System and method for application migration between docking station and dockable device

• US 9,971,708 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Campbell, Jonathan Lawrence, Shen, Yuping
• Primary Examiner(s): Shyu, Jing-Yih
• Application Number:
  US14/956,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20170161212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/126 and has means for transferring I/O instructions and statuses between control unit and main processor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Described is a method and apparatus for application migration between a dockable device and a docking station in a seamless manner. The dockable device includes a processor and the docking station includes a high-performance processor. The method includes determining a docking state of a dockable device while at least an application is running. Application migration from the dockable device to a docking station is initiated when the dockable device is moving to a docked state. Application migration from the docking station to the dockable device is initiated when the dockable device is moving to an undocked state. The application continues to run during the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station or during the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device.

Claims

1. A method for application migration, the method comprising:

determining a docking state of a lockable device while at least an application is running;

responsive to detecting that the dockable device is in a docked state, initiating an application migration from the dockable device to a docking station, wherein the dockable device includes a processor and the docking station includes a high-performance processor; and

responsive to detecting that the dockable device is moving to an undocked state, initiating an application migration from the docking station to the dockable device,

wherein the application continues to run during the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station or during the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device, and

wherein a user mode driver locks one or more critical sections during either application migration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining all data required to recreate an application state on a transferee processor, wherein the transferee processor, regardless of whether the dockable device is in the docked state or in the undocked state, has the data to minimize data transfer when undocking.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

destroying state information on a transferor processor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the dockable device being in the undocked state, maintaining a virtual high-performance processor on the dockable device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user mode driver and a kernel mode driver ensuring that no work is sent to the virtual high-performance processor.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user mode driver and a kernel mode driver recording certain operations to be propagated to the dockable device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a docking event; and

sending a notification from a kernel mode driver to the user mode driver to initiate the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an undock request;

locking the undock request; and

unlocking the undock request so that the dockable device can be physically undocked after the application migration from the docking station to the dockable station is complete.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a docking event;

initiating the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station in response to detecting that the docking event is to dock the dockable device; and

initiating the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device in response to detecting that the docking event is to unlock the dockable device.

10. A dockable device, comprising:

a processor;

a user mode driver;

a kernel mode driver configured to determine a docking state of a dockable device while at least an application is running;

the kernel mode driver configured to initiate an application migration from the dockable device to a docking station on a condition that the dockable device is in a docked state, wherein the docking station includes a high-performance processor;

the kernel mode driver configured to initiate an application migration from the docking station to the dockable device on a condition that the dockable device is moving to an undocked state; and

the user mode driver and the kernel mode driver are configured to ensure that no work is sent to a virtual high-performance processor which is maintained on the dockable device on a condition that the dockable device is in the undocked state,

wherein the application continues to run during the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station or during the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device.

11. The dockable device of claim 10,

wherein the user mode driver and the kernel mode driver are further configured to maintain all data required to recreate an application state on a transferee processor, wherein the transferee processor, regardless of whether the dockable device is in the docked state or in the undocked state has the data to minimize data transfer when undocking.

12. The dockable device of claim 11, further comprising:

the user mode driver is further configured to destroy state information on a transferor processor.

13. The dockable device of claim 10, wherein the user mode driver and the kernel mode driver are further configured to maintain the virtual high-performance processor on the dockable device.

14. The dockable device of claim 13, further comprising:

the user mode driver and the kernel mode driver are further configured to record certain operations to be propagated to the dockable device on a condition that the dockable device is in the docked state.

15. The dockable device of claim 10, further comprising:

the kernel mode driver is further configured to send a notification to the user mode driver to initiate the application migration on a condition that the kernel mode driver detects a docking event.

16. The dockable device of claim 10, wherein

the user mode driver is further configured to lock one or more sections critical sections during either application migration.

17. The dockable device of claim 10, wherein:

the kernel mode driver is further configured to;

detect an undock request;

lock the undock request; and

on a condition that the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device is complete, unlock the undock request so that the dockable device can be physically undocked.

18. A computer readable non-transitory medium including instructions which when executed in a processing system cause the processing system to execute a method for application migration, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a docking state of a dockable device while at least an application is running;

responsive to detecting that the dockable device is in a docked state, initiating an application migration from the dockable device to a docking station, wherein the dockable device includes a processor and the docking station includes a high-performance processor;

responsive to detecting that the dockable device is moving to an undocked state, initiating an application migration from the docking station to the dockable device;

locking critical sections during either application migration; and

wherein the application continues to run during the application migration from the dockable device to the docking station or during the application migration from the docking station to the dockable device.