MEMORY SWAP MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20110010722A1
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuyama, Yoichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/121 using replacement algorithms

Abstract

A memory swap management method that can preferentially place in a primary storage device a process that has a high possibility of being executed next, thereby shortening the time to start executing the next process. A planned execution sequence of jobs is stored when there are a plurality of jobs waiting to be executed. A process as a swap-out candidate and a process as a swap-in candidate are determined based on the execution sequence and types of processes stored in the primary storage device. According to the determination, the process as the swap-out candidate is swapped out from the primary storage device to a secondary storage device, and the process as the swap-in candidate is swapped in from the secondary storage device into an area of the primary storage device freed as a result of the swap-out.

Claims

1. A memory swap management method that in an information processing apparatus that executes a job comprising at least one process, carries out virtual storage of the process using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

a storage step of storing a planned execution sequence of jobs when there are a plurality of jobs waiting to be executed in the information processing apparatus;

a determination step of determining a process as a swap-out candidate and a process as a swap-in candidate based on the planned execution sequence of the jobs waiting to be executed and types of processes stored in the primary storage device; and

a swap processing step of, according to the determination in said determination step, swapping out the process as the swap-out candidate from the primary storage device to the secondary storage device, and swapping in the process as the swap-in candidate from the secondary storage device into an area of the primary storage device freed as a result of the swap-out.

2. A memory swap management method according to claim 1, wherein in said determination step, a process constituting a job that is latest in the planned execution sequence among the jobs waiting to be executed is made the swap-out candidate, and a process constituting a job that is earliest in the planned execution sequence among the jobs waiting to be executed is made the swap-in candidate.

3. A memory swap management method according to claim 2, wherein in said determination step, when there are a plurality of processes constituting a job that is earliest in the planned execution sequence among the jobs waiting to be executed, processes are preferentially made the swap-in candidates in the order of an execution sequence of the processes.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a memory swap management method according to claim 1.

4. A memory swap management method that in an information processing apparatus that executes a job comprising at least one process, carries out virtual storage of the process using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

a recording step of recording an execution history of processes;

a predicting step of predicting, with respect to each process, a possibly of being executed next based on the execution history of processes recording in said recording step and a type of a most recently executed process;

a determination step of determining a process as a swap-out candidate and a process as a swap-in candidate based on the possibilities predicted in said predicting step; and

a swap processing step of, according to the determination in said determination step, swapping out the process as the swap-out candidate from the primary storage device to the secondary storage device, and swapping in the process as the swap-in candidate from the secondary storage device into an area of the primary storage device freed as a result of the swap-out.

5. A memory swap management method according to claim 4, wherein in said recording step, with respect to each process, execution frequencies of respective processes executed immediately after execution of the process are recorded as the execution history, and in said predicting step, which process will be executed next after the most recently executed process and with what degree of possibility the process will be executed are predicted with respect to each process.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a memory swap management method according to claim 4.

6. A memory swap management apparatus that in an information processing apparatus that executes a job comprising at least one process, carries out virtual storage of the process using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

a storage unit adapted to store a planned execution sequence of jobs when there are a plurality of jobs waiting to be executed in the information processing apparatus;

a determination unit adapted to determine a process as a swap-out candidate and a process as a swap-in candidate based on the planned execution sequence of the jobs waiting to be executed and types of processes stored in the primary storage device; and

a swap processing unit adapted to, according to the determination by said determination unit, swap out the process as the swap-out candidate from the primary storage device to the secondary storage device, and swap in the process as the swap-in candidate from the secondary storage device into an area of the primary storage device freed as a result of the swap-out.

7. A memory swap management apparatus that, in an information processing apparatus that executes a job comprising at least one process, carries out virtual storage of the process using a primary storage device and a secondary storage device, comprising:

a recording unit adapted to record an execution history of processes;

a predicting unit adapted to predict, with respect to each process, a possibly of being executed next based on the execution history of processes recording by said recording unit and a type of a most recently executed process;

a determination unit adapted to determine a process as a swap-out candidate and a process as a swap-in candidate based on the possibilities predicted by said predicting unit; and

a swap processing unit adapted to, according to the determination by said determination unit, swapping out the process as the swap-out candidate from the primary storage device to the secondary storage device, and swapping in the process as the swap-in candidate from the secondary storage device into an area of the primary storage device freed as a result of the swap-out.