Virtual Core Management for Multi-Core Processor Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current operating systems fail to optimize multi-core processing due to unawareness of non-identical processor cores' characteristics and inter-dependencies, leading to suboptimal performance and power management.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a virtual core management system that maps virtual cores to a pool of physical cores, allowing for dynamic reconfiguration based on performance and power demands, and includes a VCM component to manage and redirect processor inputs, intercept OS requests, and detect conditions for remapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If current operating systems use traditional thread scheduling on multi-core processors, then the system structure remains simple and easy to implement, but performance and power optimization is insufficient due to unawareness of non-identical core characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processor architecture into virtual cores (VCores) and physical cores (PCores), creating a layered abstraction. The VCM component manages the mapping between these layers, allowing the OS to schedule threads on virtual cores while the hardware executes them on physical cores. This segmentation enables performance optimization through aware scheduling without requiring the entire OS to become complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The Virtual Core Management (VCM) component acts as an intermediary between the operating system and the physical processor cores. It receives thread scheduling requests from the OS, determines optimal physical core assignments based on core characteristics and thread requirements, and manages the mapping. This intermediary layer absorbs the complexity of optimization while presenting a simplified interface to the OS.
2Productivity
If threads are moved between physical cores using software means to optimize performance, then performance can be improved, but long latency issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the VCM component with knowledge of physical core characteristics (performance levels, power consumption, dependencies) before thread migration is needed. When a thread needs to be migrated, the VCM can quickly determine the optimal destination core based on pre-established mappings and characteristics, reducing decision latency. The virtual core abstraction also allows for pre-established virtual-to-physical mappings that can be rapidly reconfigured.
3Productivity
If non-identical multi-core processors are used to achieve enhanced performance and power efficiency, then processing capability is improved, but current operating systems fail to recognize and schedule threads optimally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of core identification from physical core numbers to virtual core identifiers. Each VCore is assigned characteristics (performance level, power consumption, dependency profile) that are independent of the underlying physical core. The VCM component maintains a mapping between virtual and physical cores, allowing threads to be scheduled based on virtual core characteristics rather than physical core numbers, simplifying the scheduling interface while enabling optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual core management system including one or more physical cores, a virtual core including a collection of logical states associated with the execution of a program, and a virtual core management component configured to map the virtual core to one of the one or more physical cores based upon power management considerations.