Scalable synchronization mechanism for distributed memory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733995-B2
Application number	US-201414573133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A method comprising receiving control information at a first processing element from a second processing element, synchronizing objects within a shared global memory space of the first processing element with a shared global memory space of a second processing element in response to receiving the control information and generating a completion event indicating the first processing element has been synchronized with the second processing element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system comprising:
a first processing element, comprising:
a memory device comprising:
a global address space to store globally shared data; and
a private address space to store data items local to the first processing element; and

an agent to receive control information from a second processing element indicating data availability and to update the memory device at the global address space and to generate a completion event indicating the first processing element has been synchronized with the second processing element.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the completion event informs the first processing element that data has been updated at the global address space.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the agent generates the completion event after the first processing element has updated the data to the global address space.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the agent updates a synchronization event object after writing the data to the global address space.

5. The computer system of claim 4 wherein the synchronization event object is stored in the private address space.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the agent comprises one or more counters.

7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the completion event comprises synchronization metadata embedded within control data.

8. A method comprising:
receiving control information at a first processing element from a second processing element indicating data availability;
synchronizing objects within a shared global memory space of the first processing element with a shared global memory space of a second processing element in response to receiving the control information; and
generating a completion event indicating the first processing element has been synchronized with the second processing element.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the completion event informs the first processing element that data has been updated at the global address space.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the agent generates the completion event after the first processing element has updated the data to the global address space.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the completion event object is stored in the private address space.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the agent comprises one or more counters.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the completion event comprises synchronization metadata embedded within control data.

14. An apparatus comprising:
a first processing element, comprising:
a first memory device comprising:
a first global address space to store globally shared data; and
a first private address space to store data items local to the first processing element;

an interface coupled to the first processing element;
a second memory device coupled to the interface, comprising:
a second global address space to store globally shared data; and
a second private address space to store data items local to the first processing element; and

an agent to receive control information from the first processing element indicating data availability and to update the second memory device at the second global address space and to generate a completion event indicating that the second global address space has been synchronized with the first global address space.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the communication completion event informs the second processing element that data has been updated at the second global address space.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the agent generates the completion event after the first processing element has updated the data to the second global address space.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the agent updates a synchronization event object after writing the data to the second global address space.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the synchronization event object is stored in the second global address space.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the agent comprises one or more counters implemented by the interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the completion event comprises synchronization metadata embedded within control data.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:
receiving control information at a first processing element from a second processing element indicating data availability;
synchronizing objects within a shared global memory space of the first processing element with a shared global memory space of a second processing element in response to receiving the control information; and
generating a completion event indicating the first processing element has been synchronized with the second processing element.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the completion event informs the first processing element that data has been updated at the global address space.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the agent generates the completion event after the first processing element has updated the data to the global address space.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23 wherein the completion event object is stored in a private address space.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the agent comprises one or more counters.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein the completion event comprises synchronization metadata embedded within control data.

Assignees

• Cole Clement T
• Dinan James
• Jost Gabriele
• Smith Stanley C
• Wisniewski Robert W
• Underwood Keith D
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Cole Clement T
• Dinan James
• Jost Gabriele
• Smith Stanley C
• Wisniewski Robert W
• Underwood Keith D

Classifications

• G06F12/0692 Primary

  Multiconfiguration, e.g. local and global addressing · CPC title

• G06F9/542 Primary

  Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications · CPC title

• G06F2212/1016

  Performance improvement · CPC title

• G06F12/06

  Addressing a physical block of locations, e.g. base addressing, module addressing, memory dedication (G06F12/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F15/167

  using a common memory, e.g. mailbox · CPC title