Loading software on a plurality of processors

• US 7,415,703 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Xenidis, James, Nutter, Mark Richard, Day, Michael Norman, Aguilar, Maximino Jr., Chow, Alex Chunghen, Gowen, Michael Stan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong; Camquy
• Application Number:
  US10/670,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 717/10, 717/166, 717/176, 709/201, 718/104
• US Class Current: 717/166
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44557 Code layout in executable memory

Abstract

A processing unit (PU) retrieves a file from system memory and loads it into its internal memory. The PU extracts a processor type from the file'"'"'s header which identifies whether the file should execute on the PU or a synergistic processing unit (SPU). If an SPU should execute the file, the PU DMA'"'"'s the file to the SPU for execution. In one embodiment, the file is a combined file which includes both PU and SPU code. In this embodiment, the PU identifies one or more section headers included in the file which indicates embedded SPU code within the combined file. In this embodiment, the PU extracts the SPU code from the combined file and DMA'"'"'s the extracted code to an SPU for execution.

Claims

1. A method for loading software on a plurality of processors in a heterogeneous processor environment, said method comprising:

executing a program on a first processor;

in response to executing the program, loading a runtime loader onto the first processor;

using the runtime loader loaded on the first processor to retrieve an executable file;

using the runtime loader to extract a processor identifier from the executable file, the processor identifier corresponding to the executable file;

determining, using the runtime loader, whether to load the executable file on a second processor based upon whether the processor identifier corresponding to the second processor;

using the runtime loader to load the executable file from the first processor onto the second processor in response to determining that the processor identifier corresponds to the second processor;

sending a plug-in to the second processor using the first processor, the plug-in corresponding to the executable file;

sending data to the second processor using the first processor, the data corresponding to the plug-in; and

processing the data with the plug-in using the second processor.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the executable file is in a file format, and wherein the file format is selected from the group consisting of an ELF format, an XCOFF format, and a PECOFF format.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the processor identifier is a machine type, the determining further comprising:

extracting the machine type from the file; and

comparing the machine type to a plurality of machine types.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the file is part of a combined file, and wherein the processor type corresponds to one or more section headers from a plurality of section headers.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the file is part of a combined file, and wherein the combined file includes one or more processor identifiers that correspond to the first processor.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first processor is a processing unit and wherein the second processor is a synergistic processing unit.