Patent ID: 8886899
Filing Date: 2014-11-11
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing access to an external memory in a computing system comprising one or more cores, the method comprising: receiving memory requests to access a memory at a memory controller coupled to at least one of the cores; assigning, by the memory controller, respective priorities to the memory requests, the assigned priorities defining priority levels associated with requests having various defined attributes and the priorities based on priority configuration information, with the priority configuration information being stored in a register in the memory controller and accessible to the memory controller, with the priority information being configurable by execution of special memory access instructions issued by any of the cores of the computing system, and with the priority configuration information including a priority control list having plural entries, each entry specifying a “rule” in a rule field, with the rule being an expression of a set of attributes associated with memory request that is used to assign a predetermined priority level specified in a priority field of the given entry to such types of memory requests; providing access, by the memory controller, to the memory based on the memory requests according to the assigned priorities; and receiving messages at the memory controller to modify the priority configuration information.