Processing system having memory partitioning

• US 8,850,154 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc. (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Kisel, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): YU, JAE UN
• Application Number:
  US12/207,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,212 Days
• Field of Search: 711/170, 711/206, 711/171, 711/173, 718/104
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/10 Address translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/657 Virtual address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory

Abstract

Memory resource partitioning code allocates a memory partition in response to a process requesting access to memory storage. Memory partition rules may define attributes of the memory partition. The attributes may include a minimum memory allocation and a maximum memory allocation for the memory partition.

Claims

1. A processing system comprising:

memory storage;

memory resource partitioning code that is executable to allocate a memory partition when a process creates a memory object at runtime, wherein the memory partition is created for a single class of memory and the memory partition is associated with the memory storage, the memory partition having associated memory partition rules based on attributes established on a per memory class basis, that govern allocation of the memory storage associated with the memory partition, where the memory partition rules include a minimum size attribute and a maximum size attribute that indicate an amount of memory reserved for the memory partition and an amount of discretionary memory which is not guaranteed to be available for the memory partition, wherein a non-zero minimum size specifies an amount of memory reserved for use by the memory object created at runtime which is associated with the memory partition and the maximum size specifies an amount of memory that cannot be exceeded for use by the memory object created at runtime which is associated with the memory partition; and

the process that is operable to create the memory object at run time and generate a request for use of an amount of memory storage;

where the memory resource partitioning code responds to the process requesting use of the amount of memory storage by generating the memory partition for allocating memory in accordance with the memory partition rules.

2. The processing system of claim 1, where the memory resource partitioning code is adapted to generate a plurality of memory resource partitions.

3. The processing system of claim 2, where at least two of the plurality of memory resource partitions are arranged in a hierarchy comprising a parent memory partition and a child memory partition.

4. The processing system of claim 3, where the child memory partition has memory partition attributes corresponding to memory partition attributes of the parent memory partition.

5. The processing system of claim 1, where the memory resource partitioning code is adapted to generate a plurality of memory partition types.

6. The processing system of claim 5, where the plurality of memory partition types comprises an open memory partition type having a minimum size memory allocation equal to zero and a maximum size memory allocation that is not constrained by the open memory partition type.

7. The processing system of claim 5, where the plurality of memory partition types comprises a guaranteed memory partition type having a minimum size memory allocation equal to a predetermined value that is greater than zero and a maximum size memory allocation that is not constrained by the guaranteed memory partition type.

8. The processing system of claim 5, where the plurality of memory partition types comprises a restricted memory partition type having a minimum size memory allocation equal to zero and a maximum size memory allocation having a predetermined value corresponding to a maximum amount of memory storage that may be allocated.

9. The processing system of claim 5, where the plurality of memory partition types comprises a sandbox memory partition type having equal minimum size and maximum size memory allocation values.

10. The processing system of claim 1, where the process requesting use of the amount of the memory storage generates a memory object corresponding to a memory class, where the memory class is associated with a memory partition type having predetermined minimum size and maximum size attributes, and where the memory resource partitioning code generates a memory partition of the memory resource partition type when the process attempts to generate the memory object.

11. The processing system of claim 2, where at least two of the plurality of memory partitions are organized as a pseudo partition.

12. The processing system of claim 11, where the pseudo partition is collectively referenced by a group name.

13. The processing system of claim 1, wherein discretionary memory includes an amount of memory defined by the difference between the maximum memory allocation and the minimum memory allocation.

14. The processing system of claim 1, wherein different memory resource classes are partitioned separately and the process is allowed to be associated with more than one memory partition.

15. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the memory resource partitioning code arbitrates communications between a memory allocator and a physical memory allocator and intercepts the request for use of the amount of memory and processes the request before it is transferred to the physical memory.

16. A method for managing memory storage in a processing system comprising:

creating a memory object at run time by a process and requesting use of an amount of the memory storage;

generating a memory partition that represents a single class of memory in response to the request in accordance with memory partition rules based on attributes established on a per memory class basis corresponding to the memory partition, where the memory partition rules include a minimum size attribute and a maximum size attribute that indicate an amount of memory reserved for the memory partition and an amount of discretionary memory which is not guaranteed to be available for the memory partition, and a non-zero minimum size specifies an amount of memory reserved for use by the memory object created at run time which is associated with the partition and the maximum size specifies an amount of memory that cannot be exceeded for use by the memory object created at runtime which is associated with the memory partition; and

managing further memory requests from the process using the memory partition.

17. The method of claim 16, where the memory partition is generated in accordance with on one or more memory partition types.

18. The method of claim 17, where the one or more memory partition types comprises an open memory partition type having a minimum memory allocation equal to zero and a maximum memory allocation that is not constrained by the open memory partition type.

19. The method of claim 17, where the one or more memory partition types comprises a guaranteed memory partition type having a minimum memory allocation equal to a predetermined value that is greater than zero and a maximum memory allocation that is not constrained by the guaranteed memory partition type.

20. The method of claim 17, where the one or more memory partition types comprises a restricted memory partition type having a minimum memory allocation equal to zero and a maximum memory allocation having a predetermined value corresponding to a maximum amount of memory storage that may be allocated.

21. The method of claim 17, where the one or more memory partition types comprises a sandbox memory partition type having equal minimum and maximum memory allocation values.