Patents by Inventor Stephen F. Heil
Stephen F. Heil has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11010198Abstract: A data processing system is described herein that includes two or more software-driven host components. The two or more host components collectively provide a software plane. The data processing system also includes two or more hardware acceleration components (such as FPGA devices) that collectively provide a hardware acceleration plane. A common physical network allows the host components to communicate with each other, and which also allows the hardware acceleration components to communicate with each other. Further, the hardware acceleration components in the hardware acceleration plane include functionality that enables them to communicate with each other in a transparent manner without assistance from the software plane.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2017Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil
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Patent number: 10819657Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating acceleration component functionality for supporting services. A service manager uses a finite number of acceleration components to accelerate services. Acceleration components can be allocated in a manner that balances load in a hardware acceleration plane, minimizes role switching, and adapts to demand changes. When role switching is appropriate, less extensive mechanisms (e.g., based on configuration data versus image files) can be used to switch roles to the extent possible.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2019Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil, Michael David Haselman, Sitaram V. Lanka, Yi Xiao
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Patent number: 10606651Abstract: A hardware acceleration component is provided that includes a plurality of hardware clusters, each hardware cluster comprising a plurality of soft processor cores and a functional circuit. The plurality of soft processor cores share the functional circuit.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2015Date of Patent: March 31, 2020Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Stephen F. Heil, Sitaram V. Lanka, Andrew R. Putnam, Aaron Smith
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Patent number: 10528119Abstract: Dynamic power routing is utilized to route power from other components, which are transitioned to lower power consuming states, in order to accommodate more efficient processing of computational tasks by hardware accelerators, thereby staying within electrical power thresholds that would otherwise not have accommodated simultaneous full-power operation of the other components and such hardware accelerators. Once a portion of a workflow is being processed by hardware accelerators, the workflow, or the hardware accelerators, can be self-throttling to stay within power thresholds, or they can be throttled by independent coordinators, including device-centric and system-wide coordinators.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2017Date of Patent: January 7, 2020Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Andrew R Putnam, Douglas Christopher Burger, Stephen F Heil, Eric S. Chung, Adrian M. Caulfield
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Patent number: 10511478Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for changing between different roles at acceleration components. Changing roles at an acceleration component can be facilitated without loading an image file to configure or partially reconfigure the acceleration component. At configuration time, an acceleration component can be configured with a framework and a plurality of selectable roles. The framework also provides a mechanism for loading different selectable roles for execution at the acceleration component (e.g., the framework can include a superset of instructions for providing any of a plurality of different roles). The framework can receive requests for specified roles from other components and switch to a subset of instructions for the specified roles. Switching between subsets of instructions at an acceleration component is a lower overhead operation relative to reconfiguring or partially reconfiguring an acceleration component by loading an image file.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas C. Burger, Michael David Haselman, Stephen F. Heil, Yi Xiao, Sitaram V. Lanka
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Patent number: 10333781Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for changing between different roles at acceleration components. Changing roles at an acceleration component can be facilitated without loading an image file to configure or partially reconfigure the acceleration component. At configuration time, an acceleration component can be configured with a framework and a plurality of selectable roles. The framework also provides a mechanism for loading different selectable roles for execution at the acceleration component (e.g., the framework can include a superset of instructions for providing any of a plurality of different roles). The framework can receive requests for specified roles from other components and switch to a subset of instructions for the specified roles. Switching between subsets of instructions at an acceleration component is a lower overhead operation relative to reconfiguring or partially reconfiguring an acceleration component by loading an image file.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas C. Burger, Michael David Haselman, Stephen F. Heil, Yi Xiao, Sitaram V. Lanka
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Publication number: 20190190847Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating acceleration component functionality for supporting services. A service manager uses a finite number of acceleration components to accelerate services. Acceleration components can be allocated in a manner that balances load in a hardware acceleration plane, minimizes role switching, and adapts to demand changes. When role switching is appropriate, less extensive mechanisms (e.g., based on configuration data versus image files) can be used to switch roles to the extent possible.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2019Publication date: June 20, 2019Inventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil, Michael David Haselman, Sitaram V. Lanka, Yi Xiao
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Patent number: 10296392Abstract: A data processing system is described herein that includes two or more software-driven host components that collectively provide a software plane. The data processing system further includes two or more hardware acceleration components that collectively provide a hardware acceleration plane. The hardware acceleration plane implements one or more services, including at least one multi-component service. The multi-component service has plural parts, and is implemented on a collection of two or more hardware acceleration components, where each hardware acceleration component in the collection implements a corresponding part of the multi-component service. Each hardware acceleration component in the collection is configured to interact with other hardware acceleration components in the collection without involvement from any host component. A function parsing component is also described herein that determines a manner of parsing a function into the plural parts of the multi-component service.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2015Date of Patent: May 21, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Stephen F. Heil, Adrian M. Caulfield, Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Eric S. Chung
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Patent number: 10270709Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating acceleration component functionality for supporting services. A service manager uses a finite number of acceleration components to accelerate services. Acceleration components can be allocated in a manner that balances load in a hardware acceleration plane, minimizes role switching, and adapts to demand changes. When role switching is appropriate, less extensive mechanisms (e.g., based on configuration data versus image files) can be used to switch roles to the extent possible.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil, Michael David Haselman, Sitaram V. Lanka, Yi Xiao
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Publication number: 20180349196Abstract: A data processing system is described herein that includes two or more software-driven host components that collectively provide a software plane. The data processing system further includes two or more hardware acceleration components that collectively provide a hardware acceleration plane. The hardware acceleration plane implements one or more services, including at least one multi-component service. The multi-component service has plural parts, and is implemented on a collection of two or more hardware acceleration components, where each hardware acceleration component in the collection implements a corresponding part of the multi-component service. Each hardware acceleration component in the collection is configured to interact with other hardware acceleration components in the collection without involvement from any host component. A function parsing component is also described herein that determines a manner of parsing a function into the plural parts of the multi-component service.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2018Publication date: December 6, 2018Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Stephen F. Heil, Adrian M. Caulfield, Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Eric S. Chung
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Patent number: 9983938Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for locally restoring functionality at acceleration components. A role can be locally restored at an acceleration component when an error is self-detected at the acceleration component (e.g., by local monitoring logic). Locally restoring a role can include resetting internal state (application logic) of the acceleration component providing the role. Self-detection of errors and local restoration of a role is less resource intensive and more efficient than using external components (e.g., high-level services) to restore functionality at an acceleration component and/or to reset an entire graph. Monitoring logic at multiple acceleration components can locally reset roles in parallel to restore legitimate behavior of a graph.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Stephen F. Heil, Sitaram V. Lanka, Adrian M. Caulfield, Eric S. Chung, Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas C. Burger, Yi Xiao
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Publication number: 20170351547Abstract: A data processing system is described herein that includes two or more software-driven host components. The two or more host components collectively provide a software plane. The data processing system also includes two or more hardware acceleration components (such as FPGA devices) that collectively provide a hardware acceleration plane. A common physical network allows the host components to communicate with each other, and which also allows the hardware acceleration components to communicate with each other. Further, the hardware acceleration components in the hardware acceleration plane include functionality that enables them to communicate with each other in a transparent manner without assistance from the software plane.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2017Publication date: December 7, 2017Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil
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Publication number: 20170351321Abstract: Dynamic power routing is utilized to route power from other components, which are transitioned to lower power consuming states, in order to accommodate more efficient processing of computational tasks by hardware accelerators, thereby staying within electrical power thresholds that would otherwise not have accommodated simultaneous full-power operation of the other components and such hardware accelerators. Once a portion of a workflow is being processed by hardware accelerators, the workflow, or the hardware accelerators, can be self-throttling to stay within power thresholds, or they can be throttled by independent coordinators, including device-centric and system-wide coordinators.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 25, 2017Publication date: December 7, 2017Inventors: Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas Christopher Burger, Stephen F. Heil, Eric S. Chung, Adrian M. Caulfield
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Patent number: 9792154Abstract: A data processing system is described herein that includes two or more software-driven host components. The two or more host components collectively provide a software plane. The data processing system also includes two or more hardware acceleration components (such as FPGA devices) that collectively provide a hardware acceleration plane. A common physical network allows the host components to communicate with each other, and which also allows the hardware acceleration components to communicate with each other. Further, the hardware acceleration components in the hardware acceleration plane include functionality that enables them to communicate with each other in a transparent manner without assistance from the software plane.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2015Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil
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Patent number: 9760159Abstract: Dynamic power routing is utilized to route power from other components, which are transitioned to lower power consuming states, in order to accommodate more efficient processing of computational tasks by hardware accelerators, thereby staying within electrical power thresholds that would otherwise not have accommodated simultaneous full-power operation of the other components and such hardware accelerators. Once a portion of a workflow is being processed by hardware accelerators, the workflow, or the hardware accelerators, can be self-throttling to stay within power thresholds, or they can be throttled by independent coordinators, including device-centric and system-wide coordinators.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2015Date of Patent: September 12, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas Christopher Burger, Stephen F. Heil, Eric S. Chung, Adrian M. Caulfield
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Patent number: 9652327Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for reassigning service functionality between acceleration components. Reassigning service functionality can be used to recover service acceleration for a service. Service acceleration can operate improperly due to performance degradation at an acceleration component. A role at the acceleration component having degraded performance can be assigned to another acceleration component to restore service acceleration for the service.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2015Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Stephen F. Heil, Sitaram V. Lanka, Adrian M. Caulfield, Eric S. Chung, Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas C. Burger, Yi Xiao
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Publication number: 20160380912Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating acceleration component functionality for supporting services. A service manager uses a finite number of acceleration components to accelerate services. Acceleration components can be allocated in a manner that balances load in a hardware acceleration plane, minimizes role switching, and adapts to demand changes. When role switching is appropriate, less extensive mechanisms (e.g., based on configuration data versus image files) can be used to switch roles to the extent possible.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2015Publication date: December 29, 2016Inventors: Douglas C. Burger, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil, Michael David Haselman, Sitaram V. Lanka, Yi Xiao
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Publication number: 20160306772Abstract: A hardware acceleration component is provided that includes a plurality of hardware clusters, each hardware cluster comprising a plurality of soft processor cores and a functional circuit. The plurality of soft processor cores share the functional circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2015Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: Douglas C. Burger, Stephen F. Heil, Sitaram V. Lanka, Andrew R. Putnam, Aaron Smith
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Publication number: 20160308649Abstract: A service mapping component (SMC) is described herein for allocating services to hardware acceleration components in a data processing system based on different kinds of triggering events. The data processing system is characterized by a hardware acceleration plane that is made up of the hardware acceleration components, together with a software plane that is made up of a plurality of software-driven host components. The SMC is configured to select, in response to a triggering event, at least one hardware acceleration component in the hardware plane to perform a service, based on at least one mapping consideration and based on availability information. Each host component in the software plane is then configured to access the service on one or more of the selected hardware acceleration component(s) via an associated local hardware acceleration component, or via some other route.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2015Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: Douglas C. Burger, Eric S. Chung, James R. Larus, Jan S. Gray, Andrew R. Putnam, Stephen F. Heil
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Publication number: 20160308719Abstract: Aspects extend to methods, systems, and computer program products for changing between different roles at acceleration components. Changing roles at an acceleration component can be facilitated without loading an image file to configure or partially reconfigure the acceleration component. At configuration time, an acceleration component can be configured with a framework and a plurality of selectable roles. The framework also provides a mechanism for loading different selectable roles for execution at the acceleration component (e.g., the framework can include a superset of instructions for providing any of a plurality of different roles). The framework can receive requests for specified roles from other components and switch to a subset of instructions for the specified roles. Switching between subsets of instructions at an acceleration component is a lower overhead operation relative to reconfiguring or partially reconfiguring an acceleration component by loading an image file.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2015Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: Andrew R. Putnam, Douglas C. Burger, Michael David Haselman, Stephen F. Heil, Yi Xiao, Sitaram V. Lanka