Abstract: The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for efficiently translating virtual addresses utilizing either single address space or multiple address space models in a virtual memory management system. In particular, a Virtual Hash Page Table (VHPT), an extension of the Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB) hierarchy, is designed to enhance virtual address translation performance. Virtual Hash Page Table (VHPT) efficiently supports two different methods of operating systems use to translate virtual addresses to physical addresses. This directly benefits the highly frequented path of address resolution.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 3, 1998
Date of Patent:
April 10, 2001
Assignee:
Institute for the Development of Emerging Architectures,
L.L.C.
Inventors:
William R. Bryg, Stephen G. Burger, James O. Hays, John M. Kessenich, Jonathan K. Ross, Gary N. Hammond, Sunil Saxena, Koichi Yamada