Method and apparatus for managing buffers in a data processing system

• US 20070073973A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks GmbH & Company KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hazay, Alon
• Application Number:
  US11/238,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2205/064 Linked list, i.e. structure using pointers, e.g. allowing non-contiguous address segments in one logical buffer or dynamic buffer space allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 5/065 Partitioned buffers, e.g. allowing multiple independent queues, bidirectional FIFO's

Abstract

A buffer management for a data processing system is provided. According to one embodiment, a method for managing buffers in a telephony device is provided. The method comprising providing a plurality of buffers stored in a memory, providing a cache having a pointer pointing to the buffer, scanning the cache to determine if the cache is full, and when the scan determines the cache is not full determining a free buffer from the plurality of buffers, generating a pointer for the free buffer, and placing the generated pointer into the cache.

Claims

1. A method for managing buffers in a telephony device, comprising:

providing a plurality of buffers stored in a memory;

providing a cache having a pointer pointing to the buffer;

scanning the cache to determine if the cache is full; and

when the scan determines the cache is not full

determining a free buffer from the plurality of buffers,

generating a pointer for the free buffer, and

placing the generated pointer into the cache.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of pointers in the cache is fewer than a number of buffers in the plurality of buffers.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a data table indicating a disposition of free or busy for of each of the plurality of buffers.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the data table is a bit vector.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising when a buffer is unallocated, changing the data table to indicate the unallocated buffer is free.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein when the scan determines the cache is not full further comprising setting the data table to indicate that the buffer is busy.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when allocating a buffer in the plurality of buffers,

determining if the cache is empty,

if the cache is not empty

changing the cache to remove a pointer to the allocated buffer.

8. A device for managing memory, comprising;

a data table stored in a first memory, the data table having a used or a busy disposition of a buffer pool in a second memory, the buffer pool having a plurality of buffers;

a cache stored in a third memory, the cache having a plurality of pointers that points to a portion of the plurality of buffer with the free disposition, a number of pointers in the cache is fewer than a number of buffers in the plurality of buffers; and

a scanner that scans the cache after a period of time.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first data table is a bit vector.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein when a buffer in the plurality of buffers is allocated, the cache is changed to remove a pointer pointing to the buffer.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein when the buffer in the plurality of buffers is released, the data table is changed to indicate a free disposition

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the scanner detects a buffer in the plurality of buffers having free disposition in the data table.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the scanner determines the cache is not full.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the scanner sets the disposition in the data table for the buffer in the plurality of buffers to busy, the scanner determines a pointer for the buffer in the plurality of buffers, and the pointer is added to the cache.

15. The device to claim 8, wherein the device is an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

16. A device for managing memory, comprising;

a bit vector having a used or a busy disposition of a buffer in a buffer pool, the bit vector stored in a first memory and the buffer pool having a plurality of buffers stored in a second memory

a cache having a plurality of pointers pointing to a portion of the plurality of buffer with the free disposition, the cache having fewer pointers than buffers in the plurality of buffers; and

a scanner that scans the cache and sets the disposition in the bit vector for a buffer in the plurality of buffers to busy, and adds to the cache a pointer pointing to the buffer.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the buffer is allocated and the cache is changed to remove the pointer pointing to the buffer.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein when the buffer is released and the data table is changed to indicate a free disposition

19. The device to claim 16, wherein the device is an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).