User-level DMA extension for now/cluster architectures

  • Authors:
  • Alexander P. Kemalov

  • Affiliations:
  • ICCS-BAS, Hhierarchy systems Department, Akad. G. Bochev str. BI.2 Sofia

  • Venue:
  • CompSysTech '03 Proceedings of the 4th international conference conference on Computer systems and technologies: e-Learning
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

Direct Memory Access/DMA/is previously used to transfer data between the main memory of host computer/PC/ and the network → to another one. This method is used to free the processor from the burden of transfer operations. DMA procedures commonly are initiated by the operating system kernel to separate one application and its data with another.A Network of Workstations/NOW/architecture suggest that interconnections get faster and overhead and latency in networks go down while operating system operations get slower. In NOW or clusters these factors are very important because an intensive data transfers between hosts. These trends imply that DMA operation becomes slower/using operating system kernel/, compared to interconnection network.This paper proposes several algorithms that allow applications to start DMA operation without OS kernel. The algorithms allow user-level applications to have direct access to the DMA engine. This approach is achieved without requiring changes to the OS kernel Using our algorithms, DMA operation can be initiated faster/in comparison to OS kernel/.