U.S. patent application number 14/055367 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-31 for common pointers in unified virtual memory system.
This patent application is currently assigned to NVIDIA Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is NVIDIA Corporation. Invention is credited to Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY.
Application Number | 20170249254 14/055367 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51533897 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170249254 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
DULUK, JR.; Jerome F. ; et
al. |
August 31, 2017 |
COMMON POINTERS IN UNIFIED VIRTUAL MEMORY SYSTEM
Abstract
A system for managing virtual memory. The system includes a
first processing unit configured to execute a first operation that
references a first virtual memory address. The system also includes
a first memory management unit (MMU) associated with the first
processing unit and configured to generate a first page fault upon
determining that a first page table that is stored in a first
memory unit associated with the first processing unit does not
include a mapping corresponding to the first virtual memory
address. The system further includes a first copy engine associated
with the first processing unit. The first copy engine is configured
to read a first command queue to determine a first mapping that
corresponds to the first virtual memory address and is included in
a first page state directory. The first copy engine is also
configured to update the first page table to include the first
mapping.
Inventors: |
DULUK, JR.; Jerome F.; (Palo
Alto, CA) ; BUSCHARDT; Cameron; (Round Rock, TX)
; CHEUNG; Sherry; (San Jose, CA) ; DEMING; James
Leroy; (Madison, AL) ; DUNCAN; Samuel H.;
(Arlington, MA) ; DUNNING; Lucien; (Santa Clara,
CA) ; GEORGE; Robert; (Austin, TX) ;
GOPALAKRISHNAN; Arvind; (San Jose, CA) ; HAIRGROVE;
Mark; (San Jose, CA) ; JIA; Chenghuan;
(Fremont, CA) ; MASHEY; John; (Portola Valley,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NVIDIA Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
NVIDIA Corporation
Santa Clara
CA
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140281357 A1 |
September 18, 2014 |
|
|
Family ID: |
51533897 |
Appl. No.: |
14/055367 |
Filed: |
October 16, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61782349 |
Mar 14, 2013 |
|
|
|
61800004 |
Mar 15, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 12/1009 20130101;
G06F 12/1072 20130101; G06F 12/109 20130101; G06F 12/08 20130101;
G06F 12/10 20130101; G06F 11/073 20130101; G06F 2212/1016 20130101;
G06F 12/12 20130101; G06F 11/0793 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 12/10 20060101
G06F012/10 |
Claims
1. A method for creating and managing common pointers in a virtual
memory architecture, the method comprising: storing a first page
state directory entry in a page state directory, wherein the first
page state directory entry includes a first mapping between a first
virtual memory address associated with a first memory page and a
first physical memory address associated with a first memory unit;
translating the first virtual memory address into the first
physical memory address based on the first page state directory
entry; storing a second page state directory entry in the page
state directory, wherein the second page state directory entry
includes a second mapping between the first virtual memory address
and a second physical memory address associated with a second
memory unit; and translating the first virtual memory address into
the second physical memory address based on the second page state
directory entry.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing a first
memory page in the first memory unit prior to storing the first
page state directory entry; and storing the first memory page in
the second memory unit prior to storing the second page state
directory entry.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of translating the first
virtual memory address into the first physical memory address is
performed in response to an application program requesting data via
a pointer that includes the first virtual memory address.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of translating the first
virtual memory address into the second physical memory address is
also performed in response to the application program requesting
data via the pointer.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein storing the first memory page in
the second memory unit comprises copying the first memory page from
the first memory unit to the second memory unit.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising deleting the first
memory page from the first memory unit after copying the first
memory page from the first memory unit to the second memory
unit.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising: storing the first
mapping in a first page table associated with both the first memory
unit and a first processing unit; and storing the second mapping in
a second page table associated with both the second memory unit and
a second processing unit.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising deleting the first
mapping from the first page table after storing the first memory
page in the second memory unit.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first processing unit
comprises a parallel processing unit, and the second processing
unit comprises a central processing unit.
10. A computing device for creating and managing common pointers in
a virtual memory architecture, the system comprising: a first
processing unit configured to: store a first page state directory
entry in a page state directory, wherein the first page state
directory entry includes a first mapping between a first virtual
memory address associated with a first memory page and a first
physical memory address associated with a first memory unit, and
store a second page state directory entry in the page state
directory, wherein the second page state directory entry includes a
second mapping between the first virtual memory address and a
second physical memory address associated with a second memory
unit; a first memory management unit configured to: translate the
first virtual memory address into the first physical memory address
based on the first page state directory entry, and translate the
first virtual memory address into the second physical memory
address based on the second page state directory entry.
11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the first processing
unit is further configured to store a first memory page in the
first memory unit prior to storing the first page state directory
entry and store the first memory page in the second memory unit
prior to storing the second page state directory entry.
12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the first memory
management unit is configured to translate the first virtual memory
address into the first physical memory address in response to an
application program requesting data via a pointer that includes the
first virtual memory address.
13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the first memory
management unit is further configured to translate the first
virtual memory address into the second physical memory address in
response to the application program requesting data via the
pointer.
14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein storing the first
memory page in the second memory unit comprises copying the first
memory page from the first memory unit to the second memory
unit.
15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the first processing
unit is further configured to delete the first memory page from the
first memory unit after copying the first memory page from the
first memory unit to the second memory unit.
16. A processing subsystem for creating and managing common
pointers in a virtual memory architecture, the processing subsystem
comprising: a first processing unit configured to: store a first
page state directory entry in a page state directory, wherein the
first page state directory entry includes a first mapping between a
first virtual memory address associated with a first memory page
and a first physical memory address associated with a first memory
unit, and store a second page state directory entry in the page
state directory, wherein the second page state directory entry
includes a second mapping between the first virtual memory address
and a second physical memory address associated with a second
memory unit; a first memory management unit configured to:
translate the first virtual memory address into the first physical
memory address based on the first page state directory entry, and
translate the first virtual memory address into the second physical
memory address based on the second page state directory entry.
17. The processing subsystem of claim 16, wherein the first
processing unit is further configured to store a first memory page
in the first memory unit prior to storing the first page state
directory entry and store the first memory page in the second
memory unit prior to storing the second page state directory
entry.
18. The processing subsystem of claim 17, wherein the first memory
management unit is configured to translate the first virtual memory
address into the first physical memory address in response to an
application program requesting data via a pointer that includes the
first virtual memory address.
19. The processing subsystem of claim 18, wherein the first memory
management unit is further configured to translate the first
virtual memory address into the second physical memory address in
response to the application program requesting data via the
pointer.
20. The processing subsystem of claim 17, wherein storing the first
memory page in the second memory unit comprises copying the first
memory page from the first memory unit to the second memory unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent
application Ser. No. 61/782,349, filed Mar. 14, 2013 and titled
"Unified Virtual Memory." The subject matter of this related
application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to
virtual memory, and, more specifically, to common pointers in a
unified virtual memory system.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Most modern computer systems typically implement some type
of virtual memory architecture. Among other things, the virtual
memory architecture enables instructions to access memory using
virtual memory addresses, rather than physical memory addresses. By
providing this virtual memory layer between physical memory and
application software, user-level software is shielded from the
details of physical memory management, which is left to a dedicated
memory management system.
[0006] A typical computer system that implements a virtual memory
architecture includes a central processing unit (CPU) and one or
more parallel processing units (GPUs). In operation, a software
process executing on either a CPU or a GPU may request data via a
virtual memory address. In many traditional architectures, the
virtual memory systems that handle requests for data via virtual
memory addresses for a CPU and a GPU are independent. More
specifically, a separate CPU memory management system and a
separate GPU memory management system handle requests for data from
the CPU and GPU, respectively.
[0007] There are several drawbacks associated with such independent
memory management systems. For example, each independent memory
management system does not necessarily have knowledge of the
contents of the memory units associated with the other memory
management system. Thus, the memory management systems cannot
necessarily cooperate to provide certain efficiencies, such as
determining where data should be stored for improved access
latency. Additionally, as the memory management systems are
independent, pointers for one such system are not necessarily
compatible with the other system. Thus, an application programmer
must keep track of two different types of pointers.
[0008] As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a
more efficient approach to managing virtual memory in a system with
heterogeneous processors, such as a CPU and a GPU.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a system
for managing virtual memory to physical memory mappings via a page
state directory. The system includes a first processing unit
configured to execute a first operation that references a first
virtual memory address. The system also includes a first memory
management unit (MMU) associated with the first processing unit and
configured to generate a first page fault upon determining that a
first page table that is stored in a first memory unit associated
with the first processing unit does not include a mapping
corresponding to the first virtual memory address. The system
further includes a first copy engine associated with the first
processing unit. The first copy engine is configured to read a
first command queue to determine a first mapping that corresponds
to the first virtual memory address and is included in a first page
state directory. The first copy engine is also configured to update
the first page table to include the first mapping.
[0010] One advantage of the disclosed approach is that user-level
applications do not need to keep track of multiple pointers
depending on where a particular piece of data is stored. An
additional advantage is that memory pages are migrated between
memory units based on usage, which allows memory pages to be
located local to units that access the memory pages more
frequently. Another advantage is that a fault buffer is provided
that allows faults generated by the PPU to be coalesced for
efficient execution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] So that the manner in which the above recited features of
the present invention can be understood in detail, a more
particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above,
may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are
illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however,
that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of
this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of
its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective
embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system
configured to implement one or more aspects of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a unified virtual
memory system, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a conceptual illustration of a system 300 for
tracking the state of memory pages, according to one embodiment of
the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of a system implementing
a migration operation, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a virtual memory system for storing
faults in a fault buffer, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a virtual memory system for resolving
page faults generated by PPU, according to one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 7 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
managing virtual memory to physical memory mappings via a page
state directory, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
tracking page faults, according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 9 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
resolving page faults with a fault buffer, according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 10 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
creating and managing common pointers in a virtual memory
architecture, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0022] FIG. 11 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
managing ownership state in a virtual memory subsystem, according
to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present
invention. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art
that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of
these specific details.
System Overview
[0024] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system 100
configured to implement one or more aspects of the present
invention. Computer system 100 includes a central processing unit
(CPU) 102 and a system memory 104 communicating via an
interconnection path that may include a memory bridge 105. Memory
bridge 105, which may be, e.g., a Northbridge chip, is connected
via a bus or other communication path 106 (e.g., a HyperTransport
link) to an I/O (input/output) bridge 107. I/O bridge 107, which
may be, e.g., a Southbridge chip, receives user input from one or
more user input devices 108 (e.g., keyboard, mouse) and forwards
the input to CPU 102 via communication path 106 and memory bridge
105. A parallel processing subsystem 112 is coupled to memory
bridge 105 via a bus or second communication path 113 (e.g., a
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express, Accelerated
Graphics Port, or HyperTransport link); in one embodiment parallel
processing subsystem 112 is a graphics subsystem that delivers
pixels to a display device 110 that may be any conventional cathode
ray tube, liquid crystal display, light-emitting diode display, or
the like. A system disk 114 is also connected to I/O bridge 107 and
may be configured to store content and applications and data for
use by CPU 102 and parallel processing subsystem 112. System disk
114 provides non-volatile storage for applications and data and may
include fixed or removable hard disk drives, flash memory devices,
and CD-ROM (compact disc read-only-memory), DVD-ROM (digital
versatile disc-ROM), Blu-ray, HD-DVD (high definition DVD), or
other magnetic, optical, or solid state storage devices.
[0025] A switch 116 provides connections between I/O bridge 107 and
other components such as a network adapter 118 and various add-in
cards 120 and 121. Other components (not explicitly shown),
including universal serial bus (USB) or other port connections,
compact disc (CD) drives, digital versatile disc (DVD) drives, film
recording devices, and the like, may also be connected to I/O
bridge 107. The various communication paths shown in FIG. 1,
including the specifically named communication paths 106 and 113
may be implemented using any suitable protocols, such as PCI
Express, AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), HyperTransport, or any
other bus or point-to-point communication protocol(s), and
connections between different devices may use different protocols
as is known in the art.
[0026] In one embodiment, the parallel processing subsystem 112
incorporates circuitry optimized for graphics and video processing,
including, for example, video output circuitry, and constitutes one
or more parallel processing units (PPUs) 202. In another
embodiment, the parallel processing subsystem 112 incorporates
circuitry optimized for general purpose processing, while
preserving the underlying computational architecture, described in
greater detail herein. In yet another embodiment, the parallel
processing subsystem 112 may be integrated with one or more other
system elements in a single subsystem, such as joining the memory
bridge 105, CPU 102, and I/O bridge 107 to form a system on chip
(SoC). As is well-known, many graphics processing units (GPUs) are
designed to perform parallel operations and computations and, thus,
are considered to be a class of parallel processing unit (PPU).
[0027] Any number of PPUs 202 can be included in a parallel
processing subsystem 112. For instance, multiple PPUs 202 can be
provided on a single add-in card, or multiple add-in cards can be
connected to communication path 113, or one or more of PPUs 202 can
be integrated into a bridge chip. PPUs 202 in a multi-PPU system
may be identical to or different from one another. For instance,
different PPUs 202 might have different numbers of processing
cores, different amounts of local parallel processing memory, and
so on. Where multiple PPUs 202 are present, those PPUs may be
operated in parallel to process data at a higher throughput than is
possible with a single PPU 202. Systems incorporating one or more
PPUs 202 may be implemented in a variety of configurations and form
factors, including desktop, laptop, or handheld personal computers,
servers, workstations, game consoles, embedded systems, and the
like.
[0028] PPU 202 advantageously implements a highly parallel
processing architecture. PPU 202 includes a number of general
processing clusters (GPCs). Each GPC is capable of executing a
large number (e.g., hundreds or thousands) of threads concurrently,
where each thread is an instance of a program. In some embodiments,
single-instruction, multiple-data (SIMD) instruction issue
techniques are used to support parallel execution of a large number
of threads without providing multiple independent instruction
units. In other embodiments, single-instruction, multiple-thread
(SIMT) techniques are used to support parallel execution of a large
number of generally synchronized threads. Unlike a SIMD execution
regime, where all processing engines typically execute identical
instructions, SIMT execution allows different threads to more
readily follow divergent execution paths through a given thread
program.
[0029] GPCs include a number of streaming multiprocessors (SMs),
where each SM is configured to process one or more thread groups.
The series of instructions transmitted to a particular GPC
constitutes a thread, as previously defined herein, and the
collection of a certain number of concurrently executing threads
across the parallel processing engines within an SM is referred to
herein as a "warp" or "thread group." As used herein, a "thread
group" refers to a group of threads concurrently executing the same
program on different input data, with one thread of the group being
assigned to a different processing engine within an SM.
Additionally, a plurality of related thread groups may be active
(in different phases of execution) at the same time within an SM.
This collection of thread groups is referred to herein as a
"cooperative thread array" ("CTA") or "thread array."
[0030] In embodiments of the present invention, it is desirable to
use PPU 202 or other processor(s) of a computing system to execute
general-purpose computations using thread arrays. Each thread in
the thread array is assigned a unique thread identifier ("thread
ID") that is accessible to the thread during the thread's
execution. The thread ID, which can be defined as a one-dimensional
or multi-dimensional numerical value controls various aspects of
the thread's processing behavior. For instance, a thread ID may be
used to determine which portion of the input data set a thread is
to process and/or to determine which portion of an output data set
a thread is to produce or write.
[0031] In operation, CPU 102 is the master processor of computer
system 100, controlling and coordinating operations of other system
components. In particular, CPU 102 issues commands that control the
operation of PPUs 202. In one embodiment, communication path 113 is
a PCI Express link, in which dedicated lanes are allocated to each
PPU 202, as is known in the art. Other communication paths may also
be used. PPU 202 advantageously implements a highly parallel
processing architecture. A PPU 202 may be provided with any amount
of local parallel processing memory (PPU memory).
[0032] In some embodiments, system memory 104 includes a unified
virtual memory (UVM) driver 101. The UVM driver 101 includes
instructions for performing various tasks related to management of
a unified virtual memory (UVM) system common to both the CPU 102
and the PPUs 202. Among other things, the architecture enables the
CPU 102 and the PPU 202 to access a physical memory location using
a common virtual memory address, regardless of whether the physical
memory location is within the system memory 104 or memory local to
the PPU 202.
[0033] It will be appreciated that the system shown herein is
illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible.
The connection topology, including the number and arrangement of
bridges, the number of CPUs 102, and the number of parallel
processing subsystems 112, may be modified as desired. For
instance, in some embodiments, system memory 104 is connected to
CPU 102 directly rather than through a bridge, and other devices
communicate with system memory 104 via memory bridge 105 and CPU
102. In other alternative topologies, parallel processing subsystem
112 is connected to I/O bridge 107 or directly to CPU 102, rather
than to memory bridge 105. In still other embodiments, I/O bridge
107 and memory bridge 105 might be integrated into a single chip
instead of existing as one or more discrete devices. Large
embodiments may include two or more CPUs 102 and two or more
parallel processing subsystems 112. The particular components shown
herein are optional; for instance, any number of add-in cards or
peripheral devices might be supported. In some embodiments, switch
116 is eliminated, and network adapter 118 and add-in cards 120,
121 connect directly to I/O bridge 107.
Unified Virtual Memory System Architecture
[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a unified virtual
memory (UVM) system 200, according to one embodiment of the present
invention. As shown, the unified virtual memory system 200
includes, without limitation, the CPU 102, the system memory 104,
and the parallel processing unit (PPU) 202 coupled to a parallel
processing unit memory (PPU memory) 204. The CPU 102 and the system
memory 104 are coupled to each other and to the PPU 202 via the
memory bridge 105.
[0035] The CPU 102 executes threads that may request data stored in
the system memory 104 or the PPU memory 204 via a virtual memory
address. Virtual memory addresses shield threads executing in the
CPU 102 from knowledge about the internal workings of a memory
system. Thus, a thread may only have knowledge of virtual memory
addresses, and may access data by requesting data via a virtual
memory address.
[0036] The CPU 102 includes a CPU MMU 209, which processes requests
from the CPU 102 for translating virtual memory addresses to
physical memory addresses. The physical memory addresses are
required to access data stored in a physical memory unit such as
the system memory 104 and the PPU memory 204. The CPU 102 includes
a CPU fault handler 211, which executes steps in response to the
CPU MMU 209 generating a page fault, to make requested data
available to the CPU 102. The CPU fault handler 211 is generally
software that resides in the system memory 104 and executes on the
CPU 102, the software being provoked by an interrupt to the CPU
102.
[0037] The system memory 104 stores various memory pages (not
shown) that include data for use by threads executing on the CPU
102 or the PPU 202. As shown, the system memory 104 stores a CPU
page table 206, which includes mappings between virtual memory
addresses and physical memory addresses. The system memory 104 also
stores a page state directory 210, which acts as a "master page
table" for the UVM system 200, as is discussed in greater detail
below. The system memory 104 stores a fault buffer 216, which
includes entries written by the PPU 202 in order to inform the CPU
102 of a page fault generated by the PPU 202. In some embodiments,
the system memory 104 includes the unified virtual memory (UVM)
driver 101, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause
the CPU 102 to execute commands for, among other things, remedying
a page fault. In alternative embodiments, any combination of the
page state directory 210, the fault buffer 216, and one or more
command queues 214 may be stored in the PPU memory 204. Further, a
PPU page table 208 may be stored in the system memory 104.
[0038] In a similar manner as with the CPU 102, the PPU 202
executes instructions that may request data stored in the system
memory 104 or the PPU memory 204, via a virtual memory address. The
PPU 202 includes a PPU MMU 213, which processes requests from the
PPU 202 for translating virtual memory addresses to physical memory
addresses. The PPU 202 includes a copy engine 212, which executes
commands stored in the command queue 214 for copying memory pages,
modifying data in the PPU page table 208, and other commands. A PPU
fault handler 215 executes steps in response to a page fault on the
PPU 202. The PPU fault handler 215 can be software running a
processor or dedicated microcontroller in the PPU 202, or the PPU
fault handler 215 can be software running on the CPU 102, with the
latter being the preferred choice. In some embodiments, the CPU
fault handler 211 and the PPU fault handler 215 can be a unified
software program that is invoked by a fault on either the CPU 102
or the PPU 202. The command queue 214 may be in either the PPU
memory 204 or the system memory 104, but is preferentially located
in the system memory 104.
[0039] In some embodiments, the CPU fault handler 211 and the UVM
driver 101 may be a unified software program. In such cases, the
unified software program may be software that resides in the system
memory 104 and executes on the CPU 102. The PPU fault handler 215
may be a separate software program running on a processor or
dedicated microcontroller in the PPU 202, or the PPU fault handler
215 may be a separate software program running on the CPU 102.
[0040] In other embodiments, the PPU fault handler 215 and the UVM
driver 101 may be a unified software program. In such cases, the
unified software program may be software that resides in the system
memory 104 and executes on the CPU 102. The CPU fault handler 211
may be a separate software program that resides in the system
memory 104 and executes on the CPU 102.
[0041] In other embodiments, the CPU fault handler 211, the PPU
fault handler 215, and the UVM driver 101 may be a unified software
program. In such cases, the unified software program may be
software that resides in the system memory 104 and executes on the
CPU 102.
[0042] In some embodiments, the CPU fault handler 211, the PPU
fault handler 215, and the UVM driver 101 may all reside in system
memory 104, as described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the UVM driver
101 resides in system memory 104, while the CPU fault handler 211
and the PPU fault handler 215 reside in the CPU 102.
[0043] The CPU fault handler 211 and the PPU fault handler 215 are
responsive to hardware interrupts that may emanate from the CPU 102
or the PPU 202, such as interrupts resulting from a page fault. As
further described below, the UVM driver 101 includes instructions
for performing various tasks related to management of the UVM
system 200, including, without limitation, remedying a page fault,
and accessing the CPU page table 206, the page state directory 210,
the command queue 214, and/or the fault buffer 216.
[0044] In some embodiments, the CPU page table 206 and the PPU page
table 208 have different formats, and contain different
information; for example, the PPU page table 208 may contain the
following while the CPU page table 206 does not: atomic disable
bit; compression tags; and memory swizzling type.
[0045] In a similar manner as with the system memory 104, the PPU
memory 204 stores various memory pages (not shown). As shown, the
PPU memory 204 also includes the PPU page table 208, which includes
mappings between virtual memory addresses and physical memory
addresses. Alternatively, the PPU page table 208 may be stored in
the system memory 104.
Page State Directory
[0046] FIG. 3 is a conceptual illustration of a system 300 for
tracking the state of memory pages, according to one embodiment of
the present invention. As shown, the system 300 includes a page
state directory 210 coupled to both a CPU page table 206 and a PPU
page table 208.
[0047] The page state directory 210 is a data structure that stores
mappings associated with each memory page in a particular virtual
memory address space. To obtain a physical address from PSD 210, a
requestor provides a requested virtual address to the PSD 210,
which performs a lookup operation based on the virtual address. In
some embodiments, the PSD 210 is able to keep track of memory pages
of different sizes. To do so, the PSD 210 includes multiple arrays.
For example, a first array manages CPU-sized pages, and a second
array manages PPU-sized pages.
[0048] Although the page state directory 210 may be implemented in
any technically feasible manner, in one embodiment, the page state
directory 210 includes a multi-level table. Each non-leaf level
includes an array of pointers to entries in the next level.
Pointers may point to entries in either PPU memory 204 or system
memory 104.
[0049] Either the CPU 102 or PPU 202 may update the PSD 210.
Updates to a PSD 210 page in system memory 104 may be accomplished
by using atomic compare-and-swap across the PCI-E bus. Updates to
PSD 210 pages in PPU memory 204 are accomplished by placing an
update request into a PSD update circular buffer that is stored in
system memory. An agent checks the circular buffer to apply updates
before any read operation on the PSD 210.
[0050] As described below, multiple virtual memory address spaces
may exist. Two different processes running on CPU 102 may be
assigned two different virtual memory address spaces. Some
processes may share address spaces. A PSD 210 exists for each
virtual memory address space.
[0051] Different PSDs 210 may each include a mapping to the same
memory location in system memory 104 or PPU memory 204. In such a
case, a single process may be designated as the owner of the memory
location. The PSD 210 corresponding to that single process is
deemed the "owner PSD." The owner PSD includes a mapping to the
memory location, and the PSDs 210 for all other processes that
include mappings to that memory location include a link to the
mapping in the owner PSD.
[0052] When a process associated with a particular PSD 210 no
longer requires a particular mapping associated with a particular
memory location, the process causes the mapping to be removed from
the PSD 210 associated with that process. The mapping is placed
onto a retired list. At this point, other PSDs 210 may still
include mappings to the memory location. Those PSDs 210 continue to
include that mapping until the processes associated with those PSDs
210 determine that the mapping is no longer needed. When no PSDs
210 include mappings associated with the memory location, then the
mapping is removed from the retired list.
[0053] Entries in the PSD 210 include a mapping between a virtual
memory address and a physical memory address. The entries also
include state information for the memory page that is associated
with the entry. The following list includes several example states
that may be included in PSD entries in various embodiments of the
invention. "Exclusive"--a memory page may be deemed "exclusive,"
meaning that the memory page is not duplicated and is visible to
either a PPU 202 or a CPU 102, but not both. The "exclusive" state
is similar to the "PPU-owned" or "CPU-owned" state, discussed
below. "Shared-uncached"--a memory page may be deemed
"shared-uncached," meaning that the memory page is not duplicated,
but is visible to one or more PPUs 202 and/or one or more CPUs 102.
The "shared-uncached" state is similar to the "CPU-shared" state
discussed below, with the additional quality of being "uncached,"
meaning "not duplicated." A memory page may be resident in more
than one memory unit (e.g., in both system memory 104 and PPU
memory 204), and thus "duplicated." "Read-duplicated"--a memory
page may be deemed "read-duplicated," meaning that more than one
copy of the memory page exists, and that at least one of the copies
is local to either a CPU 102 or a PPU 202 and is available for only
reading to that CPU 102 or PPU 202. "Migrating-read-only"--a memory
page may be deemed "migrating-read-only," meaning that the memory
page is in the process of being migrated. For example, the UVM
system 200 may be in the process of migrating the memory page from
PPU memory 204 to system memory 104. Because the memory page is
deemed "migrating-read-only," the memory page may be read from but
not written to while in this state. "Migrating-invisible"--a memory
page may be deemed "migrating-invisible," meaning that the memory
page is in the process of being migrated, but the memory page is
"invisible," meaning that no process can read or write to the
memory page. "Peer-forwarding-entry"--a particular entry in a PSD
210 may be deemed a "peer-forwarding entry," meaning that the entry
contains a link to a different entry in the PSD 210 that includes a
mapping associated with the memory page.
[0054] The UVM system 200 may store memory pages in a backing
store, such as hard drive disk space. The UVM driver 101 or
operating system keeps track of memory pages that are stored in the
backing store. If a lookup operation performed on a PSD 210
indicates that a memory page is stored in the backing store, then
the UVM driver 101 moves the memory page from the backing store to
either system memory 104 or PPU memory 204. After the memory page
is copied from the backing store, the UVM driver 101 retries the
PSD 210 lookup.
[0055] The following table depicts example PSD entries. Each row
depicts a different example entry.
TABLE-US-00001 State Data Page Has Peers Forwarding Address Invalid
Entry None Migrating (Read Only) None Migrating (Invisible) None
Exclusive Entry Allowed Access Physical Address Shared-Uncached
Entry Physical Address Allowed Access Read Duplicated Entry Bloom
Filter for Which Physical Address Processor has this Page
Translating Virtual Memory Addresses
[0056] Referring back to FIG. 2, when a thread executing in the CPU
102 requests data via a virtual memory address, the CPU 102
requests translation of the virtual memory address to a physical
memory address, from the CPU memory management unit (CPU MMU) 209.
In response, the CPU MMU 209 attempts to translate the virtual
memory address into a physical memory address, which specifies a
location in a memory unit, such as the system memory 104, that
stores the data requested by the CPU 102.
[0057] To translate a virtual memory address to a physical memory
address, the CPU MMU 209 performs a lookup operation to determine
if the CPU page table 206 includes a mapping associated with the
virtual memory address. In addition to a virtual memory address, a
request to access data may also indicate a virtual memory address
space. The unified virtual memory system 200 may implement multiple
virtual memory address spaces, each of which is assigned to one or
more threads. Virtual memory addresses are unique within any given
virtual memory address space. Further, virtual memory addresses
within a given virtual memory address space are consistent across
the CPU 102 and the PPU 202, thereby allowing the same virtual
address to refer to the same data across the CPU 102 and the PPU
202. In some embodiments, two virtual memory addresses in the same
virtual address space may refer to the same data, but generally may
not map to the same physical memory address (e.g., the CPU 102 and
the PPU 202 may each have a local read-only copy of the data.)
[0058] For any given virtual memory address, the CPU page table 206
may or may not include a mapping between the virtual memory address
and a physical memory address. If the CPU page table 206 includes a
mapping, then the CPU MMU 209 reads that mapping to determine a
physical memory address associated with the virtual memory address
and provides that physical memory address to the CPU 102. However,
if the CPU page table 206 does not include a mapping associated
with the virtual memory address, then the CPU MMU 209 is unable to
translate the virtual memory address into a physical memory
address, and the CPU MMU 209 generates a page fault. To remedy a
page fault and make the requested data available to the CPU 102, a
"page fault sequence" is executed. More specifically, the CPU 102
reads the PSD 210 to find the current mapping state of the page and
then determines the appropriate page fault sequence. The page fault
sequence generally maps the memory page associated with the
requested virtual memory address or changes the types of accesses
permitted (e.g., read access, write access, atomic access), unless
a fatal fault has occurred. The different types of page fault
sequences implemented in the UVM system 200 are discussed in
greater detail below.
[0059] Within the UVM system 200, data associated with a given
virtual memory address may be stored in the system memory 104, in
the PPU memory 204, or in both the system memory 104 and the PPU
memory 204 as read-only copies of the same data. Further, for any
such data, either or both of the CPU page table 206 or the PPU page
table 208 may include a mapping associated with that data. Notably,
some data exists for which a mapping exists in one page table, but
not in the other. However, the PSD 210 includes all mappings stored
in the PPU page table 208, and the PPU-relevant mappings stored in
the CPU page table 206. The PSD 210 thus functions as a "master"
page table for the unified virtual memory system 200. Therefore,
when the CPU MMU 209 does not find a mapping in the CPU page table
206 associated with a particular virtual memory address, the CPU
102 reads the PSD 210 to determine whether the PSD 210 includes a
mapping associated with that virtual memory address. Various
embodiments of the PSD 210 may include different types of
information associated with virtual memory addresses in addition to
mappings associated with the virtual memory address.
[0060] When the CPU MMU 209 generates a page fault, the CPU fault
handler 211 executes a sequence of operations for the appropriate
page fault sequence to remedy the page fault. Again, during a page
fault sequence, the CPU 102 reads the PSD 210 and executes
additional operations in order to change the mappings or
permissions within the CPU page table 206 and the PPU page table
208. Such operations may include reading and/or modifying the CPU
page table 206, reading and/or modifying page state directory 210
entries, and/or migrating blocks of data referred to as "memory
pages" between memory units (e.g., the system memory 104 and the
PPU memory 204).
[0061] FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of a system 400
implementing a migration operation, according to one embodiment of
the present invention. As shown, the system 400 includes a page
state directory 210, system memory 104, and PPU memory 204.
[0062] As explained above, the page state directory 210 stores PSD
entries 401 that indicate all or part of a virtual memory address
402, all or part of a physical memory address 404, and state
information 406. The PSD entries 401 thus map virtual memory
addresses 402 to physical memory address 404.
[0063] In response to a page fault, the UVM driver 101 may
determine that a memory page, such as memory page 408, is to be
migrated from one memory unit to another memory unit in order to
resolve the page fault. For example, the UVM driver 101 may
determine that memory page 408 is to be migrated from system memory
104 to PPU memory 204. In response to this determination, the UVM
driver 101 executes a series of operations, referred to as a page
fault sequence below, to cause the memory page 408 to be migrated.
In addition, the page fault sequence may change part of a page
state directory entry 401 associated with memory page 408. More
specifically, the page fault sequence may update the physical
memory address 404 to the physical location of the memory page 408
after the memory page has been migrated. However, the virtual
memory address 402 in the page state directory entry 401 remains
unchanged, which allows pointers in application programs remain
constant and to refer to memory pages 408 no matter where the
memory pages 408 are stored.
[0064] To determine which operations to execute in a page fault
sequence, the CPU 102 identifies the memory page associated with
the virtual memory address. The CPU 102 then reads state
information for the memory page from the PSD 210 related to the
virtual memory address associated with the memory access request
that caused the page fault. Such state information may include,
among other things, an ownership state for the memory page
associated with the virtual memory address. For any given memory
page, several ownership states are possible. For example, a memory
page may be "CPU-owned," "PPU-owned," or "CPU-shared." A memory
page is considered CPU-owned if the CPU 102 can access the memory
page via a virtual address, and if the PPU 202 cannot access the
memory page via a virtual address without causing a page fault.
Preferably, a CPU-owned page resides in the system memory 104, but
can reside in the PPU memory 204. A memory page is considered
PPU-owned if the PPU 202 can access the page via a virtual address,
and if the CPU 102 cannot access the memory page via a virtual
address without causing a page fault. Preferably, a PPU-owned page
resides in the PPU memory 204, but can reside in the system memory
104 when migration from the system memory 104 to the PPU memory 204
is not done, generally due to the short-term nature of the PPU
ownership. A memory page is considered CPU-shared if the memory
page is stored in the system memory 104 and a mapping to the memory
page exists in the PPU page table 208 that allows the PPU 202 to
access the memory page in the system memory 104 via a virtual
memory address.
[0065] The UVM system 200 may assign ownership states to memory
pages based on a variety of factors, including the usage history of
the memory page, the usage history optionally stored in PSD 210
entries. Usage history may include information regarding whether
the CPU 102 or the PPU 202 accessed the memory page recently, and
how many times such accesses were made. For example, the UVM system
200 may assign an ownership state of "CPU-owned" for a given memory
page and locate the page in system memory 104 if, based on the
usage history of the memory page, the UVM system 200 determines
that the memory page is likely to be used mostly or only by the CPU
102. Similarly, the UVM system 200 may assign an ownership of
"PPU-owned" for a given memory page and locate the page in PPU
memory 204 if, based on the usage history of the memory page, the
UVM system 200 determines that the memory page is likely to be used
mostly or only by the PPU 202. Finally, the UVM system 200 may
assign an ownership of "CPU-shared" for a given memory page if,
based on the usage history of the memory page, the UVM system 200
determines that the memory page is likely to be used both by the
CPU 102 and by the PPU 202, and that migrating the memory page back
and forth from the system memory 104 to the PPU memory 204 would
consume too much time.
[0066] As examples, the fault handlers 211 and 215 can implement
any or all of the following heuristics for migrating: [0067] (a) on
the CPU 102 access to an unmapped page that is mapped to the PPU
202, that has not been recently migrated, unmap the faulting page
from the PPU 202, migrate the page to the CPU 102, and map the page
to the CPU 102; [0068] (b) on the PPU 202 access to an unmapped
page that is mapped to the CPU 102, that has not been recently
migrated, unmap the faulting page from the CPU 102, migrate the
page to the PPU 202, and map the page to the PPU 202; [0069] (c) on
the CPU 102 access to an unmapped page that is mapped to the PPU
202, that has been recently migrated, migrate the faulting page to
the CPU 102 and map the page on both the CPU 102 and the PPU 202;
[0070] (d) on the PPU 202 access to an unmapped page that is mapped
on the CPU 102, that has been recently migrated, map the page to
both the CPU 102 and the PPU 202; [0071] (e) on the PPU 102 atomic
access to page that is mapped to both the CPU 102 and the PPU 202
but not enabled for atomic operations by the PPU 202, unmap the
page from the CPU 102, and map to the PPU 202 with atomic
operations enabled; [0072] (f) on the PPU 202 write access to page
that is mapped on the CPU 102 and PPU 202 as copy-on-write (COW),
copy the page to the PPU 202, thereby making independent copies of
the page, mapping the new page as read-write on the PPU, and
leaving the current page as mapped on the CPU 102; [0073] (g) on
the PPU 202 read access to page that is mapped on the CPU 102 and
PPU 202 as zero-fill-on-demand (ZFOD), allocate a page of physical
memory on the PPU 202 and fill it with zeros, and map that page on
the PPU, but change it to unmapped on the CPU 102. [0074] (h) on an
access by a first PPU 202(1) to an unmapped page that is mapped on
a second PPU 202(2), that has not been recently migrated, unmap the
faulting page from the second PPU 202(2), migrate the page to the
first PPU 202(1), and map the page to the first PPU 202(1); and
[0075] (i) on an access by a first PPU 202(1) to an unmapped page
that is mapped on a second PPU 202(2), that has been recently
migrated, map the faulting page to the first PPU 202(1), and keep
the mapping of the page on the second PPU 202(2).
[0076] In sum, many heuristic rules are possible, and the scope of
the present invention is not limited to these examples.
[0077] In addition, any migration heuristic can "round up" to
include more pages or a larger page size, for example: [0078] (j)
on the CPU 102 access to an unmapped page that is mapped to the PPU
202, that has not been recently migrated, unmap the faulting page,
plus additional pages that are adjacent to the faulting page in the
virtual address space, from the PPU 202, migrate the pages to the
CPU 102, and map the pages to the CPU 102 (in more detailed
example: for a 4 kB faulted page, migrate the aligned 64 kB region
that includes the 4 kB faulted page); [0079] (k) on the PPU 202
access to an unmapped page that is mapped to the CPU 102, that has
not been recently migrated, unmap the faulting page, plus
additional pages that are adjacent to the faulting page in the
virtual address space, from the CPU 102, migrate the pages to the
PPU 202, and map the pages to the PPU 202 (in more detailed
example: for a 4 kB faulted page, migrate the aligned 64 kB region
that includes the 4 kB faulted page); [0080] (l) on the CPU 102
access to an unmapped page that is mapped to the PPU 202, that has
not been recently migrated, unmap the faulting page, plus
additional pages that are adjacent to the faulting page in the
virtual address space, from the PPU 202, migrate the pages to the
CPU 102, map the pages to the CPU 102, and treat all the migrated
pages as one or more larger pages on the CPU 102 (in more detailed
example: for a 4 kB faulted page, migrate the aligned 64 kB region
that includes the 4 kB faulted page, and treat the aligned 64 kB
region as a 64 kB page); [0081] (m) on the PPU 202 access to an
unmapped page that is mapped on the CPU 102, that has not been
recently migrated, unmap the faulting page, plus additional pages
that are adjacent to the faulting page in the virtual address
space, from the CPU 102, migrate the pages to the PPU 202, map the
pages to the PPU 202, and treat all the migrated pages as one or
more larger pages on the PPU 202 (in more detailed example: for a 4
kB faulted page, migrate the aligned 64 kB region that includes the
4 kB faulted page, and treat the aligned 64 kB region as a 64 kB
page); [0082] (n) on the access by a first PPU 202(1) to an
unmapped page that is mapped to a second PPU 202(2), that has not
been recently migrated, unmap the faulting page, plus additional
pages that are adjacent to the faulting page in the virtual address
space, from the second PPU 202(2), migrate the pages to the first
PPU 202(1), and map the pages to the first PPU 202(1); and [0083]
(o) on an access by a first PPU 202(1) to an unmapped page that is
mapped to a second PPU 202(2), that has been recently migrated, map
the faulting page, plus additional pages that are adjacent to the
faulting page in the virtual address space, to the first PPU
202(1), and keep the mapping of the page on the second PPU
202(2).
[0084] In sum, many heuristic rules that include "rounding up" are
possible, and scope of the present invention is not limited to
these examples.
[0085] In some embodiments, the PSD entries may include
transitional state information to ensure proper synchronization
between various requests made by units within the CPU 102 and the
PPU 202. For example, a PSD 210 entry may include a transitional
state indicating that a particular page is in the process of being
transitioned from CPU-owned to PPU-owned. Various units in the CPU
102 and the PPU 202, such as the CPU fault handler 211 and the PPU
fault handler 215, upon determining that a page is in such a
transitional state, may forego portions of a page fault sequence to
avoid steps in a page fault sequence triggered by a prior virtual
memory access to the same virtual memory address. As a specific
example, if a page fault results in a page being migrated from the
system memory 104 to the PPU memory 204, a different page fault
that would cause the same migration is detected and does not cause
another page migration. Further, where there is more than one
writer to the PSD 210, various units in the CPU 102 and the PPU 202
may implement atomic operations for proper ordering of operations
on the PSD 210. For example, for modifications to PSD 210 entries,
the CPU fault handler 211 or the PPU fault handler 215 may issue an
atomic compare and swap operation to modify the page state of a
particular entry in the PSD 210. Consequently, the modification is
done without interference by operations from other units.
[0086] Multiple PSDs 210 may be stored in the system memory
104--one for each virtual memory address space. A memory access
request generated by either the CPU 102 or the PPU 202 may
therefore include a virtual memory address and also identify the
virtual memory address space associated with that virtual memory
address. Additional details regarding page state directories are
provided below with respect to FIG. 3.
[0087] Just as the CPU 102 may execute memory access requests that
include virtual memory addresses (i.e., instructions that include
requests to access data via a virtual memory address), the PPU 202
may also execute similar types of memory access requests. More
specifically, the PPU 202 includes a plurality of execution units,
such as GPCs and SMs, described above in conjunction with FIG. 1,
that are configured to execute multiple threads and thread groups.
In operation, those threads may request data from memory (e.g., the
system memory 104 or the PPU memory 204) by specifying a virtual
memory address. Just as with the CPU 102 and the CPU MMU 209, the
PPU 202 includes the PPU memory management unit (MMU) 213. The PPU
MMU 213 receives requests for translation of virtual memory
addresses from the PPU 202, and attempts to provide a translation
from the PPU page table 208 for the virtual memory addresses.
Similar to the CPU page table 206, the PPU page table 208 includes
mappings between virtual memory addresses and physical memory
addresses. As is also the case with the CPU page table 206, for any
given virtual address, the PPU page table 208 may not include a
page table entry that maps the virtual memory address to a physical
memory address. As with the CPU MMU 209, when the PPU MMU 213
requests a translation for a virtual memory address from the PPU
page table 208 and either no mapping exists in the PPU page table
208 or the type of access is not allowed by the PPU page table 208,
the PPU MMU 213 generates a page fault. Subsequently, the PPU fault
handler 215 triggers a page fault sequence. Again, the different
types of page fault sequences implemented in the UVM system 200 are
described in greater detail below.
[0088] As stated above, in response to receiving a request for
translation of a virtual memory address, the CPU MMU 209 generates
a page fault if the CPU page table 206 does not include a mapping
associated with the requested virtual memory address or does not
permit the type of access being requested. Similarly, in response
to receiving a request for translation of a virtual memory address,
the PPU MMU 213 generates a page fault if the PPU page table 208
does not include a mapping associated with the requested virtual
memory address or does not permit the type of access being
requested. When the CPU MMU 209 or the PPU MMU 213 generates a page
fault, the thread that requested the data at the virtual memory
address stalls, and a "local fault handler"--the CPU fault handler
211 for the CPU 102 or the PPU fault handler 215 for the PPU
202--attempts to remedy the page fault by executing a "page fault
sequence." As indicated above, a page fault sequence includes a
series of operations that enable the faulting unit (i.e., the
unit--either the CPU 102 or the PPU 202--that caused the page
fault) to access the data associated with the virtual memory
address. After the page fault sequence completes, the thread that
requested the data via the virtual memory address resumes
execution. In some embodiments, fault recovery is simplified by
allowing the fault recovery logic to track faulting memory accesses
as opposed to faulting instructions.
[0089] The operations executed during a page fault sequence depend
on the change in ownership state or change in access permissions,
if any, that the memory page associated with the page fault has to
undergo. The transition from a current ownership state to a new
ownership state, or a change in access permissions, may be part of
the page fault sequence. In some instances, migrating the memory
page associated with the page fault from the system memory 104 to
the PPU memory 204 is also part of the page fault sequence. In
other instances, migrating the memory page associated with the page
fault from the PPU memory 204 to the system memory 104 is also part
of the page fault sequence. Various heuristics, more fully
described herein, may be used to configure UVM system 200 to change
memory page ownership state or to migrate memory pages under
various sets of operating conditions and patterns. Described in
greater detail below are page fault sequences for the following
four memory page ownership state transitions: CPU-owned to
CPU-shared, CPU-owned to PPU-owned, PPU-owned to CPU-owned, and
PPU-owned to CPU-shared.
[0090] A fault by the PPU 202 may initiate a transition from
CPU-owned to CPU-shared. Prior to such a transition, a thread
executing in the PPU 202 attempts to access data at a virtual
memory address that is not mapped in the PPU page table 208. This
access attempt causes a PPU-based page fault, which then causes a
fault buffer entry to be written to the fault buffer 216. In
response, the PPU fault handler 215 reads the PSD 210 entry
corresponding to the virtual memory address and identifies the
memory page associated with the virtual memory address. After
reading the PSD 210, the PPU fault handler 215 determines that the
current ownership state for the memory page associated with the
virtual memory address is CPU-owned. Based on the current ownership
state as well as other factors, such as usage characteristics for
the memory page or the type of memory access, the PPU fault handler
215 determines that a new ownership state for the page should be
CPU-shared.
[0091] To change the ownership state, the PPU fault handler 215
writes a new entry in the PPU page table 208 corresponding to the
virtual memory address and associating the virtual memory address
with the memory page identified via the PSD 210 entry. The PPU
fault handler 215 also modifies the PSD 210 entry for that memory
page to indicate that the ownership state is CPU-shared. In some
embodiments, an entry in a translation look-aside buffer (TLBs) in
the PPU 202 is invalidated to account for the case where the
translation to an invalid page is cached. At this point, the page
fault sequence is complete. The ownership state for the memory page
is CPU-shared, meaning that the memory page is accessible to both
the CPU 102 and the PPU 202. Both the CPU page table 206 and the
PPU page table 208 include entries that associate the virtual
memory address to the memory page.
[0092] A fault by the PPU 202 may initiate a transition from
CPU-owned to PPU-owned. Prior to such a transition, an operation
executing in the PPU 202 attempts to access memory at a virtual
memory address that is not mapped in the PPU page table 208. This
memory access attempt causes a PPU-based page fault, which then
causes a fault buffer entry to be written to the fault buffer 216.
In response, the PPU fault handler 215 reads the PSD 210 entry
corresponding to the virtual memory address and identifies the
memory page associated with the virtual memory address. After
reading the PSD 210, the PPU fault handler 215 determines that the
current ownership state for the memory page associated with the
virtual memory address is CPU-owned. Based on the current ownership
state, as well as other factors, such as usage characteristics for
the page or the type of memory access, the PPU fault handler 215
determines that a new ownership state for the page is
PPU-owned.
[0093] The PPU 202 writes a fault buffer entry into fault buffer
216 that indicates that the PPU 202 generated a page fault, and
indicates the virtual memory address associated with the page
fault. The PPU fault hander 215 executing on the CPU 102 reads the
fault buffer entry and, in response, the CPU 102 removes the
mapping in the CPU page table 206 associated with the virtual
memory address that caused the page fault. The CPU 102 may flush
caches before and/or after the mapping is removed. The CPU 102 also
writes commands into the command queue 214 instructing the PPU 202
to copy the page from the system memory 104 into the PPU memory
204. The copy engine 212 in the PPU 202 reads the commands in the
command queue 214 and copies the page from the system memory 104 to
the PPU memory 204. The PPU 202 writes a page table entry into the
PPU page table 208 corresponding to the virtual memory address and
associating the virtual memory address with the newly-copied memory
page in the PPU memory 204. The writing to the PPU page table 208
may be done via the copy engine 212. Alternatively, the CPU 102 can
update the PPU page table 208. The PPU fault handler 215 also
modifies the PSD 210 entry for that memory page to indicate that
the ownership state is PPU-owned. In some embodiments, entries in
TLBs in the PPU 202 or the CPU 102 may be invalidated, to account
for the case where the translation was cached. At this point, the
page fault sequence is complete. The ownership state for the memory
page is PPU-owned, meaning that the memory page is accessible only
to the PPU 202. Only the PPU page table 208 includes an entry that
associates the virtual memory address with the memory page.
[0094] A fault by the CPU 102 may initiate a transition from
PPU-owned to CPU-owned. Prior to such a transition, an operation
executing in the CPU 102 attempts to access memory at a virtual
memory address that is not mapped in the CPU page table 206, which
causes a CPU-based page fault. The CPU fault handler 211 reads the
PSD 210 entry corresponding to the virtual memory address and
identifies the memory page associated with the virtual memory
address. After reading the PSD 210, the CPU fault handler 211
determines that the current ownership state for the memory page
associated with the virtual memory address is PPU-owned. Based on
the current ownership state, as well as other factors, such as
usage characteristics for the page or the type of access, the CPU
fault handler 211 determines that a new ownership state for the
page is CPU-owned.
[0095] The CPU fault handler 211 changes the ownership state
associated with the memory page to CPU-owned. The CPU fault handler
211 writes a command into the command queue 214 to cause the copy
engine 212 to remove the entry from the PPU page table 208 that
associates the virtual memory address with the memory page. Various
TLB entries may be invalidated. The CPU fault handler 211 also
copies the memory page from the PPU memory 204 into the system
memory 104, which may be done via the command queue 214 and the
copy engine 212. The CPU fault handler 211 writes a page table
entry into the CPU page table 206 that associates the virtual
memory address with the memory page that is copied into the system
memory 104. The CPU fault handler 211 also updates the PSD 210 to
associate the virtual memory address with the newly copied memory
page. At this point, the page fault sequence is complete. The
ownership state for the memory page is CPU-owned, meaning that the
memory page is accessible only to the CPU 102. Only the CPU page
table 206 includes an entry that associates the virtual memory
address with the memory page.
[0096] A fault by the CPU 102 may initiate a transition from
PPU-owned to CPU-shared. Prior to such a transition, an operation
executing in the CPU 102 attempts to access memory at a virtual
memory address that is not mapped in the CPU page table 206, which
causes a CPU-based page fault. The CPU fault handler 211 reads the
PSD 210 entry corresponding to the virtual memory address and
identifies the memory page associated with the virtual memory
address. After reading the PSD 210, the CPU fault handler 211
determines that the current ownership state for the memory page
associated with the virtual memory address is PPU-owned. Based on
the current ownership state or the type of access, as well as other
factors, such as usage characteristics for the page, the CPU fault
handler 211 determines that a new ownership state for the memory
page is CPU-shared.
[0097] The CPU fault handler 211 changes the ownership state
associated with the memory page to CPU-shared. The CPU fault
handler 211 writes a command into the command queue 214 to cause
the copy engine 212 to remove the entry from the PPU page table 208
that associates the virtual memory address with the memory page.
Various TLB entries may be invalidated. The CPU fault handler 211
also copies the memory page from the PPU memory 204 into the system
memory 104. This copy operation may be done via the command queue
214 and the copy engine 212. The CPU fault handler 211 then writes
a command into the command queue 214 to cause the copy engine 212
to change the entry in PPU page table 208 such that the virtual
memory address is associated with the memory page in the system
memory 104. Various TLB entries may be invalidated. The CPU fault
handler 211 writes a page table entry into the CPU page table 206
to associate the virtual memory address with the memory page in the
system memory 104. The CPU fault handler 211 also updates the PSD
210 to associate the virtual memory address with the memory page in
system memory 104. At this point, the page fault sequence is
complete. The ownership state for the page is CPU-shared, and the
memory page has been copied into the system memory 104. The page is
accessible to the CPU 102, since the CPU page table 206 includes an
entry that associates the virtual memory address with the memory
page in the system memory 104. The page is also accessible to the
PPU 202, since the PPU page table 208 includes an entry that
associates the virtual memory address with the memory page in the
system memory 104.
Detailed Example of a Page Fault Sequence
[0098] With this context, a detailed description of a page fault
sequence executed by the PPU fault handler 215 in the event of a
transition from CPU-owned to CPU-shared is now provided to show how
atomic operations and transition states may be used to more
effectively manage a page fault sequence. The page fault sequence
is triggered by a PPU 202 thread attempting to access a virtual
address for which a mapping does not exist in the PPU page table
208. When a thread attempts to access data via a virtual memory
address, the PPU 202 (specifically, a user-level thread) requests a
translation from the PPU page table 208. A PPU page fault occurs in
response because the PPU page table 208 does not include a mapping
associated with the requested virtual memory address.
[0099] After the page fault occurs, the thread enters a trap,
stalls, and the PPU fault handler 215 executes a page fault
sequence. The PPU fault handler 215 reads the PSD 210 to determine
which memory page is associated with the virtual memory address and
to determine the state for the virtual memory address. The PPU
fault handler 215 determines, from the PSD 210, that the ownership
state for that memory page is CPU-owned. Consequently, the data
requested by the PPU 202 is inaccessible to the PPU 202 via a
virtual memory address. State information for the memory page also
indicates that the requested data cannot be migrated to the PPU
memory 204.
[0100] Based on the state information obtained from the PSD 210,
the PPU fault handler 215 determines that a new state for the
memory page should be CPU-shared. The PPU fault handler 215 changes
the state to "transitioning to CPU-shared." This state indicates
that the page is currently in the process of being transitioned to
CPU-shared. When the PPU fault handler 215 runs on a
microcontroller in the memory management unit, then two processors
will update the PSD 210 asynchronously, using atomic
compare-and-swap ("CAS") operations on the PSD 210 to change the
state to "transitioning to GPU visible," (CPU-shared).
[0101] The PPU 202 updates the PPU page table 208 to associate the
virtual address with the memory page. The PPU 202 also invalidates
the TLB cache entries. Next, the PPU 202 performs another atomic
compare-and-swap operation on the PSD 210 to change the ownership
state associated with the memory page to CPU-shared. Finally, the
page fault sequence ends, and the thread that requested the data
via the virtual memory address resumes execution.
Fault Buffer
[0102] Resolution of page faults generated by the CPU 102 do not
involve the fault buffer 216. However, resolution of page faults
generated by the PPU MMU 213 involve the fault buffer 216. The role
of the fault buffer 216 in resolving page faults generated by the
PPU MMU 213 is described below in more detail with respect to FIGS.
5 and 6.
[0103] FIG. 5 illustrates a virtual memory system 500 for storing
faults in a fault buffer, according to one embodiment of the
present invention. As shown, the virtual memory system 500 includes
a PPU fault handler 215, a fault buffer 216, and a PPU 202,
including multiple streaming multiprocessors 504.
[0104] The fault buffer 216 stores fault buffer entries 502 that
indicate information related to page faults generated by the PPU
202. Fault buffer entries 502 may include, for example, the type of
access that was attempted (e.g., read, write, or atomic), the
virtual memory address for which an attempted access caused a page
fault, the virtual address space, and an indication of a unit or
thread that caused a page fault. In operation, when the PPU 202
causes a page fault, the PPU 202 may write a fault buffer entry 502
into the fault buffer 216 to inform the PPU fault handler 215 about
the faulting memory page and the type of access that caused the
fault. The PPU fault handler 215 then performs actions to remedy
the page fault. The fault buffer 216 can store multiple faults
because the PPU 202 is executing a plurality of threads, where each
thread can cause a one or more faults due the pipelined nature of
the memory accesses of the PPU 202. Each of the fault buffer
entries 502 may be generated by one or more streaming
multiprocessors 504, which are included within PPU 202.
[0105] FIG. 6 illustrates a virtual memory system 600 for resolving
page faults generated by PPU 202, according to one embodiment of
the present invention. As shown, the virtual memory system 600
includes a PPU fault handler 215, a fault buffer 216, a system
memory 104 including a command queue 214, and a PPU 202 including a
copy engine 212.
[0106] The PPU fault handler 215 reads fault buffer entries 502
stored in the fault buffer 216 to determine how to resolve the page
faults associated with the fault buffer entries 502. To resolve the
page faults, the PPU fault handler 215 executes a page fault
sequence to, among other things, modify a PSD entry associated with
memory pages corresponding to the fault buffer entries 502, and/or
migrate memory pages associated with the fault buffer entries 502.
During a page fault sequence, the CPU 102 or the PPU 202 may write
commands into the command queue 214 for execution by the copy
engine 212. Such an approach frees up the CPU 102 or the PPU 202 to
execute other tasks while the copy engine 212 reads and executes
the commands stored in the command queue 214, and allow all the
commands for a fault sequence to be queued at one time, thereby
avoiding the monitoring of progress of the fault sequence. Commands
executed by the copy engine 212 may include, among other things,
deleting, creating, or modifying page table entries in the PPU page
table 208, reading or writing data from the system memory 104, and
reading or writing data to the PPU memory 204.
[0107] CPU 102 and PPU 202 can context switch separately. In other
words, a PPU 202 can write a fault buffer entry into fault buffer
216 in response to detecting a fault. This fault buffer may not be
immediately resolved by the PPU fault handler 215 in the CPU.
Instead, the CPU 102 may perform other processing tasks, and handle
the PPU fault eventually. Thus, the CPU 102 and PPU 202 may not
necessarily operate in the same context simultaneously. In other
words, the CPU 102 may be executing a process that is different
from the process that spawned the work that is currently executing
on the PPU 202. To inform the PPU fault handler 215 of which
process is associated with the PPU 202 work that generated a fault
buffer entry 502, the PPU 202 provides an instance pointer with the
fault buffer entry to inform the CPU 102 of the address space in
which the PPU 202 caused the fault. The fault buffer 216 may
include several page fault entries associated with the same memory
page, because multiple streaming multiprocessors 504 are running in
parallel and can generate page faults directed to the same memory
page. The PPU fault handler 215 examines the fault buffer 216 to
determine which faults to resolve.
UVM System Architecture Variations
[0108] Various modifications to the unified virtual memory system
200 are possible. For example, in some embodiments, after writing a
fault buffer entry into the fault buffer 216, the PPU 202 may
trigger a CPU interrupt to cause the CPU 102 to read fault buffer
entries in the fault buffer 216 and perform whatever operations are
appropriate in response to the fault buffer entry. In other
embodiments, the CPU 102 may periodically poll the fault buffer
216. In the event that the CPU 102 finds a fault buffer entry in
the fault buffer 216, the CPU 102 executes a series of operations
in response to the fault buffer entry.
[0109] In some embodiments, the system memory 104, rather than the
PPU memory 204, stores the PPU page table 208. In other
embodiments, a single or multiple-level cache hierarchy, such as a
single or multiple-level translation look-aside buffer (TLB)
hierarchy (not shown), may be implemented to cache virtual address
translations for either the CPU page table 206 or the PPU page
table 208.
[0110] In yet other embodiments, in the event that a thread
executing in the PPU 202 causes a PPU fault (a "faulting thread"),
the PPU 202 may take one or more actions. These actions include:
stall the entire PPU 202, stall the SM executing the faulting
thread, stall the PPU MMU 213, stall only the faulting thread,
stall a group of threads that include the faulting thread, or stall
one or more levels of TLBs. In some embodiments, after a PPU page
fault occurs, and a page fault sequence has been executed by the
unified virtual memory system 200, execution of the faulting thread
resumes, and the faulting thread attempts, again, to execute the
memory access request that caused the page fault. In some
embodiments, stalling at a TLB is done in such a way as to appear
as a long-latency memory access to the faulting SM or faulting
thread, thereby not requiring the SM to do any special operation
for a fault.
[0111] Finally, in other alternative embodiments, the UVM driver
101 may include instructions that cause the CPU 102 to execute one
or more operations for managing the UVM system 200 and remedying a
page fault, such as accessing the CPU page table 206, the PSD 210,
and/or the fault buffer 216. In other embodiments, an operating
system kernel (not shown) may be configured to manage the UVM
system 200 and remedy a page fault by accessing the CPU page table
206, the PSD 210, and/or the fault buffer 216. In yet other
embodiments, an operating system kernel may operate in conjunction
with the UVM driver 101 to manage the UVM system 200 and remedy a
page fault by accessing the CPU page table 206, the PSD 210, and/or
the fault buffer 21.
[0112] FIG. 7 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
managing virtual memory to physical memory mappings via a page
state directory, according to one embodiment of the present
invention. Although the method steps are described in conjunction
with FIGS. 1-6, persons skilled in the art will understand that any
system configured to perform the method steps, in any order, falls
within the scope of the present invention.
[0113] As shown, the method 700 begins at step 702, where a PPU 202
executes a first operation that references a first virtual memory
address. In step 704, the PPU MMU 213 reads PPU page table 208 and
determines that the PPU page table 208 does not include a mapping
associated with the first virtual memory address. The PPU MMU 213
generates a first page fault upon making this determination. In
step 706, after the PPU fault handler 215 resolves the page fault
and places commands in the command queue 214, the copy engine 212
in the PPU 202 reads the command queue 214 to determine a mapping
that corresponds to the first virtual memory address. In step 708,
the copy engine 212 updates the PPU page table 208 to include the
mapping.
[0114] FIG. 8 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
tracking page faults, according to one embodiment of the present
invention. Although the method steps are described in conjunction
with FIGS. 1-6, persons skilled in the art will understand that any
system configured to perform the method steps, in any order, falls
within the scope of the present invention.
[0115] As shown, the method 800 begins at step 802, where a PPU 202
executes a first instruction associated with a first virtual memory
address. In step 804, the PPU MMU 213 determines that the PPU page
table 208 does not include a first mapping associated with the
first virtual memory address. In step 805, the streaming
multiprocessor 504 or other unit that executed the first
instruction is stalled. In step 806, the PPU 202 transmits a first
page fault to the fault buffer 216.
[0116] FIG. 9 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
resolving page faults with a fault buffer, according to one
embodiment of the present invention. Although the method steps are
described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-6, persons skilled in the art
will understand that any system configured to perform the method
steps, in any order, falls within the scope of the present
invention.
[0117] As shown, the method 900 begins in step 902, where a fault
buffer 216 stores a plurality of fault buffer entries. In step 904,
a PPU fault handler 215 reads the fault buffer entries to resolve
the fault buffer entries. In step 906, the PPU fault handler 215
determines what steps are to be taken to resolve the fault buffer,
and triggers a page fault sequence to remedy one or more page
faults associated with the fault buffer entries. In step 908, the
PPU fault handler 215 transmits commands to a command queue 214 to
update the PPU page table 208. In step 910, the streaming
multiprocessor 504 or other unit that was stalled resumes
execution.
[0118] FIG. 10 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
creating and managing common pointers in a virtual memory
architecture, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Although the method steps are described in conjunction with FIGS.
1-6, persons skilled in the art will understand that any system
configured to perform the method steps, in any order, falls within
the scope of the present invention.
[0119] As shown, the method 1000 begins in step 1002, where UVM
driver 101 stores a first page state directory entry that includes
a mapping between a first virtual memory address and a first
physical memory address. In step 1004, either CPU MMU 209 or PPU
MMU 213 translates the first virtual memory address into the first
physical address based on the first page state directory. In step
1005, a memory page associated with the first virtual address is
copied or migrated. In step 1006, UVM driver 101 stores a second
page state directory entry (or alternatively modifies the first
page state directory entry) that includes a mapping between the
first virtual memory address and a second physical memory address.
This second page directory entry is stored in response to modifying
the state of the memory page associated with the first page state
directory entry. For example, the memory page may be migrated from
one memory unit to another, or may be copied from one memory unit
to another. In step 1008, either CPU MMU 209 or PPU MMU 213
translates the first virtual memory address into the second
physical memory address based on the second page state directory
entry.
[0120] FIG. 11 sets forth a flow diagram of method steps for
managing ownership state in a virtual memory subsystem, according
to one embodiment of the present invention. Although the method
steps are described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-6, persons skilled
in the art will understand that any system configured to perform
the method steps, in any order, falls within the scope of the
present invention.
[0121] As shown, the method 1100 begins in step 1102, where either
CPU MMU 209 or PPU MMU 213 issues a page fault in response to a
memory access request by either CPU 102 or PPU 202, respectively.
In step 1104, either CPU fault handler 211 or PPU fault handler 215
identifies an entry in a page state directory 210 corresponding to
a memory page that is associated with the virtual memory address.
In step 1107, the ownership state of the memory page in the page
state directory 210 is modified and the memory page is migrated if
necessary. In step 1106, the CPU fault handler 211 or PPU fault
handler 215 reads an ownership state associated with the memory
page from the entry in the page state directory 210. In step 1108,
the CPU fault handler 211 or PPU fault handler 215 updates the
local page table to include an entry corresponding to the virtual
memory address, and associating the virtual memory address with the
memory page.
[0122] In sum, a unified virtual memory system is provided that
manages memory in a shared manner between a CPU and one or more
PPUs. The unified virtual memory system includes a page state
directory that stores mappings included in both a page table
associated with the CPU and a page table associated with the PPU.
When either a PPU or a CPU triggers a page fault, the page state
directory is available to provide the state of memory pages
associated with the page fault. Additionally, when a PPU triggers a
page fault, the PPU transmits a page fault to a fault buffer. The
PPU fault handler, examines the contents of the fault buffer to
resolve the page faults. Providing a fault buffer allows the PPU
fault handler to "coalesce" page faults executed by the PPU.
Additionally, a unified virtual memory driver manages the page
state directory and associated virtual memory addresses such that
virtual memory addresses are common between both the CPU and the
PPU. Finally, the unified virtual memory driver implements a
migration scheme that migrates memory pages based on usage by the
CPU and PPU.
[0123] One advantage of the disclosed approach is that user-level
applications do not need to keep track of multiple pointers
depending on where a particular piece of data is stored. An
additional advantage is that memory pages are migrated between
memory units based on usage, which allows memory pages to be
located local to units that access the memory pages more
frequently. Another advantage is that a fault buffer is provided
that allows faults generated by the PPU to be coalesced for
efficient execution.
[0124] One embodiment of the invention may be implemented as a
program product for use with a computer system. The program(s) of
the program product define functions of the embodiments (including
the methods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of
computer-readable storage media. Illustrative computer-readable
storage media include, but are not limited to: (i) non-writable
storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer
such as compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) disks readable by a
CD-ROM drive, flash memory, read only memory (ROM) chips or any
type of solid-state non-volatile semiconductor memory) on which
information is permanently stored; and (ii) writable storage media
(e.g., floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive or
any type of solid-state random-access semiconductor memory) on
which alterable information is stored.
[0125] The invention has been described above with reference to
specific embodiments. Persons of ordinary skill in the art,
however, will understand that various modifications and changes may
be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope
of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The foregoing
description and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
[0126] Therefore, the scope of embodiments of the present invention
is set forth in the claims that follow.
* * * * *