Method and apparatus for intelligent cloud-based graphics updates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10163179-B2
Application number	US-201514670962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and method are described for cloud-based graphics updates. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises a system optimization agent to detect a graphics application installed on the apparatus, the system optimization agent to responsively transmit, over a network, information related to the graphics application including a new graphics application or a new version of an existing graphics application. The apparatus may further comprise the system optimization agent to receive, over the network, optimized program code comprising one or more optimizations to specified portions of a graphics driver, where the one or more optimizations relate to the graphics application. The apparatus may further comprise the system optimization agent to install and enable only those specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations have been received, where the installation and enablement triggers at least one of increased user experience and increased performance relating to the graphics application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a system optimization agent to, based on a periodic check, detect a graphics application installed on the apparatus, the graphics application including a new graphics application or a new version of an existing graphics application,
responsive to the detection, the system optimization agent to transmit, over a network, information identifying the graphics application and user preference including a tradeoff between quality and performance, wherein the new graphics application or the existing graphic application includes a three-dimensional (3D) application;
the system optimization agent to receive, over the network, optimized program code comprising one or more optimizations to specified portions of a graphics driver, wherein the one or more optimizations relate to the graphics application, and wherein the optimized program code is based on the user preference and historical data gathered by the system optimization agent; and
the system optimization agent to install and enable only those specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations have been received, wherein the installation and enablement triggers at least one of increased user experience and increased performance relating to the graphics application, wherein the optimizations to specified portions of the graphics driver comprise shader optimizations, and the shader optimizations are to be generated by performing offline shader compilation depending on the user preference.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the user preference indicates a desired level of quality and/or performance such that offline optimization towards either quality or performance is performed in accordance with the user preference using cloud-based resources.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein to achieve relatively greater quality, the system optimization agent to facilitate performance of offline shader compilation in the cloud.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the system optimization agent is to further transmit system configuration data to facilitate determination of the specified portions of the graphics driver to be updated, if any, based, at least in part, on the system configuration data.

5. The apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations are received comprise system configuration-specific optimizations.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the system optimization agent is to additionally receive application-specific optimizations, the system optimization agent to install the application-specific optimizations on the apparatus.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein the application-specific optimizations comprise an indication of how physical memory is to be partitioned between a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU), how hardware resources on the GPU are partitioned, and/or whether certain GPU hardware resources are enabled or disabled.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the system optimization agent is to detect the graphics application installed on the apparatus further based on install hooks.

9. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the system optimization agent is to install and enable only those specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations have been received without reinstalling the entire graphics driver.

10. A method comprising:
detecting, based on a periodic check, a graphics application installed on an apparatus, the apparatus to process graphics commands, the graphics application including a new graphics application or a new version of an existing graphics application;
responsive to the detection, transmitting, over a network, information identifying the graphics application and user preference including a tradeoff between quality and performance, wherein the new graphics application or the existing graphic application includes a three-dimensional (3D) application;
receiving, over the network, optimized program code comprising one or more optimizations to specified portions of a graphics driver, wherein the one or more optimizations relate to the graphics application, and wherein the optimized program code is based on the user preference and historical data; and
installing and enabling only those specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations have been received, wherein installing and enabling triggers at least one of increased user experience and increased performance relating to the graphics application, wherein the optimizations to specified portions of the graphics driver comprise shader optimizations, and the shader optimizations are to be generated by performing offline shader compilation depending on the user preference.

11. The method as in claim 10 wherein the user preference indicates a desired level of quality and/or performance to perform offline optimization towards either quality or performance in accordance with the user preference using cloud-based resources.

12. The method as in claim 11 further comprising performing offline shader compilation in the cloud to achieve relatively greater quality.

13. The method as in claim 10 further comprising:
transmitting system configuration data to facilitate determination of the specified portions of the graphics driver to be updated, if any, based, at least in part, on the system configuration data.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein the specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations are received comprise system configuration-specific optimizations.

15. The method as in claim 10 further comprising:
receiving application-specific optimizations; and
installing the application-specific optimizations.

16. The method as in claim 15 wherein the application-specific optimizations comprise an indication of how physical memory is to be partitioned between a graphics processing unit (GPU) and a central processing unit (CPU), how hardware resources on the GPU are partitioned, and/or whether certain GPU hardware resources are enabled or disabled.

17. The method as in claim 10 wherein the graphics application installed on the apparatus is detected further based on install hooks.

18. The method as in claim 10 wherein the specified portions of the graphics driver for which optimizations have been received are installed without reinstalling the entire graphics driver.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a graphics optimization service to detect, over a network and based on a periodic check, installation of an application in another apparatus;
the graphics optimization service to monitor, over the network, information identifying the application and user preference including a tradeoff between quality and performance, wherein the application includes a three-dimensional (3D) application;
the graphics optimization service to compile an optimized program code having optimizations relating to the application, wherein the optimizations are determined based on the user preference and historical data gathered by the another apparatus; and
the graphics optimization service to communicate, over the network, the optimized program code to facilitate at least one of increased user experience and increased performance relating to the application in the another apparatus, wherein the optimized program code is for specified portions of a graphics driver and for shader optimizations, and the shader optimizations are to be generated by performing offline shader compilation depending on the user preference.

20.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Schluesser Travis T
• Taylor Robert B
• Venkatesh Abhishek
• Walsh Daniel H

Classifications

• G06F8/658

  Incremental updates; Differential updates · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06T1/20 Primary

  Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining · CPC title