METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING MEMORY

• US 20160357455A1
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Kibeom, Koo, Jinkyu, Kim, Kwonsik, LEE, Hyojeong
• Granted Patent: US 10,409,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0223 User address space allocation, e.g. contiguous or non contiguous base addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0284 Multiple user address space allocation, e.g. using different base addresses interprocessor communication G06F15/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2515 being configurable for different purposes, e.g. as cache or non-cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/502 using adaptive policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0611 in relation to response time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays

Abstract

A method for managing a memory and an electronic device are provided. The method includes setting a list including an exclusive relationship, between a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester, corresponding to a segment of a contiguous memory allocation region, receiving a memory allocation request, confirming whether the memory allocation requester comprises the memory allocation requester included in the list, and allocating a page of the contiguous memory allocation region corresponding to the segment, if the memory allocation requester is included in the list.

Claims

1. A method for managing a memory, the method comprising:

setting a list including an exclusive relationship, between a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester, corresponding to a segment of a contiguous memory allocation region;

receiving a memory allocation request;

confirming whether the memory allocation requester comprises the memory allocation requester included in the list; and

allocating a page of the contiguous memory allocation region corresponding to the segment, if the memory allocation requester is included in the list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exclusive relationship corresponds to a case where the memory is not in an activation state simultaneously with respect to the page unit memory allocation requester and the contiguous memory all requester.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing bitmap information for the contiguous memory allocation region,

wherein the bitmap information indicates whether the page included in the contiguous memory allocation region is reclaimable.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the memory allocation request comprises a contiguous memory allocation request; and

selecting a contiguous memory page region for processing the contiguous memory allocation request on the basis of the bitmap information, if the memory allocation request comprises the contiguous memory allocation request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of the contiguous memory page region comprises selecting a region in which page movement for the requested contiguous memory allocation is minimized in the contiguous memory allocation region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the region in which the page movement is minimized comprises a region in which the number of reclaimable pages on the basis of the bitmap information is maximized in the contiguous memory page region corresponding to the contiguous memory allocation request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the bitmap information is updated if reclaimable information of the page included in the contiguous memory region is changed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a simultaneous activation state of the memory with respect to the page unit memory allocation requester and the contiguous memory allocation requester that are included in a same segment of the list; and

removing the page unit memory allocation requester from the segment of the list.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a memory allocation request of a new page unit memory allocation requester;

confirming whether there is a currently activated contiguous memory allocation requester; and

if there is the currently activated contiguous memory allocation requester, operating not to add the new page unit memory allocation requester to the segment of the list in which the activated contiguous memory allocation requester is included.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adding the new page unit memory allocation requester to a temporary list of the segment in which the activated contiguous memory allocation requester is not included;

determining whether the exclusive relationship is satisfied with respect to the contiguous memory allocation requester corresponding to the new page unit memory allocation requester of the temporary list for a predetermined time; and

if the exclusive relationship is satisfied, adding the new page unit memory allocation requester to the segment in which the exclusive relationship is satisfied with respect to the new page unit memory allocation requester in the list.

11. All electronic device comprising:

a memory including a contiguous memory allocation region; and

a memory management unit configured to;

set a list including an exclusive relationship, between a page unit memory allocation requester and a contiguous memory allocation requester, corresponding to a segment of a contiguous memory allocation region,

receive a memory allocation request,

confirm whether the memory allocation requester comprises the memory allocation requester included in the list, and

allocate a page of the contiguous memory allocation region corresponding to the segment, if the memory allocation requester is included in the list.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the exclusive relationship corresponds to a case where the memory is not in an activation state simultaneously with respect to the page unit memory allocation requester and the contiguous memory allocation requester.

13. The electronic device of claim 11,

wherein the memory management unit is further configured to manage bitmap information for the contiguous memory allocation region, and

wherein the bitmap information indicates whether the page included in the contiguous memory allocation region is reclaimable.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to:

determine whether the memory allocation request comprises a contiguous memory allocation request, and

select a contiguous memory page region for processing the contiguous memory allocation request on the basis of the bitmap information, if the memory allocation request comprises the contiguous memory allocation request.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to select a region in which page movement for the requested contiguous memory allocation is minimized in the contiguous memory allocation region as the contiguous memory page region.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the region in which the page movement is minimized comprises a region in which the number of reclaimable pages on the basis of the bitmap information is maximized in the contiguous memory page region corresponding to the contiguous memory allocation request.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to operate to update the bitmap information if reclaimable information of the page included in the contiguous memory region is changed.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to:

sense a simultaneous activation state of the memory with respect to the page unit memory allocation requester and the contiguous memory allocation requester that are included in a same segment of the list, and

remove the page unit memory allocation requester from the segment of the list.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to:

receive a memory allocation request of a new page unit memory allocation requester,

confirm whether there is a currently activated contiguous memory allocation requester, and

if there is the currently activated contiguous memory allocation requester, operate not to add the new page unit memory allocation requester to the segment of the list in which the activated contiguous memory allocation requester is included.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the memory management unit is further configured to:

add the new page unit memory allocation requester to a temporary list of the segment in which the activated contiguous memory allocation requester is not included,

determine whether the exclusive relationship is satisfied with respect to the contiguous memory allocation requester corresponding to the new page unit memory allocation requester of the temporary list for a predetermined time, and

if the exclusive relationship is satisfied, add the new page unit memory allocation requester to the segment in which the exclusive relationship is satisfied with respect to the new page unit memory allocation requester in the list.