Modifying node descriptors to reflect memory migration in an information handling system with non-uniform memory access

• US 20070214333A1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Rangarajan, Madhusudhan, Nijhawan, Vijay, Wynn, Allen
• Application Number:
  US11/372,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214333A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4243 with synchronous protocol

Abstract

An information handling system includes a first node and a second node. Each node includes a processor and a local system memory. An interconnect between the first node and the second node enables a processor on the first node to access system memory on the second node. The system includes affinity information that is indicative of a proximity relationship between portions of system memory and the system nodes. A BIOS module migrates a block from one node to another, reloads BIOS-visible affinity tables, and reprograms memory address decoders before calling an operating system affinity module. The affinity module modifies the operating system visible affinity information. The operating system then has accurate affinity information with which to allocate processing threads so that a thread is allocated to a node where memory accesses issued by thread are local accesses.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a first node and a second node, wherein each node includes a processor and a local system memory accessible to the processor via a memory bus;

an interconnect between the first node and the second node enabling the processor on the first node to access the system memory on the second node;

an affinity table, stored in a computer readable medium, and indicative of node locations associated with selected portions of memory;

a memory migration module operable to copy contents of a first portion of memory on the first node to a second portion of memory on the second node and to reassign a first block of memory addresses from the first portion of memory to the second portion of memory;

an affinity module operable to detect a memory migration event and to respond to the memory migration event by updating affinity information to indicate the first block of memory addresses as being local to the second node.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable medium comprises a BIOS flash memory device.

3. The information handling system of claim 2, wherein the memory migration module further includes updating the affinity table.

4. The information handling system of claim 3, wherein the memory migration module further includes generating an operating system visible interrupt.

5. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the affinity module includes an operating system portion configured to respond to the operating system interrupt by calling a BIOS routine that notifies the operating system to discard current affinity information and to reload new affinity information.

6. The information handling system of claim 5, wherein the affinity module responds to the notifying by discarding the current affinity information and reloading the new affinity information by accessing the updated affinity table.

7. The information handling system of claim 1, further comprising a locality table stored in the computer readable medium indicative of an access distance between selected system elements, wherein the memory migration module further includes updating the locality table and wherein the affinity module further includes updating locality information based on the updated affinity information.

8. A computer program product comprising instructions, stored on a computer readable medium, for maintaining an affinity structure in an information handling system, comprising:

responsive to a memory migration event, instructions for modifying an affinity table storing data indicative of a node location of a corresponding portion of system memory;

instructions for notifying an operating system of the memory migration event; and

responsive to said notifying, instructions for updating operating system affinity information to reflect said affinity table.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising, in response to said memory migration event, instructions for modifying locality table indicative of an access distance between processors and portions of system memory in said information handling system.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said instructions for modifying said affinity table and said locality table comprise BIOS instructions for modifying said affinity table and said locality table.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said BIOS instructions for modifying further includes BIOS instructions for issuing an operating system visible interrupt.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising operating system instructions, responsive to said interrupt, for calling a BIOS method, wherein said BIOS method includes instructions for notifying said operating system to reload operating system affinity and locality information.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, responsive to said notifying, instructions for said operating system reloading said operating system affinity and locality information.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising, instructions for reprogramming memory decode registers to reflect a of a block of memory addresses as being associated with a range of memory addresses.

responsive thereto, instructions for modifying the affinity information to reflect the first block of memory as being located on the second node.

15. A method for maintaining an affinity structure in an information handling system, comprising:

responsive to a memory migration event, modifying an affinity table storing data indicative of a node location of a corresponding portion of system memory;

notifying an operating system of the memory migration event; and

responsive to said notifying, updating operating system affinity information to reflect said affinity table.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, in response to said memory migration event, modifying locality table indicative of an access distance between processors and portions of system memory in said information handling system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein modifying said affinity table and said locality table comprise a BIOS of said information handling system modifying said affinity table and said locality table.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said modifying further includes said BIOS issuing an operating system visible interrupt.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising an operating system, responsive to said interrupt, calling a BIOS method, wherein said BIOS method includes notifying said operating system to reload operating system affinity and locality information.

20. The method of claim 19, responsive to said notifying, said operating system reloading said operating system affinity and locality information.