Super operating system for a heterogeneous computer system

• US 9,098,287 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Chang, Teng-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Sisley
• Application Number:
  US13/301,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A super operating system for a heterogeneous computer system for executing tasks of software that has at least one performance processor, a processor supporting logic, and a hypervisor processor. The super operating system has a performance operating system for the performance processor; a hypervisor operating system for the hypervisor processor and a heterogeneous hypervisor software layer on top of the performance and hypervisor processors and below the performance and hypervisor operating systems. Under the super operating system, the hypervisor processor executes tasks that the hypervisor processor has sufficient processing power to handle and puts the performance processor to a power-conserving state. The hypervisor processor brings the performance processor out of power-conserving state to execute tasks that the hypervisor processor has insufficient processing power to handle. The performance and hypervisor processors simultaneously execute tasks that require combined processing power of all processors.

Claims

1. A heterogeneous computer system, comprising:

at least one performance processor, being configured to load a first part of a heterogeneous hypervisor layer when said at least one performance processor is powered on, wherein said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a performance operating system;

a processor supporting logic, supporting said at least one performance processor for executing tasks of software; and

a hypervisor processor, consuming less power than said at least one performance processor, loading a boot loader when said hypervisor processor is powered on, wherein said boot loader loads a second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer and said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a hypervisor operating system and said heterogeneous hypervisor layer is to provide for simultaneous and seamless communication between the performance and hypervisor operating systems for simultaneous applications,

wherein said heterogeneous computer system includes the following modes of executing tasks of said software;

said hypervisor processor, supported by said processor supporting logic, executing tasks of said software that said hypervisor processor has sufficient processing power to handle and putting said at least one performance processor to a power-conserving state;

said hypervisor processor bringing said at least one performance processor out of said power-conserving state to execute tasks of said software that said hypervisor processor has insufficient processing power to handle; and

said at least one performance and hypervisor processors simultaneously executing tasks of said software that require combined processing power of all processors, wherein

when said hypervisor processor is powered on before said at least one performance processor is powered on, said at least one performance processor is powered on by said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer, and

when said at least one performance processor is powered on before said hypervisor processor is powered on, said hypervisor processor is powered on by said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer.

2. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 1, wherein said performance operating system is an x86 operating system.

3. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 1, wherein said hypervisor operating system is an ARM operating system.

4. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 1, wherein said both said performance and hypervisor operating systems are x86 operating systems.

5. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 1, wherein each of said at least one performance processor and said hypervisor processor are x86 processors and are on the same semiconductor chip.

6. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 1, wherein each of said at least one performance processor is an x86 processor, said hypervisor processor is an ARM processor and all are on the same semiconductor chip.

7. A heterogeneous computer system, comprising:

at least one performance processor with a local processor bus, being configured to load a first part of a heterogeneous hypervisor layer when said at least one performance processor is powered on, wherein said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a performance operating system;

a processor supporting logic, supporting said at least one performance processor for executing tasks of said software;

a hypervisor processor, consuming less power than said at least one performance processor, loading a boot loader when said hypervisor processor is powered on, wherein said boot loader loads a second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer and said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a hypervisor operating system and said heterogeneous hypervisor layer is to provide for simultaneous and seamless communication between the performance and hypervisor operating systems for simultaneous applications; and

a bridge logic connecting said hypervisor processor to said processor supporting logic via said local processor bus,

wherein said heterogeneous computer system includes the following modes of executing tasks of said software;

said hypervisor processor, supported by said processor supporting logic, executing tasks of said software that said hypervisor processor has sufficient processing power to handle and putting said at least one performance processor to a power-conserving state;

said hypervisor processor bringing said at least one performance processor out of said power-conserving state to execute tasks of said software that said hypervisor processor has insufficient processing power to handle; and

said at least one performance and hypervisor processors simultaneously executing tasks of said software that require combined processing power of all processors, wherein

when said hypervisor processor is powered on before said at least one performance processor is powered on, said at least one performance processor is powered on by said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer, and

when said at least one performance processor is powered on before said hypervisor processor is powered on, said hypervisor processor is powered on by said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer.

8. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said performance operating system is an x86 operating system.

9. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said hypervisor operating system is an ARM operating system.

10. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said both said performance and hypervisor operating systems are x86 operating systems.

11. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said bridge logic is on an independent semiconductor chip.

12. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said bridge logic and said hypervisor processor are on the same semiconductor chip.

13. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 7, wherein said bridge logic, said hypervisor processor and said at least one performance processor are on the same semiconductor chip.

14. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 11, wherein each of said at least one performance processor is an x86 processor.

15. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 12, wherein each of said at least one performance processor is an x86 processor.

16. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 13, wherein each of said at least one performance processor is an x86 processor.

17. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 11, wherein said hypervisor processor is an ARM processor.

18. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 12, wherein said hypervisor processor is an ARM processor.

19. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 13, wherein said hypervisor processor is an ARM processor.

20. A heterogeneous computer system, comprising:

one or more first processors, being configured to load a first part of a heterogeneous hypervisor layer when said one or more first processors are powered on, wherein said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a performance operating system;

a processor supporting logic, supporting said at least one or more first processors for executing tasks of said software; and

a second processor consuming less power than said one or more first processors, loading a boot loader when said second processor is powered on, wherein said boot loader loads a second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer and said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer loads a hypervisor operating system and said heterogeneous hypervisor layer is to provide for simultaneous and seamless communication between the performance and hypervisor operating systems for simultaneous applications,

wherein said heterogeneous computer system includes the following modes of executing tasks of said software;

wherein said second processor, supported by said processor supporting logic, executing tasks of said software that said second processor has sufficient processing power to handle and putting said one or more first processors to a power-conserving state;

said second processor bringing said at least one first processor out of said power-conserving state to execute tasks of said software that said second processor has insufficient processing power to handle; and

said at least one first and second processor simultaneously executing tasks of said software that require combined processing power of all processors, wherein

when said second processor is powered on before said one or more first processors is powered on, said at least one or more first processors is powered on by said second part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer, and

when said one or more first processors is powered on before said second processor is powered on, said second processor is powered on by said first part of said heterogeneous hypervisor layer.

21. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 20, wherein said second processor is at a location different from that of said one or more first processors.

22. The heterogeneous computer system of claim 20, wherein one or more of said first processors is at a location different from the rest of said first and second processors.