Abstract:
An apparatus includes a computerized appliance having a processor, persistent storage storing one or more executable programs, and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) accessible by the processor, and caching software (SW) executing on the processor from a non-transitory medium, the SW providing a process: storing Logical Block Address (LBA) tables associated with individual ones of existing programs executable on the processor, tracking program launch and close, managing caching of data for any program launched according to the associated LBA, tracking data usage during execution of any program launched, on closing a program, removing any unused LBAs from the associated LBA table, adding any LBAs accessed not on the table; and saving the resulting LBA table for the program closed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is in the field of general purpose computers, and pertains particularly to pre-caching data for specific applications to DRAM memory. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Computer systems typically have data storage systems from which data is read and to which data is written during program execution. Permanent storage is typically accomplished via a disk drive or other persistent media. Computers also typically have Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which is volatile memory, meaning that the contents are lost when power is switched off. It is well-known that read and write data access is generally slower with persistent media than with DRAM. Because of this, computers in the art often temporarily hold some data in DRAM for quicker access by the central processing unit (CPU). Loading this data prior to the time when it needs to be accessed is called pre-caching. 
     For optimal performance, computer programs and applications need to access most urgent and frequently used data as quickly as possible. The system will typically learn to cache, making that data more readily available. Still, the machine learning takes time, and does not always produce the optimum performance, especially in the case of certain applications which may need to contain large amounts of infrequently used data. Therefore, what is clearly needed is a method to enable the computer to configure DRAM to have a cache portion, and to cache data in a manner to optimize performance for data-intensive programs that are important, but are not necessarily cache-friendly. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment of the present invention an apparatus is provided, comprising a computerized appliance having a processor, persistent storage storing one or more executable programs, and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) accessible by the processor, and caching software (SW) executing on the processor from a non-transitory medium. The SW provides a process: storing Logical Block Address (LBA) tables associated with individual ones of existing programs executable on the processor, tracking program launch and close, managing caching of data for any program launched according to the associated LBA, tracking data usage during execution of any program launched, on closing a program, removing any unused LBAs from the associated LBA table, adding newly accessed LBAs not on the table, and saving the resulting LBA table for the program closed. 
     In one embodiment the caching SW provides a configuration utility including a graphical user interface (GUI), the SW on computer boot scans the persistent storage of the computer for executable programs and populates a list of discovered programs in the GUI, and the GUI enables a user to select programs, and to allocate DRAM space for cache for individual programs selected. Also in one embodiment, in the act of tracking program launch and close, the caching SW determines if a program launched is launched for the first time, and if so, in the act of tracking data usage the caching SW builds an LBA table associated with that program. 
     In one embodiment, barring reboot, the data indicated in the LBA table built remains in cache, and the LBA table is updated during subsequent program calls. Also in one embodiment the GUI comprises one or more links that, when initiated, open a browser application and assert a URL for a web site having resources for deterministic pre-caching. Still in one embodiment the one or more links enabling a user to download updated versions of the pre-caching SW, register downloaded SW, and to seek help with set-up and operation of the pre-caching SW. And still in one embodiment a user is enabled to download and use LBA tables pre-prepared for known executable programs. 
     In another aspect of the invention a method is provided, comprising steps: (a) storing Logical Block Address (LBA) tables associated with individual ones of existing programs executable on a processor of a computerized appliance having persistent storage and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) accessible by the processor; (b) tracking program launch and close; (c) managing caching of data for any program launched according to the associated LBA table; (d) tracking data usage during execution of any program launched; (e) on closing a program, removing any unused LBAs from the associated LBA table; and (f) saving the resulting LBA table for the program closed. 
     In one embodiment of the method there is a step providing a configuration utility including a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the SW on computer boot scans the persistent storage of the computer for executable programs and populates a list of discovered programs in the GUI, and the GUI enables a user to select programs, and to allocate RAM space for cache for individual programs selected. Also in one embodiment, in the act of tracking program launch and close, the caching SW determines if a program launched is launched for the first time, and if so, in the act of tracking data usage the caching SW builds an LBA table associated with that program. 
     In one embodiment, barring reboot, the data indicated in the LBA table built remains in cache, and the LBA table is updated during subsequent program calls. Also in one embodiment the GUI comprises one or more links that, when initiated, open a browser application and assert a URL for a web site having resources for deterministic pre-caching. Still in one embodiment the one or more links enables a user to download updated versions of the pre-caching SW, register downloaded SW, and to seek help with set-up and operation of the pre-caching SW. Also in one embodiment a user is enabled to download and use LBA tables pre-prepared for known executable programs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an architectural illustration of a typical prior art computer system showing data paths. 
         FIG. 2  is an architectural illustration of a computer system utilizing cache optimization according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exemplary screen shot of a Graphical User Interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a process flow chart illustrating configuration of a computer for program optimization, using a GUI interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a process flow chart illustrating a caching application operation following launch of a program in an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is invention process flow chart illustrating a caching operation following computer boot in an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is an architectural illustration of a typical prior art computer system showing data paths. In the prior art, application  103  executing on the CPU (not shown) of the computer receives data from disks  102  or other persistent storage through existing storage controller  101 . Application  103  can also be served data from DRAM  104 , if needed data is in fact stored in the DRAM. If the application is infrequently used and uses large amounts of data, typical DRAM will not make much difference in the storage performance of the application. The system will typically ‘learn’ to cache, making needed data more readily available. Still, the machine learning takes time, and does not always produce the optimum performance, especially in the case of certain applications which may need to use large amounts of infrequently-used data. In the existing art illustrated by  FIG. 1  there is no facility for a user to select programs for pre-cache optimization. 
       FIG. 2  is an architectural illustration of a computer system utilizing deterministic pre-caching optimization according to an embodiment of the present invention to optimize performance of an example program  203  running on the computer CPU (not shown). In one embodiment a user obtains and installs deterministic pre-caching software (SW) which includes a filter driver  205  and a SW agent  206 . The pre-caching SW may be downloaded from a website, or may be provided in another manner, such as on a portable memory device or disk. 
     Once installed, the pre-caching SW loads and runs in the background when the computer is booted. The first time the SW executes SW, Agent  206  initiates a scan of all persistent storage  202  coupled to the computer, through existing storage controller  201 , to find executable application files. On completion of the scan SW Agent  206  populates and displays a list of the executable application files found in a GUI window as shown for example in  FIG. 3 . The GUI window is enabled with interactive indicia enabling the user to accomplish a number of objectives such as choosing applications to be optimized, selecting the priority of optimization of individual or groups of applications and selecting the amount of DRAM memory  207  to allocate as cache for individual or groups of applications. 
       FIG. 3  is an exemplary screen shot of a Graphical User Interface according to an embodiment of the invention. In using the deterministic pre-caching SW of an embodiment of the invention a graphical user interface  301  is provided. The user may search for an application for optimization with provided search window  311 . The user may also browse for applications through the browse button in selector group  303 . The selectors in group  303  also enable selecting all programs and removing programs prior to adding to window  305 . In one embodiment the indicia include an available memory indicator  309 , a cache size selector  304 , a cache size indicator  310  and a start stop indicator  306 . 
     As a result of the scan of persistent storage  202  a list of executable programs is rendered in window  302 . These programs may be selected by the user and added to window  305  one at a time or in groups. Once added to window  305  the user may prioritize the programs by selecting a program and using arrow selector  307  to raise or lower the priority of the program. The priority of the programs may be made individually or in groups. The user has the ability to select the cache size in DRAM for particular programs or groups of programs via selector  304  which may be moved to the left or right, raising or lowering the amount of cache used for each program. 
     On first execution of one of the configured programs optimized by the user with interactive interface  301 , filter driver  205  receives notice from Agent  206  that the application is launching. As the program operates, Filter driver  205  monitors data traffic and builds a table of Logical Block Addresses (LBAs) to cache for this program. The table of LBAs associated with this program is saved if the program is terminated, and the cached data for that program remains in cache in DRAM while the computer is in operation. If the same program is called again before the computer is shut down, in one embodiment of the invention the SW again tracks data usage, and if that usage differs significantly, the LBA table for that program may be updated. 
     When and if monitored applications are quit or the computer is shut down, LBA tables built and possibly refined during operation are saved for later use, and in the case of a reboot, any data cached in DRAM  204  disappears from the DRAM. At subsequent computer boot as programs are called and begin to execute, Filter Driver  205  manages data caching for the programs, enabling optimized performance of the programs. 
       FIG. 4  is a process flow chart illustrating configuration and setup using the GUI interface of  FIG. 3  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment a configuration utility is initiated at step  406 . Once the configuration utility is initiated the system initiates a scan of the host system at step  401  to find executable programs. The executable programs are listed in interface  302  of  FIG. 3 . At step  402  the user selects programs among the listed programs to cache and selects the cache size. The system determines in step  403  if a LBA table exists for the selected program. If so, then a portion of DRAM is reserved at step  404 . At step  405  the data at the LBAs from the table are loaded into the reserved DRAM cache. If at step  403  it is determined that an LBA table does not exist, then control goes to step  407  to continue to look for launch of a selected application. 
       FIG. 5  is a process flow chart illustrating a caching operation according to an embodiment of the present invention, expanding from position (1) in  FIG. 4 , showing operation when a selected program is launched. In this embodiment, at step  501 , a launch of the selected program is detected. At step  502  it is determined if the launch is a first launch. If at step  502  it is determined that the launch of the program is a first launch, then at step  503  the data traffic is monitored, cached, and an LBA table is created. At step  504  a determination is made as to whether the program has been closed or not. If the program is closed at step  504  then the LBA is saved at step  505 . If it is determined that the application has not been closed at step  504  then step  503  continues to monitor LBA traffic for the closure of the application so that an LBA table may be created and data cached. 
     If at step  502 , the launch of the program is not a first launch, the data traffic is monitored and the LBA table is updated at step  506 . At step  507  a determination is made as to whether the application has been closed. If the application has been closed, then at step  508 , unused addresses are removed from the LBA table and LBAs that were accessed that were not on the table are added to the table, then the LBA table is saved at step  509 . If it is determined that the program has not been closed at step  507  the data traffic continues to be monitored at step  506  until the program is closed and the LBA table can be updated and saved at step  508  and  509 . 
       FIG. 6  is a process flow chart illustrating a caching operation from computer boot according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step  601 , the computer is booted. Once the computer is booted a determination is made as to the existence of the LBA list previously created. If the LBA list is detected at step  602 , DRAM is reserved at step  603 . At step  604  the listed LBAs are loaded from storage to DRAM. At step  605  the data traffic is monitored and LBA lists are updated. If the program is closed at step  606  the unused LBAs are removed, LBAs not listed on the table are added, and the LBA table is updated. If the application is not closed at step  606  the data traffic continues to be monitored and updated until the application is closed and the LBA table is updated in step  607  and saved in step  608 . 
     In one embodiment a profile may be selected via drop-down menu  308  ( FIG. 3 ), which may contain an application or a group of applications that a user has previously set up for deterministic pre-caching. A user may have a profile for gaming, for example, whereby certain gaming applications are configured for deterministic pre-caching. Another user or the same user may have a pre-configured group of applications concerning graphics that he or she has pre-configured to use deterministic pre-caching software according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment the GUI may include a group of links  312  that enable the user to purchase software, upgrade software, register software or get help with software. 
     In one embodiment the pre-caching SW of the invention may run in the background with no need for user input. In another embodiment the configuration utility is pre-configured with common LBA profiles for applications such that little or no user input is needed. In this embodiment there may be a utility for noting the directory structure of a user&#39;s computer, and processing that structure to determine data storage characteristics enabling LBA lists pre-prepared for known programs to be downloaded and used without user input. 
     An internet-connected server may be provided comprising software executing from a non-transitory medium, and a range of functionality including, for example, downloading deterministic pre-caching SW according to embodiments of the present invention. This server also provides services that may be accessed via links  312 . The software comprising a configuration utility executable on a CPU of a computing appliance, and a stored dB comprising information and files associated with programs, the information and files prepared to optimize performance of specific programs in caching operation. The server provides an interactive interface to a browser executing on an Internet connected computing appliance, the interactive interface enabling a user to download the SW, to be installed and executed on the CPU of the computing appliance, downloading configuration files to be installed on the computing appliance, partitioning a portion of system DRAM of the computing appliance as cache, and loading information and files from the storage media to the cache portion of system DRAM, optimizing performance of the programs installed on the computing appliance. 
     It will be apparent to a skilled person that the embodiments described in enabling detail above are exemplary only, and do not describe every way the present invention may be implemented and practiced. SW may be implemented in different ways in different circumstances to accomplish the same or very similar results. There are also many different ways that computer systems may be implemented that might use the SW according to embodiments of the present invention. The invention is limited only by the claims that follow.