Method and Computing Device for Using Both Volatile Memory and Non-Volatile Swap Memory to Pre-Load a Plurality of Applications

• US 20150324137A1
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Wu, Robert S., Chen, Jian, Karkare, Ashish, Marcu, Alon, Mountaniol, Vsevolod
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1014 One time programmable [OTP] memory, e.g. PROM, WORM
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

The following embodiments generally relate to the use of a “swap area” in a non-volatile memory as an extension to volatile memory in a computing device. These embodiments include techniques to use both volatile memory and non-volatile swap memory to pre-load a plurality of applications, to control the bandwidth of swap operations, to encrypt data stored in the swap area, and to perform a fast clean-up of the swap area.

Claims

1. A method for using volatile and non-volatile memory to pre-load a plurality of applications in a computing device, the method comprising:

performing the following in a processor of a computing device having a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory;

pre-loading a plurality of applications in the volatile memory until it is determined that available space in the volatile memory has dropped below a threshold level, wherein an application is pre-loaded in the volatile memory by;

copying application code for the application from the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory;

executing the application code from the volatile memory, wherein executing the application code creates application data; and

storing the application data in the volatile memory; and

when it is determined that the available space in the volatile memory has dropped below the threshold level, moving the application data for at least one application from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request for the at least one application; and

in response to receiving the request, moving the application data for the at least one application from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory instead of recreating the application data from scratch.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after the application data for the at least one application has been moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory, pre-loading at least one additional application and moving application data for the at least one additional application to the non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising deleting the application code from the volatile memory for the application(s) whose application data was moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device stores a list of application(s) whose application data should be moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when it is determined that the available space in the volatile memory has dropped below the threshold level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device stores a list of primary applications and a list of secondary applications, and wherein the primary applications are pre-loaded before the secondary applications are pre-loaded.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary and secondary applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device, but the secondary applications are pre-loaded during idle times after the computing device has been booted.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory is part of a storage module, and wherein the storage module is embedded in the computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory is part of a storage module, and wherein the storage module is removably connected to the computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory has a three-dimensional configuration.

14. A computing device comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory; and

a processor in communication with the volatile and non-volatile memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

pre-load a plurality of applications in the volatile memory until it is determined that available space in the volatile memory has dropped below a threshold level, wherein an application is pre-loaded in the volatile memory by;

copying application code for the application from the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory;

executing the application code from the volatile memory, wherein executing the application code creates application data; and

storing the application data in the volatile memory; and

when it is determined that the available space in the volatile memory has dropped below the threshold level, move the application data for at least one application from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to

receive a request for the at least one application;

and

in response to receiving the request, move the application data for the at least one application from the non-volatile memory to the volatile memory instead of recreating the application data from scratch.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to

after the application data for the at least one application has been moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory, pre-load at least one additional application and move application data for the at least one additional application to the non-volatile memory.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to delete the application code from the volatile memory for the application(s) whose application data was moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device stores a list of application(s) whose application data should be moved from the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory when it is determined that the available space in the volatile memory has dropped below the threshold level.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device.

20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device stores a list of primary applications and a list of secondary applications, and wherein the primary applications are pre-loaded before the secondary applications are pre-loaded.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the primary and secondary applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device.

22. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the primary applications are pre-loaded during booting of the computing device, but the secondary applications are pre-loaded during idle times after the computing device has been booted.

23. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

24. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory is part of a storage module, and wherein the storage module is embedded in the computing device.

25. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory is part of a storage module, and wherein the storage module is removably connected to the computing device.

26. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the non-volatile memory has a three-dimensional configuration.