9. A method, comprising:

examining a message queue;

determining whether requested data is in a cache when the message queue indicates a data read;

determining whether the data in the cache is stale;

accessing the data from the cache if the data in the cache is not stale; and

accessing the data from a system network address if the data in the cache is stale.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

accessing the data from the system network address if the requested data is not in the cache.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the accessed data into the cache.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

updating to reflect a change in the cache.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining whether the data in the cache is stale includes comparing contents of the cache with contents of memory in the system network address.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the data is being cached when the message queue indicates a data write;

writing the data to the cache if the data is being cached; and

setting up location in the cache for the data if the data is not being cached.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

sending the data to the system network address.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

asserting a data stale flag for the data from the system network address when the message queue indicates a cache stale notification.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

accessing the data from the system network address when the message queue indicates a cache request.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing the accessed data in the cache.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

updating to reflect a change in the cache.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

removing contents of the cache when the message queue indicates a cache clear.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

updating to reflect a change in the cache.

22. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying memory to be cached.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

identifying memory to be used for memory mapping at the system network address.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

providing a task to monitor the memory.

25. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the system to perform data caching in a distributed memory network, comprising:

examining a message queue;

determining whether requested data is in a cache when the message queue indicates a data read;

determining whether the data in the cache is stale;

accessing the data from the cache if the data in the cache is not stale; and

accessing the data from a system network address if the data in the cache is stale.

26. The medium of claim 25, further comprising:

accessing the data from the system network address if the requested data is not in the cache.

27. The medium of claim 26, further comprising:

storing the accessed data into the cache.

28. The medium of claim 27, further comprising:

updating to reflect a change in the cache.