Dynamic Memory Page Classification for Kernel Dumping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Full memory dumps in system crashes are time-consuming and result in significant downtime due to the slow process of writing large memory contents to external storage, making it inefficient for debugging and system recovery.
Innovation Solution
Dynamic memory page classification creates dynamically created page classes (DPCs) that map to the kernel's operational hierarchy, allowing only affected memory pages to be dumped during a system panic, reducing the number of pages that need to be written and thus minimizing downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a full memory dump is performed, then complete system state information is captured for debugging, but the system downtime becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the memory dump process into segments by classifying memory pages into different categories (e.g., kernel space, user space, modified pages, clean pages). Only relevant segments such as modified pages and kernel space are dumped, while clean user space pages are excluded. This segmentation allows capturing essential system state information while significantly reducing the total dump time.
2Productivity
If memory pages are classified into fixed page classes, then dumping can be targeted to specific classes, but the classification structure becomes rigid and cannot adapt to changing system states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic page classification where the classification criteria and page assignments can change based on system state. The system dynamically determines which pages belong to which classes at dump time, allowing the classification structure to adapt to different system states and crash scenarios. This dynamic approach maintains high dumping efficiency while providing the flexibility to handle various system configurations and failure modes.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for creating memory page classification that improves memory dumping efficiency. In one example embodiment, this is accomplished by creating DPCs that substantially maps to operational hierarchy of kernel that includes modules/sub-systems that can allocate and manage the kernel. One or more DPCs associated with the kernel's modules/sub-systems that needs to dumped is then determined upon receiving a computer system panic condition. The memory pages associated with the one or more DPCs are then dumped to an external memory based on the determination.