Method for a correlating virtual memory systems by redirecting access for used stock instead of supervisor stock during normal supervisor mode processing

• US 5,063,499 A
• Filed: 01/09/1989
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Connectix Corporation
• Inventors: Garber, Jonathan F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Application Number:
  US07/294,831
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 703/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A method for causing suitably configured versions of the Apple Macintosh computer running the Apple Macintosh operating system to operate in user mode while causing at least user programs to continue to perform as though operating in supervisor mode, and in conjunction therewith a further method for implementing virtual memory on such Apple Macintosh computer systems.

Claims

1. A method of utilizing physical memory and peripheral storage in an Apple MacIntosh computer running under an Apple Macintosh operating system, wherein the Apple Macintosh computer includes a suitable microprocessor capable of coacting with memory management logic either internal or external to the microprocessor, and an amount of physical memory, and wherien the Apple Macintosh computer is capable of operating in both user and supervisor modes, as virtual memory comprising the steps of:

allocating a portion of the peripheral storage as a virtual memory file,

determining the amount of the physical memory resident in the Apple Macintosh computer,

setting the memory management logic to address at least part of the physical memory and at least part of the virtual memory file as virtual memory space, whereby there is a first portion of the virtual memory space in the physical memory and a second portion of the virtual memory space in the peripheral storage,

establishing a supervisor stack in the physical memory,

reconfiguring the Apple Macintosh computer to continue processing, normally performed in supervisor mode, in the user mode, including establishing at least one user stack in the virtual memory space in response to an attempt by the Apple Macintosh operating system to establish a stack and forcing the Apple Macintosh operating system or at least one currently executing application program to use the at least one user stack instead of the supervisor stack as if the Apple Macintosh operating system or the at least one currently executing application program was still operating in the normal supervisor mode by redirecting the microprocessor to use the at least one user stack when the Apple Macintosh operating system or the at least one currently executing application program attempts to address any stack during processing normally performed in supervisor mode, and

swapping between the first and second portions of the virtual memory space, in accordance with a predetermined criteria, non-critical information.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of retaining critical information in the first portion of the virtual memory space.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein critical information includes at least the location of the supervisor stack.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the steps of switching to supervisor mode to perform the information swapping step.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of organizing the virtual memory space into pages, and wherein the predetermined criteria includes consideration of page usage history.

6. The method of claim 2 further including the step of causing the macintosh operating system to recognize the entire virtual memory space as available physical memory by rebotting the Apple Macintosh computer, after allocating the virtual memory file and setting the memory management logic, without resetting the memory management logic or critical memory configuration values.

7. The invention of claim 1 further including the step of retaining the supervisor stack in a known location in the physical memory.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein oen of the critical memory configuration values is the value of MEMTOP.

9. The invention of claim 6 wherein one of the critical memory configuration values is the initial value of BUFPTR.

10. A method of installing virtual memory comprising a combination of physical memory and peripheral storage in an Apple Macintosh computer capable of operating in privileged and protected modes running under an Apple Macintosh operating system wherein the Apple Macintosh computer includes a suitable microprocessor capable of coacting with memory management logic either internal or external to the microprocessor, and an amount of physical memory, comprising the steps of:

allocating a portion of the peripheral storage as a block,

setting the memory management logic to address at least a portion of the physical memry and at least a portion of the block of the peripheral storage as virtual memory space,

reconfiguring the Macintosh operating system without further resetting the memory management logic to cause the Macintosh operating system to recognize the virtual memory space as available physical memory nd to cause the Apple Macintosh computer to continue processing, normally performed in priviledged mode, in the protected mode, including establishing at least one user stack in the virtual memory space in response to an attempt by the Macintosh operating system to establish a stack and forcing the Macintosh operating system or at least one currently executing application program to use the at least one user stack as if the macintosh operating system or the at least one currently executing application program was still operating in normal privileged mode by redirecting the microprocessor to use the at least one user stack when the Macintosh operating system or the at least one currently executing application program attempts to address any stack during processing normally performed in privileged mode.

11. A method of utilizign physical memory and peripheral storage in a computer system running uner an operating system, wherein the computer system includes a suitable microprocessor capable of coacting with memory management logic either internal or external to the microprocessor, and an amount of physical memory, and wherein the computer system is capable of operating in both user and supervisor modes, as virtual memory comprising the steps of:

allocating a portion of the peripheral storage as a virtual memory file,

determining the amount of the physical memory resident in the computer system,

setting the memory management logic to address at least part of the physical memory and at least part of the virtual memory file as virtual memory space, whereby there is a first portion of the virtual memory space in the physical memory and a second portion of the virtual memory space in the peripheral storage,

establishing a supervisor stack in the physical memory,

reconfiguring the computer system to continue processing, normally performed in supervisor mode, in the user mode, including establishing at least one user stack in the virtual memory space in response to an attempt by the operating system to establish a stack and forcing the operating system or at least one currently executing application program to use the at least one user stack instead of the supervisor stack as if the operating system or the at least one currently executing application program was still operating in the normal supervisor mode by redirecting the microprocessor to use the at least one user stack when the operating system or the at least one currently executing application program attempts to address any stack during processing normally performed in supervisor mode, and

swapping between the first and second portions of the virtual memory space, in accordance with a predetermined criteria, non-critical information.