METHOD AND SYSTEM GENERATING EXECUTION FILE SYSTEM DEVICE

• US 20100229164A1
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KWON, Ki-hyoun, PATIL, Jaydeep subhash
• Granted Patent: US 8,566,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/443 Optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/4442 Reducing the number of cache misses; Data prefetching cache prefetching G06F12/0862
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44557 Code layout in executable memory

Abstract

Provided is a method and system generating an execution file. The method includes determining number-of-calls information for a number of functions and then generating the execution file by locating the functions based on the number-of-calls information.

Claims

1. A method of generating an execution file for an application program comprising a plurality of functions, the method comprising:

determining respective number-of-calls information for each one of the plurality of functions; and

generating the execution file by locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions according to its respective number-of-calls information, wherein the higher a number-of-calls information value for a respective function in the plurality of functions is, the more frequently the respective function is called by one or more functions in the plurality of functions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a first memory region addressable by a single-word command and locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions comprises sequentially locating the plurality of functions on a function by function basis beginning at a start address for the first memory region in a descending order according to corresponding number-of-calls information values and beginning with a highest number-of calls information value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective number-of-calls information for each one of the plurality of functions comprises, for each one of the plurality of functions equating an actual number of calls made during execution of the application program to the one function by one or more other functions in the plurality of functions to its number-of-calls information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective number-of-calls information for each one of the plurality of functions comprises, for each one of the plurality of functions determining an actual number of calls made during execution of the application program to the one function by one or more other functions in the plurality of functions and applying at least one weighting factor to at least a portion of the actual number of calls to define its number-of-calls information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining size information for each one of the plurality of functions,

generating the execution file by locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions according to its respective number-of-calls information and size information, wherein the higher a number-of-calls information value for a respective function in the plurality of functions is, the more frequently the respective function is called by one or more functions in the plurality of functions.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a call degree for each one of the plurality of functions using the number-of-calls information and the size information, and

generating the execution file by locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions according to its call degree.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the call degree is for each one of the plurality of functions and is defined as a ratio between its number-of-call information and its size information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the memory comprises a first memory region addressable by a single-word command and locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions comprises sequentially locating the plurality of functions on a function by function basis beginning at a start address for the first memory region in a descending order according to corresponding call degree values.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the memory comprises a first memory region addressable by a single-word command and locating in memory each one of the plurality of functions comprises locating a function corresponding to largest number-of-calls information in value from among non-located functions if the function is located last in the first memory region.

10. A method of generating an execution file for an application program comprising a plurality of functions, the method comprising:

determining respective number-of-calls information and size information for each one of the plurality of functions; and

generating the execution file by locating each one of the plurality of functions in a memory, wherein the memory comprises a first memory region addressable by a single-word command and generating the execution file comprises;

(a) sequentially locating the plurality of functions on a function by function basis beginning at a start address for the first memory region in a descending order according to corresponding number-of-calls information values and beginning with a highest number-of calls information value, wherein the higher a number-of-calls information value for a respective function in the plurality of functions is, the more frequently the respective function is called by one or more functions in the plurality of functions;

(b) upon sequentially locating a number of included functions sufficient to fill the first memory region, identifying a last included function and a list of yet to be included functions;

(c) determining a remaining space value in the first memory region prior to locating the last included function;

(d) comparing size information for each one of the yet to be included functions with the remaining space value; and

(e) locating at least one of the yet to be included functions having size information less than the remaining space value in the first memory region before locating the last included function in the first memory value.

11. A system comprising:

a memory configured to store an execution file;

a linker configured to determine number-of-calls information for each one of a plurality of functions and generate the execution file by sequentially locating in the memory the plurality of functions based on the number-of-calls information; and

a microprocessor calling at least one of the plurality of functions located in the execution file.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the linker is further configured to additionally determine size information for each one of the plurality of functions and generate the execution file by sequentially locating the functions based on the number-of-calls information and the size information.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory comprises a first memory region addressable by a single-word command, and functions in the plurality of functions having highest number-of-calls information values are sequentially located in the first memory region.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a control register storing a start address position for the execution file, wherein the start address position is in the first memory region.