SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING LOCAL AND REMOTE MEMORY ACCESS

• US 20090113143A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Domsch, Matthew Lee, Winter, Robert L., Hart, Travis L. JR.
• Application Number:
  US11/925,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1009 using page tables, e.g. page table structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 Flash memory

Abstract

A memory management unit (MMU) in an information handling system includes a translation module operable to receive a memory request identifying a memory address, and determine whether the identified memory address corresponds to a local memory resource associated with the information handling system or a remote memory resource coupled to the information handling system via a network. The MMU also includes at least one local memory access module operable to facilitate access to local memory resources if the memory address corresponds to a local memory resource, and at least one remote memory access module operable to facilitate access to remote memory resources via the network if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource.

Claims

1. A memory management unit (MMU) associated with an information handling system, comprising:

a translation module operable to;

receive a memory request identifying a memory address; and

determine whether the identified memory address corresponds to a local memory resource associated with the information handling system or a remote memory resource coupled to the information handling system via a network;

at least one local memory access module operable to facilitate access to local memory resources if the memory address corresponds to a local memory resource; and

at least one remote memory access module operable to facilitate access to remote memory resources via the network if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource.

2. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 1, wherein the MMU comprises a single silicon chip.

3. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 1, wherein:

the local memory access module comprises one of a local memory address management module and a local storage address management module; and

the remote memory access module comprises one of a remote memory address management module and a remote storage address management module.

4. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 1, further comprising a Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) manager configured to forward the memory request to the remote memory resource.

5. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 1, further comprising the Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) manager configured to facilitate forwarding of the memory request via the network according to iWARP or iSER protocols.

6. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 1, wherein the translation module maintains a translation table that corresponds different memory address ranges with local and remote memory resources.

7. A memory management unit (MMU) according to claim 6, wherein the translation module maintains a translation table that corresponds a first memory address range with local memory, a second memory address range with local storage, a third memory address range with storage memory, and a fourth memory address range with remote storage.

8. A method for managing requests for memory, comprising:

receiving a memory request at a memory management unit (MMU) associated with an information handling system, the memory request identifying a memory address;

the MMU determining whether the memory address identified in the memory request corresponds to a local memory resource associated with the information handling system or a remote memory resource coupled to the information handling system via a network;

if the memory address corresponds to a local memory resource, the MMU managing access to the local memory resource to fulfill the memory request; and

if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource, the MMU managing access to the remote memory resource via the network to fulfill the memory request.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein determining whether the memory address identified in the memory request corresponds to a local memory resource or a remote memory resource comprises accessing a translation table that corresponds different memory address ranges with local and remote memory resources.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource, forwarding the memory request to a Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) manager provided on the MMU.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the MMU is operable to manage memory requests for local memory resources and memory requests for remote memory resources.

12. A method according to claim 8, further comprising if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource, the MMU using an iWARP or iSER wrapping protocol to wrap the memory request for communication via the network toward the remote memory resource.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

a translation module associated with the MMU using a translation table to determine whether the memory address corresponds to local memory, local storage, remote memory, or remote storage;

if the memory address corresponds to local memory, forwarding the memory request from the translation module to a local memory address management module provided by the MMU;

if the memory address corresponds to local storage, forwarding the memory request from the translation module to a local storage address management module;

if the memory address corresponds to remote memory, forwarding the memory request from the translation module to a remote memory address management module; and

if the memory address corresponds to remote storage, forwarding the memory request from the translation module to a remote storage address management module.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the MMU comprises a single silicon chip.

15. An information handling system, comprising:

an operating system; and

a memory management unit (MMU), comprising;

a translation module operable to;

maintain a translation table corresponding different memory address ranges with local and remote memory resources;

receive a memory request from the operating system, the memory request identifying a memory address; and

use the translation table to determine whether the identified memory address corresponds to a local memory resource associated with the information handling system or a remote memory resource coupled to the information handling system via a network; and

at least one remote memory access module operable to facilitate access to remote memory resources via the network if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource.

16. An information handling system according to claim 15, wherein the MMU comprises a single silicon chip.

17. An information handling system according to claim 15, wherein the MMU further comprises a Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) manager configured to facilitate forwarding of the memory request to the remote memory resource.

18. An information handling system according to claim 17, wherein the RDMA manager facilitates forwarding of the memory request via the network according to iWARP or iSER protocols.

19. An information handling system according to claim 15, further comprising a network interface configured, if the memory address corresponds to a remote memory resource, to receive the memory request from the MMU for forwarding to the remote resource.

20. An information handling system according to claim 15, wherein the MMU is operable to manage memory requests for local memory resources and memory requests for remote memory resources.