Abstract: A method for power-efficient touch input, in which touch sensor data from a touch input is obtained by touch circuitry. Touch sensor data is obtained from touch input at touch circuitry included in a device that also includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC) and a display controller stack outside of the SOC. The touch sensor data is stored in a buffer. When the SOC is in a low-power state, the touch sensor data is communicated to the display controller stack for immediate display.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines, and a backup system configured to, in response to a request to access a data item, determine an access frequency for the data item. The backup system is further configured to, in response a request to store a data item, determine a storage tier at which the data item is to be stored in a cloud storage service, wherein the tier is determined based on the access frequency associated with the data item, and store the data item at the determined tier of the cloud storage service.

Abstract: Technology for a display controller is described. The display controller can detect a frame update when the display controller is in a dynamic sleep state. The display controller can wake up from the dynamic sleep state and enter a selective update state at a programmed vertical blanking interrupt (VBI) that precedes an actual VBI. The display controller can perform a scan-out with a display panel during the selective update state. The display controller can return to the dynamic sleep state in a same time frame after the scan-out is completed. The display controller can exclude timing logic to send a VBI at every time frame to the display panel to maintain time synchronization between the display controller and the display panel.

Abstract: Techniques for selective display frame fetching can include receiving or fetching rendered display frames by a display engine. The display engine can determine if a new frame includes one or more dirty portions. If the new frame includes one or more dirty portions, just the dirty portions can be loaded by the display engine into a display buffer. The display engine can also scan out just the dirty portions from the display buffer to a display.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to manage power and performance of computing devices based on user presence are disclosed. An apparatus includes an engagement detector to determine an engagement of a user with a device based on at least one of image data generated by an image sensor or an application running on the device; and an operation mode selector to select one of a plurality of operation modes for the device based on a level of engagement of the user, the plurality of operation modes including (1) a first operation mode associated with the device operating at a first performance level and a first power level and (2) a second operation mode associated with the device operating at a second performance level and a second power level, the first performance level being higher than the second performance level, the first power level being higher than the second power level.

Abstract: Techniques for selective display frame fetching can include receiving or fetching rendered display frames by a display engine. The display engine can determine if a new frame includes one or more dirty portions. If the new frame includes one or more dirty portions, just the dirty portions can be loaded by the display engine into a display buffer. The display engine can also scan out just the dirty portions from the display buffer to a display.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for efficient rendering and transmission of video content in a virtual reality system. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a first frame buffer to store image frames to be transmitted to a virtual reality apparatus; tile-based image rendering circuitry and/or logic to concurrently render multiple tiles of a first image frame, wherein tiles are categorized core tiles or a peripheral tiles; tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to transmit a first core tile rendered to the virtual reality apparatus before one or more remaining tiles have been rendered, the tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to continue to transmit one or more subsequently rendered core tiles following the first tile until all core tiles have been transmitted; and the tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to identify a subset of peripheral tiles to be transmitted based on first coordinate/offset data and to responsively transmit the subset of peripheral tiles.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for reduced computing device power consumption. Example methods disclosed herein includes detecting frame updates corresponding to input frames to be presented by a display, causing a programmable timer to generate second interrupts corresponding to first interrupts generated by a display engine, the second interrupts to be generated when there are no frame updates detected for at least a first duration of time defined by a first threshold. Example methods further include causing the display engine to transition to a low power state when (1) the programmable timer is configured to generate the second interrupts and (2) no frame updates have been detected for at least a second duration of time following the first duration of time, the second duration of time defined by a second threshold.

Abstract: A method for power-efficient touch input, in which touch sensor data from a touch input is obtained by touch circuitry. Touch sensor data is obtained from touch input at touch circuitry included in a device that also includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC) and a display controller stack outside of the SOC. The touch sensor data is stored in a buffer. When the SOC is in a low-power state, the touch sensor data is communicated to the display controller stack for immediate display.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines and conducts I/O transactions with the one or more virtual disks, and a virtualized file server backup system configured to back up data stored in a VFS located a cluster of host machines to an object store, and retrieve the backed-up data as needed to restore the data in the VFS. The object store may be located in a public cloud. The object store may include a low-cost storage medium within the cluster. An FSVM of the VFS may provide an object store interface to low-cost storage media.

Abstract: Techniques for selective display frame fetching can include receiving or fetching rendered display frames by a display engine. The display engine can determine if a new frame includes one or more dirty portions. If the new frame includes one or more dirty portions, just the dirty portions can be loaded by the display engine into a display buffer. The display engine can also scan out just the dirty portions from the display buffer to a display.

Abstract: Technology for a display controller is described. The display controller can detect a frame update when the display controller is in a dynamic sleep state. The display controller can wake up from the dynamic sleep state and enter a selective update state at a programmed vertical blanking interrupt (VBI) that precedes an actual VBI. The display controller can perform a scan-out with a display panel during the selective update state. The display controller can return to the dynamic sleep state in a same time frame after the scan-out is completed. The display controller can exclude timing logic to send a VBI at every time frame to the display panel to maintain time synchronization between the display controller and the display panel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for efficient rendering and transmission of video content in a virtual reality system. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a first frame buffer to store image frames to be transmitted to a virtual reality apparatus; tile-based image rendering circuitry and/or logic to concurrently render multiple tiles of a first image frame, wherein tiles are categorized core tiles or a peripheral tiles; tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to transmit a first core tile rendered to the virtual reality apparatus before one or more remaining tiles have been rendered, the tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to continue to transmit one or more subsequently rendered core tiles following the first tile until all core tiles have been transmitted; and the tile-based transmission circuitry and/or logic to identify a subset of peripheral tiles to be transmitted based on first coordinate/offset data and to responsively transmit the subset of peripheral tiles.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines and conducts I/O transactions with the one or more virtual disks, and a virtualized file server backup system configured to back up data stored in a VFS located a cluster of host machines to an object store, and retrieve the backed-up data as needed to restore the data in the VFS. The object store may be located in a public cloud. The object store may include a low-cost storage medium within the cluster. An FSVM of the VFS may provide an object store interface to low-cost storage media.

Abstract: Techniques for reducing broadcast and multicast traffic in a stacking system are provided. In one embodiment, a master device in the stacking system can automatically determine a minimal set of VLAN associations for stacking links in the stacking system. The minimal set of VLAN associations can avoid unnecessary transmission of broadcast or multicast packets through the system's topology.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing communication connections in a virtualization environment includes a plurality of host machines implementing a virtualization environment, wherein each of the host machines includes a hypervisor, at least one user virtual machine (user VM), and a distributed file server that includes file server virtual machines (FSVMs) and associated local storage devices. Each FSVM and associated local storage device are local to a corresponding one of the host machines, and the FSVMs conduct I/O transactions with their associated local storage devices based on I/O requests received from the user VMs. Each of the user VMs on each host machine sends each of its respective I/O requests to an FSVM that is selected by one or more of the FSVMs for each I/O request based on a lookup table that maps a storage item referenced by the I/O request to the selected one of the FSVMs.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines and conducts I/O transactions with the one or more virtual disks, and a virtualized file server backup system configured to back up data stored in a VFS located a cluster of host machines to an object store, and retrieve the backed-up data as needed to restore the data in the VFS. The object store may be located in a public cloud. The object store may include a low-cost storage medium within the cluster. An FSVM of the VFS may provide an object store interface to low-cost storage media.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment comprises a plurality of host machines, one or more virtual disks comprising a plurality of storage devices, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), wherein each of the FSVMs is running on one of the host machines, and a backup system configured to, in response to a request to access a data item, determine an access frequency for the data item. The backup system is further configured to, in response a request to store a data item, determine a storage tier at which the data item is to be stored in a cloud storage service, wherein the tier is determined based on the access frequency associated with the data item, and store the data item at the determined tier of the cloud storage service.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for managing a virtualization environment includes host machines implementing a virtualization environment, a plurality of clusters of the host machines, a virtualized file server (VFS) comprising a plurality of file server virtual machines (FSVMs), and a VFS cluster manager (CM) configured to distribute storage items among the clusters and receive cluster storage statistics for one or more shares of the VFS. The CM is further configured to, in response to a request from a first FSVM to identify a storage location for a storage item, identify a cluster at which the storage item is to be located based on the cluster storage statistics, identify a second FSVM at which the storage item is to be located based on compute usage statistics of one or more FSVMs in the identified cluster, and send an address of the second FSVM to the first FSVM.

Abstract: Techniques for aggregating hardware routing resources in a system of devices are provided. In one embodiment, a device in the system of devices can divide routing entries in a software routing table of the system into a plurality of route subsets. The device can further assign each route subset in the plurality of route subsets to one or more devices in the system. The device can then install, for each route subset that is assigned to the device, routing entries in the route subset into a hardware routing table of the device.