Preloading an application while an operating system loads

• US 9,652,249 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Chu, Chee Hoe, Zhou, Wei, Zheng, Ping, Chang, Po-Chien
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Terrell
• Application Number:
  US14/205,196
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

This disclosure describes techniques and/or apparatuses for reducing the total time used to boot up a computer and load applications onto the computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, responsive to a boot-up process of a computer commencing, one or more applications stored on a first non-volatile storage device;

accessing, responsive to a boot-up process of a computer commencing, one or more applications stored on a first non-volatile storage device;

reading, at least partially, the one or more applications from the first non-volatile storage device;

loading an operating system (OS) of the computer from a second non-volatile storage device into a system memory, the second non-volatile storage device being separate from the first non-volatile storage device; and

preloading, at least partially, the one or more applications from the first non-volatile storage device into a cache memory, the cache memory being separate from the system memory, as part of the boot-up process while the OS is being loaded, thereby enabling the computer to load the one or more applications from the cache memory on completion of the boot-up process.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein multiple applications are stored on the first non-volatile storage device and the method further comprises determining which of the multiple applications to preload into the cache memory based on at least one of:

a selection previously received from a user;

or

a history of application use.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising determining an order in which to preload the one or more applications from the first non-volatile storage device into the cache memory.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, after completion of the boot process of the computer, one or more additional applications stored on the first non-volatile storage device; and

preloading, at least partially, the one or more additional applications from the first non-volatile storage device into the cache memory effective to enable the computer to load or execute the one or more additional applications from the cache memory.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein preloading the one or more applications comprises preloading respective logic blocks associated with the one or more applications into the cache memory.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising generating an index associated with the logic blocks, the index indicating an order in which to preload the logic blocks into the cache memory.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first non-volatile storage device is operably coupled to the cache memory via a first data bus and the second non-volatile storage device is coupled to the system memory of the computing device via a second data bus.

8. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising processor-executable instructions, that responsive to execution by a processor, implement a preloader to:

access, responsive to a boot-up process of a computer commencing, one or more applications stored on a first non-volatile storage device;

read, at least partially, the one or more applications from the first non-volatile storage device; and

preload, at least partially, the one or more applications from the first non-volatile storage device into a cache memory while an operating system (OS) of the computer is loaded from a second non-volatile storage device into a system memory of the computer, the second non-volatile storage device being separate from the first non-volatile storage device, the cache memory being separate from the system memory, as part of the boot-up process thereby enabling the computer to load the one or more applications from the cache memory on completion of the boot-up process.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage devices as recited in claim 8, comprising additional processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the processor, implement the preloader to:

access an index indicating an order in which to preload the one or more applications into the cache memory; and

preload the one or more applications in the order indicated by the index.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage devices as recited in claim 8, comprising additional processor-executable instructions, that responsive to execution by the processor, implement the preloader to:

access, after the boot-up process of the computer completes, one or more additional applications stored on the first non-volatile storage device; and

preload, at least partially, the one or more additional applications from the first non-volatile storage device into the cache memory effective to enable the computer to load or execute the one or more additional applications from the cache memory.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of preloading includes preloading the one or more applications into the cache memory at least partially while a BIOS is loaded into, or executed from, the system memory.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein the first non-volatile storage device is operably coupled to the cache memory via a first data bus and the second non-volatile storage device is operably coupled to the system memory of the computer via a second data bus.

13. A system comprising:

an interface to a first non-volatile storage device, the first non-volatile storage device storing data associated with one or more applications of a computer;

a cache memory configured to store the data associated with the one or more applications;

an interface to system memory of the computer from which the one or more applications are executed, the system memory of the computer being separate from the cache memory;

an operating system (OS) of the computer configured to;

load from a second non-volatile storage device into the system memory of the computer, the second non-volatile storage device being separate from the first non-volatile storage device; and

a controller configured to;

access, responsive to a boot-up process of the computer commencing, the data associated with the one or more applications stored on the first non-volatile storage device; and

preload, at least partially, the data associated with the one or more applications into the cache memory while the OS is loaded as part of the boot-up process thereby enabling the OS, once the OS is loaded into and executed from the system memory, to load the one or more applications from the cache memory into the system memory for execution.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to access, prior to the boot-up process of the computer commencing, an index indicating an order in which to preload the one or more applications.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the order in which to preload the one or more applications is based on at least one of:

a selection previously received from a user;

a history of application use;

or

a preconfigured order established by a manufacturer of the computer, the operating system, or the computer.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to delete, after the one or more applications are loaded from the cache into the system memory, data associated with the one or more applications from the cache.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to preload, completely, the data associated with the one or more applications into the cache memory while the operating system (OS) of the computer is loaded from the second non-volatile storage device into the system memory.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the first non-volatile storage device is operably coupled to the cache memory via a first data bus and the second non-volatile storage device is coupled to the system memory of the computer via a second data bus.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the system memory of the computer is separate from the cache memory, the separation based on the cache memory being internal to the controller and the system memory being external to the controller.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the second non-volatile storage device is separate from the first non-volatile storage device, the separation based on the first non-volatile storage device being internal to the controller and the second non-volatile storage device being external to the controller.