System and method for recovering physical memory locations in a computer system

• US 6,463,515 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2000
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Gary D., Stedman, Roy W., Vrhel, Thomas Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robertson, David L.
• Application Number:
  US09/603,033
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems

Abstract

System and methods for recovering memory for computer systems are disclosed. A method for recovering physical memory within a computer system having a memory device is disclosed. The method includes detecting an event associated with the system, allocating memory based upon the detected event, and accessing at least one portion of physical memory in association with the allocated memory. Upon accessing physical memory the method further includes deallocating at least one portion of physical memory, wherein the deallocated physical memory is operable to be used in association with the event.

Claims

1. A method for recovering physical memory locations in a computer system having a memory device and an operating system, the method comprising:

allocating a contiguous block of memory within the computer system;

accessing recoverable physical memory locations associated with the allocated block of memory; and

deallocating the allocated block of memory upon accessing the recoverable physical memory locations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing the deallocated memory locations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing comprises copying information stored within the memory device to a storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an event; and

executing the event in association with the recoverable physical memory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the event comprises a critical event.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the event comprises a suspend event.

7. A method for recovering physical memory operably associated with a computer system having a memory device and operating system, the method comprising:

detecting an event associated with a process;

allocating a contiguous portion of the physical memory in response to the event;

accessing the allocated portion of physical memory; and

deallocating the allocated portion of physical memory.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising copying information based upon a predetermined criteria to a storage device operably associated with the system.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising executing the process in association with the deallocated portion of physical memory.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising compacting at least a portion of physical memory, based on process termination, the compacting to provide contiguous memory locations within the physical memory.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising deallocating a portion of physical memory associated with the executed process.

12. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one storage device;

at least one memory device coupled to the processor; and

a program of instructions associated with the computer system, the program of instructions having;

at least one instruction to allocate a contiguous portion of the memory device in response to an event;

at least one instruction to access a memory location associated with the allocated portion of the memory device; and

at least one instruction to deallocate the allocated portion of the memory device, the deallocated memory operable to be used in association with the event.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program of instructions further comprises at least one instruction to copy information from the memory device to the at least one storage device.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program of instructions further comprises at least one instruction to execute a process in association with the portion of recovered physical memory.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein at least one portion of the physical memory may be configured as a page.

16. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:

at least one instruction to copy information to a storage device associated with the system, the copy in response to the access; and

at least one instruction to compact at least a portion of memory to provide contiguous memory locations within the memory device.

17. A method for recovering physical memory within a computer system having a memory device, the method comprising:

detecting an event requiring a memory size;

allocating a contiguous block of memory based upon the detected event;

accessing at least one portion of physical memory in association with the allocated block of memory; and

deallocating the at least one portion of physical memory, the deallocated physical memory operable to be used in association with the event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the allocating comprises allocating a memory size larger than the required memory size.