METHODS AND MECHANISMS FOR PROACTIVE MEMORY MANAGEMENT

• US 20100199063A1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fortin, Michael R., Ergan, Cenk, Iyigun, Mehmet, Sechrest, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/121 using replacement algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/122 of the least frequently used [LFU] type, e.g. with individual count value

Abstract

A proactive, resilient and self-tuning memory management system and method that result in actual and perceived performance improvements in memory management, by loading and maintaining data that is likely to be needed into memory, before the data is actually needed. The system includes mechanisms directed towards historical memory usage monitoring, memory usage analysis, refreshing memory with highly-valued (e.g., highly utilized) pages, I/O pre-fetching efficiency, and aggressive disk management. Based on the memory usage information, pages are prioritized with relative values, and mechanisms work to pre-fetch and/or maintain the more valuable pages in memory. Pages are pre-fetched and maintained in a prioritized standby page set that includes a number of subsets, by which more valuable pages remain in memory over less valuable pages. Valuable data that is paged out may be automatically brought back, in a resilient manner. Benefits include significantly reducing or even eliminating disk I/O due to memory page faults.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

capturing rich information on memory use, the rich information comprising at least one of pattern, frequency, context and grouping data;

persisting the rich information; and

using the rich information to per-fetch pages into a memory prior to an actual demand for the pages.