Method and apparatus for using a driver program executing on a host processor to control the execution of code on an auxiliary processor

• US 6,163,793 A
• Filed: 02/18/1997
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gerber, Richard, Kennedy, Howard J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid A.
• Application Number:
  US08/801,620
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 709/100, 709/102, 709/104, 709/105, 709/107, 709/106, 709/103, 710/129, 710/30, 701/121, 701/200
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3879 for non-native instruction execution, e.g. executing a command; for Java instruction set

Abstract

A method and apparatus for using a driver program, executing on a host processor, to control the execution of programs on an auxiliary processor is described. The host processor and auxiliary processor share a storage device. In this storage device, the driver program stores a number of ordered execution control blocks, each containing location information of a corresponding program and execution information for controlling the execution flow on the auxiliary processor. An execution control program, executing on the auxiliary processor, processes the execution control blocks in the order maintained by the driver program. The auxiliary processor processes each execution control block and executes its'"'"' corresponding program, taking the action specified by the execution information. In this manner, the driver program indirectly controls the execution of programs on the auxiliary processor.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device to store a plurality of programs, and a first and second plurality of ordered execution control blocks, each or said first and second plurality of execution control blocks comprising location information of a corresponding one of said plurality of programs;

a driver program to store said first and second plurality of execution control blocks in said storage device;

an execution control program to cause said plurality of programs to be executed in order in accordance to said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks until a predefined condition is met, then in order in accordance to said second plurality of execution control blocks until an execution control block is reached which instructs the execution control program to return to processing said first plurality of execution control blocks; and

a host and an auxiliary processor both coupled to share said storage device, said host processor to execute said driver program, said auxiliary processor to execute said execution control program and said plurality of programs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

upon completion of one of said plurality of programs, said execution control program further causes said auxiliary processor to notify said host processor that said one of said plurality of programs has completed.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

at time of notification of said host processor, said execution control program further causes said auxiliary processor to wait before executing another program of said plurality of programs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said host processor executing said driver program is further used to control execution of said execution control program on said auxiliary processor;

and

said control is provided by execution information stored in each of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks, said execution information indicates one of a plurality of states, said plurality of states including a wait state and a continue state, said wait state to indicate said auxiliary processor should pause execution of said execution control program, said continue state to indicate said auxiliary processor should continue execution of said execution control program.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said auxiliary processor is further used to notify, said host processor responsive to said execution control program.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein

said plurality of states further includes a notify wait state and a notify continue state, said notify wait state to indicate said auxiliary processor should pause execution of said execution control program and notify said host processor, said notify continue state to indicate said auxiliary processor should notify said host processor and continue execution of said execution control program.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a first of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks has stored therein argument information to identify an argument for use by said auxiliary processor in execution of said corresponding of said plurality of programs.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a first of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks has stored therein parameter information to identify a parameter generated during execution of said corresponding one of said plurality of progarms.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said auxiliary processor operates using an instruction pointer;

and

each of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks further comprise information concerning said instruction pointer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a first execution control block of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks, comprises location information of a first program of said plurality of programs, and location information of a call back routine, said call back routine being executed on said host processor responsive to completion of execution of said first program on said auxiliary processor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

said auxiliary processor is for video processing or a screen display and said predefined condition is one of a vertical blank and horizontal blank interrupt.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

said call back routine is executed by said host processor upon notification by said auxiliary processor of completion of execution of said first program.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said auxiliary processor controls a peripheral device; and

said plurality of programs comprise a program directed toward operation of said peripheral device.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

upon completion of one of said plurality of programs, the auxiliary processor waits until instructed by said host processor to execute a next program of said plurality of programs.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

upon completion of one of said plurality of programs, said auxiliary processor notifies said host processor of completion of execution of said one of said plurality of programs.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing a first and second plurality of execution control blocks in a storage device responsive to executing a driver program on a host processor, each execution control block in said first and second plurality of execution control blocks containing location information of at least one of a plurality of programs, said first and second plurality of execution control blocks each having an order;

executing programs from said plurality of programs on an auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said first plurality of execution control blocks until a predetermined interrupt, wherein said storage device is shared by said host and auxiliary processor; and

executing programs from said plurality of programs on said auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said second plurality of execution control blocks until an execution control block is reached which indicates said auxiliary processor is to return to processing said first plurality of execution control blocks.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

storing in a first execution control block of said first plurality of execution control blocks execution information that causes said auxiliary processor to wait at said first execution control block; and

altering said execution information in said first execution control block to cause said auxiliary processor to continue executing programs from said plurality of programs in accordance with said order of said first plurality of execution control blocks.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

storing in a first execution control block of said first plurality of execution control blocks information identifying a call back routine; and

executing said call back routine on said host processor responsive to completion of execution of the one or more programs in said plurality of programs identified by said location information in said first execution control block.

19. The method of claim 16

wherein said auxiliary processor is for video processing of a screen display and said predefined interrupt is one of a vertical blank and horizontal blank interrupt.

20. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing a set of one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by an auxiliary processor, cause said auxiliary processor to perform the following:

retrieving a first and second plurality of execution control blocks from a storage device, said first and second plurality of execution control blocks each having been stored in a manner indicating an order by a host processor executing a driver program, each execution control block of said first and second plurality of execution control blocks comprising location information of at least one of a plurality of programs;

executing programs of said plurality of programs on said auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said first plurality of execution control blocks until a predetermined interrupt, each program in said plurality of programs including one or more sequences of executable instructions, wherein said storage device is shared by said host and auxiliary processor; and

executing programs of said plurality of programs on said auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said second plurality of execution control blocks until a control block is reached which indicates said auxiliary processor is to return to processing said first plurality of execution control blocks.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

a first execution control block of said plurality of execution control blocks contains status information indicating a wait status; and

wherein said executing programs of said plurality of programs on said auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said first plurality of execution control blocks comprises;

waiting at said first execution control block until said status information is altered to a continue state.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

said auxiliary processor is for video processing of a screen display and said predefined interrupt is one of a vertical blank and horizontal blank interrupt.

23. An apparatus comprising:

a host and auxiliary processor coupled to share a memory, wherein said auxiliary processor is for video processing of a screen display;

said memory to store a plurality of programs, and a first and second plurality or ordered execution control blocks, each of said first and second plurality of execution control blocks comprising location information of a corresponding one of said plurality of programs, each of said ordered execution control blocks including execution information indicating one of a plurality of states, said plurality of states including a wait state, a continue state, and a return state;

a driver program, for execution by said host processor, to store said first and second plurality of execution control blocks in said storage device;

an execution control program, for execution by said auxiliary processor, to cause programs of said plurality of programs to be executed in order in accordance to said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks until one or a horizontal and vertical blank interrupt, then in order in accordance to said second plurality of ordered execution control blocks until an execution control block is reached whose execution information indicates a return state instructing said execution control program to return to processing said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks, said wait state to indicate said auxiliary processor should pause execution of said execution control program, said continue state to indicate said auxiliary processor should continue execution of said execution control program.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein

a first of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks has stored therein argument information to identify an argument for use by said auxiliary processor in execution of said corresponding one of said plurality of programs.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein

a first of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks has stored therein parameter information to identify a parameter generated during execution of said corresponding one of said plurality of programs.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein

a first execution control block of said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks, comprises location information of a first program of said plurality of programs, and location information of a call back routine, said call back routine being executed on said host processor responsive to completion of execution of said first program on said auxiliary processor, said call back routine being executed by said host processor upon notification by said auxiliary processor of completion of execution of said first program.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device to store one or more sequences of executable instructions corresponding to a first plurality of programs to be executed, and a first plurality of ordered execution blocks corresponding it said first plurality of programs, each of said first plurality of execution control blocks comprising location information of said corresponding one of said first plurality of programs in said storage device;

a driver program to generate and store said first plurality of corresponding execution control blocks in said storage device;

an execution control program to cause said first plurality of programs to be executed in order in accordance with said first plurality of ordered execution control blocks; and

a host and an auxiliary processor both coupled to said storage device, said host processor to execute said driver program, said auxiliary processor to execute said execution control program and said first plurality of programs.

28. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing a set of one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by an auxiliary processor, cause said auxiliary processor to perform the following:

retrieving a plurality of execution control blocks from a storage device, said plurality of execution control blocks each having been generated and stored in an order by a host processor executing a driver program, each of said plurality of execution control blocks comprising location information of at least one of a plurality of programs; and

executing programs of said plurality of programs on said auxiliary processor in accordance with said order of said plurality of execution control blocks, each program in said plurality of programs including one or more sequences of executable instructions, wherein said storage device is shared by said host and auxiliary processor.