MANAGING MEMORY

• US 20150186269A1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Liao, Guoxing
• Granted Patent: US 9,547,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3034 where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0638 Combination of memories, e.g. ROM and RAM such as to permit replacement or supplementing of words in one module by words in another module address formation of the next microinstruction G06F9/26; masking faults in memories by using spares or by reconfiguring G11C29/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1072 Decentralised address translation, e.g. in distributed shared memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1663 Access to shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/205 Hybrid memory, e.g. using both volatile and non-volatile memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7208 Multiple device management, e.g. distributing data over multiple flash devices

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for managing memory. Embodiments of the present disclosure, is related to a method and apparatus for managing memory, comprising: monitoring usage status of memory in a first computer device so as to determine available addresses; mapping at least one part of the available addresses to externally accessible shared addresses; and managing the shared addresses on the basis of a memory table so that the at least one part of the available addresses are accessible to a second computer device via the shared addresses, wherein the memory is connected to a dual in-line memory module interface of the first computer device. By means of the method and apparatus as described in the present disclosure, memory can be shared between a plurality of computer devices, the memory utilization efficiency can be increased while the cost reduced.

Claims

1. A method for managing memory, comprising:

monitoring usage status of memory in a first computer device to determine available memory addresses;

mapping at least one part of the available memory addresses to externally accessible shared memory addresses; and

managing the shared memory addresses based on a memory table such that the at least one part of the available memory addresses are accessible to a second computer device via the shared memory addresses, and the memory is connected to a dual in-line memory module interface of the first computer device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein mapping at least one part of the available memory addresses to the externally accessible shared memory addresses comprises:

registering the at least one part of the available memory addresses with a network adapter of the first computer device; and

obtaining a shared memory address corresponding to the at least one part of the available memory addresses based on a configuration associated with the network adapter.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the memory table maintains information on a usage status of the shared memory addresses, comprising at least one of an “

available”

usage status and an “

occupied”

usage status; and

an initial status being set as the “

available”

usage status.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein managing the shared memory addresses based on the memory table so that the at least one part of the available memory addresses are accessible to the second computer device via the shared memory addresses comprises:

in response to a use request from the second computer device, allocating to the second computer device at least one part of shared memory addresses with “

available”

usage status among the shared memory addresses; and

updating the status of the at least one part of shared memory addresses as “

occupied”

usage status.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

in response to a release request from the second computer device, releasing a shared memory address corresponding to the release request; and

updating the released shared memory address to “

available”

usage status.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

in response to a resource shortage occurring in the first computer device, returning to the first computer device memory associated with at least one part of shared memory addresses with “

available”

usage status; and

demapping the returned memory to corresponding shared memory addresses.

7. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

in response to a release request from the second computer device, returning to the first computer device memory associated with a shared memory address corresponding to the release request; and

demapping the returned memory to corresponding shared memory addresses.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the memory comprises at least one of a solid state memory, a solid state disk memory, a phase change memory and a random access memory.

9. A method for managing memory, comprising:

in response to a memory shortage occurring in a second computer device, requesting memory from a first computer device.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

releasing the memory in response to the second computer device completing using the memory.

11. An apparatus for managing memory, comprising:

a memory module configured to

monitor usage status of memory in a first computer device so as to determine available memory addresses;

map at least one part of the available memory addresses to externally accessible shared memory addresses; and

manage the externally accessible shared memory addresses based on a memory table such that the at least one part of the available memory addresses are accessible to a second computer device via the shared memory addresses, and the memory is connected to a dual in-line memory module interface of the first computer device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the memory module is further configured to

register the at least one part of the available memory addresses with a network adapter of the first computer device;

and

obtain a shared memory address corresponding to the at least one part of the available memory addresses used on a configuration associated with the network adapter.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the memory table maintains information on a usage status of the shared memory addresses, comprising at least one of an “

available”

usage status and an “

occupied”

usage status, and an initially status being set as the “

available”

usage status.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, further configured to

in response to a use request from the second computer device, allocate to the second computer device at least one part of shared memory addresses with “

available”

usage status among the shared memory addresses; and

update status of the at least one part of shared addresses as “

occupied”

usage status.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further configured to

in response to a release request from the second computer device, release a shared memory address corresponding to the release request;

and

update status of the released shared address as “

available”

usage status.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, further configured to

in response to a resource shortage occurring in the first computer device, return to the first computer device memory associated with at least one part of shared addresses with “

available”

usage status; and

demap the returned memory to corresponding shared memory addresses.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, further configured to

in response to a release request from the second computer device, return to the first computer device memory associated with a shared memory address corresponding to the release request;

and

demap the returned memory to corresponding shared memory addresses.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the memory comprises at least one of a solid state memory, a solid state disk memory, and a phase change memory and a random access memory.

19. The apparatus for managing memory according to claim 11, further configured to

in response to a memory shortage occurring in a second computer device, request memory from a first computer device.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, further configured to

release the memory in response to the second computer device completing using the memory.