Dynamic Reconfiguration of main storage and expanded storage by means of a service call logical processor

• US 5,704,055 A
• Filed: 04/22/1996
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Moon Ju, Glassen, Steven Gardner, Stucki, David Emmett, George, Jonel, Preston, Allen Herman, Krygowski, Matthew Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US08/635,537
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 395/401, 395/402, 395/410, 395/411, 395/412, 395/413, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 364/243.2, 364/245.31, 364/246.3, 364/228.2, 364/230.2
• US Class Current: 711/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0223 User address space allocation, e.g. contiguous or non contiguous base addressing

Abstract

A data processing system has a processing unit and a memory which provides a common pool of physical storage. This storage is initially assigned as either main storage or expanded storage during power on. Subsequent to the initial assignment, storage assigned as main storage or expanded storage may be unassigned and thus returned to the common pool. Once returned to the common pool, the storage may be reassigned as either main storage or expanded storage. The storage reassignment is done dynamically without requiring a reset action and transparent to the operating system and any active application programs.

Claims

1. A data processing system including a processing unit for program execution and for data processing, an operating system program for controlling the operation of said data processing system, and a service call logical processor, said data processing system comprising in combination:

a pool of increments of physical memory, from which pool, increments of main memory address locations and increments of expanded memory address locations are assigned;

a configuration table including flags which indicate the assigned status of an increment in said pool of increments of physical memory as an increment of main memory address locations, as an increment of unassigned main memory address locations, as an increment of expanded memory address locations, or as an increment of unassigned expanded memory address locations;

said service call logical processor dynamically changing an increment status in said pool of increments of physical memory by means of a service call instruction which changes a flag associated with the increment to be changed without disruption of the operating system program or any application program;

said service call instruction including an instruction for changing the status of an increment assigned as main memory address locations to the status of unassigned main memory address locations, an instruction for changing the status of an increment unassigned as main memory address locations to the status of assigned as expanded memory address locations, an instruction for changing the status of an increment assigned as expanded memory address locations to the status of unassigned expanded memory address locations, and an instruction for changing the status of an increment unassigned as expanded memory address locations to the status of assigned as main memory address locations;

wherein in hypervisor mode, when a logical partition is activated, said main memory address locations and said expanded memory address locations are assigned from the increment physical memory pool as specified by memory assignment parameters for said logical partition; and

after said logical partition is activated, portions of said main memory address locations and said expanded memory address locations for said logical partition is unassigned in multiples of increments.

2. A data processing system including a processing unit for program execution and for data processing, an operating system program for controlling the operation of said data processing system, said data processing system comprising in combination:

a pool of increments of physical memory, from which pool, increments of main memory address locations and increments of expanded memory address locations are assigned;

a configuration table which indicate the assigned status of an increment in said pool of increments of physical memory as an increment of main memory address locations, as an increment of unassigned main memory address locations, as an increment of expanded memory address locations, or as an increment of unassigned expanded memory address locations;

means for dynamically changing an increment status in said pool of increments of physical memory by means of instruction which changes said configuration table for the increment to be changed without disruption of the operating system program or any application program;

said instruction including an instruction for changing the status of an increment assigned as main memory address locations to the status of unassigned main memory address locations, an instruction for changing the status of an increment unassigned as main memory address locations to the status of assigned as expanded memory address locations, an instruction for changing the status of an increment assigned as expanded memory address locations to the status of unassigned expanded memory address locations, and an instruction for changing the status of an increment unassigned as expanded memory address locations to the status of assigned as main memory address locations;

wherein in hypervisor mode, when a logical partition is activated, said main memory address locations and said expanded memory address locations are assigned from the increment physical memory pool as specified by memory assignment parameters for said logical partition; and

after said logical partition is activated, portions of said main memory address locations and said expanded memory address locations for said logical partition is unassigned in multiples of increments.