System, method, and computer program product for communicating sub-device state information

• US 8,126,993 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Carraher, Terrence John, Ledebohm, Herbert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US11/489,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709223-229
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for communicating sub-device state information. In use, a plurality of sub-devices of a device is exposed to an application, utilizing a driver. A request may then be received from the application for state information associated with at least one of the sub-devices. In response to the request, the state information is provided to the application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining whether a plurality of sub-devices of a single device are operating in a first mode or a second mode;

in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the first mode;

exposing the single device including the plurality of sub-devices to an application, utilizing a driver and a processor, such that the application perceives the plurality of sub-devices as the single device,

receiving a request from the application for state information associated with the single device, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the single device, providing the state information associated with the single device to the application; and

in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the second mode;

exposing each of the sub-devices of the single device to the application, utilizing the driver and the processor, such that the application perceives each of the sub-devices individually and addresses the sub-devices individually,

receiving a request from the application for state information associated with a least one of the sub-devices, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices, providing the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices to the application.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the sub-devices is a separate graphics processor.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising receiving a request from the application for additional state information for a sub-device of another device.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, and further comprising providing the additional state information to the application, in response to the request.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the additional state information is associated with the device, if the device includes only one sub-device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information includes performance information.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information includes temperature information,

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information includes power information.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first mode includes a first sub-device serving as a slave to a second sub-device.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the second mode includes the first sub-device operating independently of the second sub-device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices is provided to the application independent of whether the sub-devices are operating in the first mode and the second mode.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising determining a number of devices.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, and further comprising allocating the devices.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, and further comprising determining a number of the plurality of sub-devices.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, and further comprising allocating the plurality of sub-devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving and the providing are performed utilizing the driver.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the single device includes a single motherboard.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information refers to performance information.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising in response to the request for the state information associated with the single device, determining an identifier for each of the sub-devices.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein each identifier is utilized to reference the associated sub-device when making future requests for state information.

22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the state information associated with the single device which is provided to the application in response to the request for the state information associated with the single device when the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the first mode is the same as the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices which is provided to the application in response to the request for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices when the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the second mode.

23. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request from the application for the state information associated with the single device when the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the first mode is the same as the request from the application for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices when the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the second mode, and the request for the state information associated with the single device is valid while the request for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices is invalid if the at least one of the sub-devices does not include a component associated with the request for the state information.

19. The method as recited in claim l, wherein the request for state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices includes a request for the state information from a specific sub-device.

24. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium, comprising:

driver computer code for determining whether a plurality of sub-devices of a single device are operating in a first mode or a second mode;

driver computer code for, in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the first mode;

exposing the single device including the plurality of sub-devices to an application, utilizing a processor, such that the application perceives the plurality of sub-devices as the single device,

receiving a request from the application for state information associated with the single device, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the single device, providing the state information associated with the single device to the application; and

driver computer code for, in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in the second mode;

exposing each of the sub-devices of the single device to the application, utilizing the processor, such that the application perceives each of the sub-devices individually and addresses the sub-devices individually,

receiving a request from the application for state information associated with at least one of the sub-devices, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices, providing the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices to the application.

25. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of graphics processors organized as a single device and a plurality of sub-devices of the single device; and

a driver for exposing each of the sub-devices of the single device to an application, utilizing the processor;

wherein the system is operable such that, in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in a first mode;

the single device including the plurality of sub-devices is exposed to the application, utilizing the driver and the processor, such that the application perceives the plurality of sub-devices as the single device,

the single device receives a request from the application for state information associated with the single device, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the single device, the state information associated with the single device is provided to the application;

wherein the system is operable such that, in response to a determination that the plurality of sub-devices are operating in a second mode;

each of the sub-devices of the single device is exposed to the application, utilizing the driver and the processor, such that the application perceives each of the sub-devices individually and addresses the sub-devices individually,

at least one of the sub-devices receives a request from the application for state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices, and

in response to the request for the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices, the state information associated with the at least one of the sub-devices is provided to the application.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the graphics processors are in communication with a display and a central processing unit via a bus.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein each graphics processor includes a graphics processing unit.