Patents by Inventor Samuel H. Duncan
Samuel H. Duncan 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: 10423424Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for performing an auxiliary operation via a compute engine associated with a host computing device. The method includes determining that the auxiliary operation is directed to the compute engine, and determining that the auxiliary operation is associated with a first context comprising a first set of state parameters. The method further includes determining a first subset of state parameters related to the auxiliary operation based on the first set of state parameters. The method further includes transmitting the first subset of state parameters to the compute engine, and transmitting the auxiliary operation to the compute engine. One advantage of the disclosed technique is that surface area and power consumption are reduced within the processor by utilizing copy engines that have no context switching capability.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2012Date of Patent: September 24, 2019Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Lincoln G. Garlick, Philip Browning Johnson, Rafal Zboinski, Jeff Tuckey, Samuel H. Duncan, Peter C. Mills
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Patent number: 10303616Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2013Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Chenghuan Jia, John Mashey, Cameron Buschardt, Sherry Cheung, James Leroy Deming, Samuel H. Duncan, Lucien Dunning, Robert George, Arvind Gopalakrishnan, Mark Hairgrove
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Patent number: 10114758Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes techniques to support demand paging across a processing unit. Before a host unit transmits a command to an engine that does not tolerate page faults, the host unit ensures that the virtual memory addresses associated with the command are appropriately mapped to physical memory addresses. In particular, if the virtual memory addresses are not appropriately mapped, then the processing unit performs actions to map the virtual memory address to appropriate locations in physical memory. Further, the processing unit ensures that the access permissions required for successful execution of the command are established. Because the virtual memory address mappings associated with the command are valid when the engine receives the command, the engine does not encounter page faults upon executing the command. Consequently, in contrast to prior-art techniques, the engine supports demand paging regardless of whether the engine is involved in remedying page faults.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2013Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Samuel H. Duncan, Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Jonathon Stuart Ramsay Evans, James Leroy Deming
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Patent number: 10095526Abstract: A multi-threaded processing unit includes a hardware pre-processor coupled to one or more processing engines (e.g., copy engines, GPCs, etc.) that implement pre-emption techniques by dividing tasks into smaller subtasks and scheduling subtasks on the processing engines based on the priority of the tasks. By limiting the size of the subtasks, higher priority tasks may be executed quickly without switching the context state of the processing engine. Tasks may be subdivided based on a threshold size or by taking into account other consideration such as physical boundaries of the memory system.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2012Date of Patent: October 9, 2018Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Samuel H. Duncan, Gary Ward, M. Wasiur Rashid, Lincoln G. Garlick, Wojciech Jan Truty
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Patent number: 10031856Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2013Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Chenghuan Jia, John Mashey, Cameron Buschardt, Sherry Cheung, James Leroy Deming, Samuel H. Duncan, Lucien Dunning, Robert George, Arvind Gopalakrishnan, Mark Hairgrove
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Patent number: 9830276Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a parallel processing unit (PPU) that includes one or more streaming multiprocessors (SMs) and implements a replay unit per SM. Upon detecting a page fault associated with a memory transaction issued by a particular SM, the corresponding replay unit causes the SM, but not any unaffected SMs, to cease issuing new memory transactions. The replay unit then stores the faulting memory transaction and any faulting in-flight memory transaction in a replay buffer. As page faults are resolved, the replay unit replays the memory transactions in the replay buffer—removing successful memory transactions from the replay buffer—until all of the stored memory transactions have successfully executed. Advantageously, the overall performance of the PPU is improved compared to conventional PPUs that, upon detecting a page fault, stop performing memory transactions across all SMs included in the PPU until the fault is resolved.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2017Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: James Leroy Deming, Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., John Mashey, Mark Hairgrove, Lucien Dunning, Jonathon Stuart Ramsey Evans, Samuel H. Duncan, Cameron Buschardt, Brian Fahs
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Publication number: 20170329717Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: November 16, 2017Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20170286198Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: October 5, 2017Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Patent number: 9767036Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2013Date of Patent: September 19, 2017Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Cameron Buschardt, Sherry Cheung, James Leroy Deming, Samuel H. Duncan, Lucien Dunning, Robert George, Arvind Gopalakrishnan, Mark Hairgrove, Chenghuan Jia, John Mashey
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Publication number: 20170249254Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: August 31, 2017Applicant: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20170185526Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: June 29, 2017Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20170161206Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a parallel processing unit (PPU) that includes one or more streaming multiprocessors (SMs) and implements a replay unit per SM. Upon detecting a page fault associated with a memory transaction issued by a particular SM, the corresponding replay unit causes the SM, but not any unaffected SMs, to cease issuing new memory transactions. The replay unit then stores the faulting memory transaction and any faulting in-flight memory transaction in a replay buffer. As page faults are resolved, the replay unit replays the memory transactions in the replay buffer—removing successful memory transactions from the replay buffer—until all of the stored memory transactions have successfully executed. Advantageously, the overall performance of the PPU is improved compared to conventional PPUs that, upon detecting a page fault, stop performing memory transactions across all SMs included in the PPU until the fault is resolved.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2017Publication date: June 8, 2017Inventors: James Leroy DEMING, Jerome F. DULUK, JR., John MASHEY, Mark HAIRGROVE, Lucien DUNNING, Jonathon Stuart Ramsey EVANS, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Cameron BUSCHARDT, Brian FAHS
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Patent number: 9575892Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a parallel processing unit (PPU) that includes one or more streaming multiprocessors (SMs) and implements a replay unit per SM. Upon detecting a page fault associated with a memory transaction issued by a particular SM, the corresponding replay unit causes the SM, but not any unaffected SMs, to cease issuing new memory transactions. The replay unit then stores the faulting memory transaction and any faulting in-flight memory transaction in a replay buffer. As page faults are resolved, the replay unit replays the memory transactions in the replay buffer—removing successful memory transactions from the replay buffer—until all of the stored memory transactions have successfully executed. Advantageously, the overall performance of the PPU is improved compared to conventional PPUs that, upon detecting a page fault, stop performing memory transactions across all SMs included in the PPU until the fault is resolved.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2013Date of Patent: February 21, 2017Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: James Leroy Deming, Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., John Mashey, Mark Hairgrove, Lucien Dunning, Jonathon Stuart Ramsey Evans, Samuel H. Duncan, Cameron Buschardt, Brian Fahs
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Patent number: 9442759Abstract: A time slice group (TSG) is a grouping of different streams of work (referred to herein as “channels”) that share the same context information. The set of channels belonging to a TSG are processed in a pre-determined order. However, when a channel stalls while processing, the next channel with independent work can be switched to fully load the parallel processing unit. Importantly, because each channel in the TSG shares the same context information, a context switch operation is not needed when the processing of a particular channel in the TSG stops and the processing of a next channel in the TSG begins. Therefore, multiple independent streams of work are allowed to run concurrently within a single context increasing utilization of parallel processing units.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2011Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Samuel H. Duncan, Lacky V. Shah, Sean J. Treichler, Daniel Elliot Wexler, Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Philip Browning Johnson, Jonathon Stuart Ramsay Evans
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Patent number: 9424227Abstract: Non-contiguous or tiled payload data are efficiently transferred between peers over a fabric. Specifically, a client transfers a byte enable message to a peer device via a mailbox mechanism, where the byte enable message specifies which bytes of the payload data being transferred via the data packet are to be written to the frame buffer on the peer device and which bytes are not to be written. The client transfers the non-contiguous or tiled payload payload data to the peer device. Upon receiving the payload data, the peer device writes bytes from the payload data into the target frame buffer for only those bytes enabled via the byte enable message. One advantage of the present invention is that non-contiguous or tiled data are transferred over a fabric with improved efficiency.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2012Date of Patent: August 23, 2016Assignee: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Samuel H. Duncan, Dennis K. Ma, Wei-Je Huang, Gary Ward
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Publication number: 20150082001Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention includes techniques to support demand paging across a processing unit. Before a host unit transmits a command to an engine that does not tolerate page faults, the host unit ensures that the virtual memory addresses associated with the command are appropriately mapped to physical memory addresses. In particular, if the virtual memory addresses are not appropriately mapped, then the processing unit performs actions to map the virtual memory address to appropriate locations in physical memory. Further, the processing unit ensures that the access permissions required for successful execution of the command are established. Because the virtual memory address mappings associated with the command are valid when the engine receives the command, the engine does not encounter page faults upon executing the command. Consequently, in contrast to prior-art techniques, the engine supports demand paging regardless of whether the engine is involved in remedying page faults.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2013Publication date: March 19, 2015Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Samuel H. DUNCAN, Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Jonathon Stuart Ramsay EVANS, James Leroy DEMING
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Publication number: 20140281357Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20140281256Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20140281296Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: Jerome F. DULUK, JR., Cameron BUSCHARDT, Sherry CHEUNG, James Leroy DEMING, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Lucien DUNNING, Robert GEORGE, Arvind GOPALAKRISHNAN, Mark HAIRGROVE, Chenghuan JIA, John MASHEY
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Publication number: 20140281263Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a parallel processing unit (PPU) that includes one or more streaming multiprocessors (SMs) and implements a replay unit per SM. Upon detecting a page fault associated with a memory transaction issued by a particular SM, the corresponding replay unit causes the SM, but not any unaffected SMs, to cease issuing new memory transactions. The replay unit then stores the faulting memory transaction and any faulting in-flight memory transaction in a replay buffer. As page faults are resolved, the replay unit replays the memory transactions in the replay buffer—removing successful memory transactions from the replay buffer—until all of the stored memory transactions have successfully executed. Advantageously, the overall performance of the PPU is improved compared to conventional PPUs that, upon detecting a page fault, stop performing memory transactions across all SMs included in the PPU until the fault is resolved.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2013Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: NVIDIA CORPORATIONInventors: James Leroy DEMING, Jerome F. DULUK, Jr., John MASHEY, Mark HAIRGROVE, Lucien DUNNING, Jonathon Stuart Ramsay EVANS, Samuel H. DUNCAN, Cameron BUSCHARDT, Brian FAHS