Methods and apparatus for initializing a memory

• US 20050216721A1
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US10/807,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216721A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for initializing a memory are disclosed. A disclosed system initializes a subset of memory and then loads an operating system. Subsets of a remaining memory are initialized during operating system idle periods. A notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory is created.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initializing a subset of a memory;

loading an operating system;

initializing subsets of a remaining memory during operating system idle periods; and

creating a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the memory is error correction control memory.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein initializing the subset of the memory comprises setting the subset of the memory to a default state.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory comprises a hot plug event.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the subsets of the remaining memory are dynamically incorporated by updating a memory map.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

creating a memory descriptor for the subsets of the remaining memory before loading the operating system;

determining the memory map; and

analyzing the memory descriptor to determine a presence of the subsets of the remaining memory to be initialized.

7. A method comprising:

initializing a subset of a memory;

creating a memory descriptor for subsets of a remaining memory; and

loading an operating system;

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the memory is error correction control memory.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein initializing the subset of the memory comprises setting the subset of the memory to a default state.

10. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the subset of the memory is of a size at least as large as a minimum requirement associated with the operating system.

11. A method comprising:

determining a memory map;

analyzing a memory descriptor to determine a presence of the subsets of the remaining memory to be initialized;

initializing subsets of the remaining memory during operating system idle periods; and

creating a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein initializing the subsets of the remaining memory during operating system idle periods comprises setting the subsets of the remaining memory to a default state.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory comprises a hot plug event.

14. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the memory descriptor comprises at least one of a data structure and an entry in a table.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the subsets of the remaining memory are dynamically incorporated by updating the memory map.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a memory initialization module configured to initialize a subset of a memory;

a system loader configured to load an operating system; and

a hot adder module configured to create a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate subsets of a remaining memory.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the memory initialization module is configured to set the subset of the memory to a default state.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the memory initialization module is configured to set the subsets of the remaining memory to the default state during operating system idle periods.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory comprises a hot plug event.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the subsets of the remaining memory are dynamically incorporated by updating a memory map.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

a subset generator configured to create the subsets of the remaining memory; and

a memory descriptor module configured to generate a data structure to indicate a presence of the subsets of the remaining memory.

22. An article of manufacture having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

initialize a subset of a memory;

load an operating system;

initialize subsets of a remaining memory during operating system idle periods; and

create a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to initialize the subset of the memory by setting the subset of memory to a default state.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to initialize the subsets of the remaining memory during operating system idles by setting the subsets of the remaining memory to a default state.

25. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to update a memory map to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory.

26. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to:

create a memory descriptor for the subsets of the remaining memory before loading the operating system;

determine the memory map; and

analyze the memory descriptors to determine a presence of the subsets of the remaining memory to be initialized.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a memory initialization module configured to initialize a subset of a memory;

a subset generator configured to create the subsets of the remaining memory;

a memory descriptor module configured to generate a data structure to indicate a presence of the subsets of the remaining memory; and

a system loader configured to load an operating system.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27, wherein the memory initialization module is configured to set the subset of the memory to a default state.

29. An apparatus comprising:

an operating system;

a memory initialization module configured to initialize subsets of a memory; and

a hot adder module configured to create a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate subsets of the memory.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein the memory initialization module is configured to set subsets of the memory to a default state.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein the notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the memory comprises a hot plug event.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein the subsets of the remaining memory are dynamically incorporated by updating a memory map.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 29, wherein the memory initialization module is configured to set the subsets of the remaining memory to the default state during operating system idle periods.

34. An article of manufacture having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

initialize a subset of a memory;

create a memory descriptor for subsets of a remaining memory; and

load an operating system;

35. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 34 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to initialize the subset of the memory by setting the subset of the memory to a default state.

36. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 35 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to create a memory descriptor by updating at least one of a data structure and a table.

37. An article of manufacture having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

determine a memory map;

analyze a memory descriptor to determine a presence of the subsets of a remaining memory to be initialized;

initialize the subsets of the remaining memory during operating system idle periods; and

create a notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory.

38. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 37 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to initialize the subsets of the remaining memory during operating system idle periods by setting the subsets of the remaining memory to a default state.

39. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 37 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to create the notification for the operating system to dynamically incorporate the subsets of the remaining memory by creating a hot plug event.

40. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 37 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to dynamically incorporated by updating the memory map.