Virtual Storage Memory Allocation for Continuous DMA Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a cloud environment, virtual storage devices executing on a general-purpose OS face performance degradation due to unnecessary data transfer between Linux-managed and unmanaged physical memory areas, as existing resource allocation control technologies cannot guarantee physically-continuous memory allocation.
Innovation Solution
A computer system with a processor executing an OS and multiple processes, including a virtual storage device, allocates and manages physical memory areas, securing continuous physical areas for the virtual storage device from both OS-managed and unmanaged regions to minimize unnecessary data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If physically-continuous memory areas are allocated from OS-unmanaged physical resources to virtual storage device, then performance of virtual storage is improved, but unnecessary data transfer occurs between Linux-managed and Linux-unmanaged areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the Linux-managed physical memory area and Linux-unmanaged physical memory area into a unified memory space. The processor secures continuous physical areas by allocating memory from both managed and unmanaged regions, eliminating the boundary between them. This allows data to be transferred directly between OSS applications and virtual storage devices without unnecessary intermediate transfers, resolving the contradiction between performance improvement and energy loss.
2Ease of operation
If OS resource allocation control is used to allocate memory to virtual storage device, then resource management is simplified, but physically-continuous memory allocation cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a memory management mechanism that acts as an intermediary between the OS resource allocation control and the virtual storage device. The processor executes control logic that monitors and manages physical memory allocation, securing continuous physical areas by coordinating between Linux-managed and Linux-unmanaged regions. This intermediary layer maintains the simplicity of OS resource management while ensuring physically-continuous memory allocation for virtual storage.
Data Source
AI summary
A memory management method of a computer including a memory and a processor connected to the memory, the method includes, by the processor, executing an OS and executing a plurality of processes on the OS. The plurality of processes include a virtual storage device and an application. The processor provides the application with a physical area of the memory, which is managed by the OS, controls the virtual storage device to use a physical area of the memory, which is mounted on the computer, but is not managed by the OS, secures continuous physical areas from the physical area of the memory, which is managed by the OS, to be used by the virtual storage device, and performs DMA transfer between the virtual storage device and the application by using the secured continuous physical areas.