Patent ID: 7457928

Claim:
In a computer system, the computer system comprising a processor in communications with a volatile system memory by way of a memory controller, a method for facilitating startup/shutdown of the computer system, the method comprising: prior to normal operation of the computer system, a computer system startup process copying contents of a non-volatile mirror store into the volatile system memory such that content of both the non-volatile mirror store and volatile system memory are identical, the content comprising state information saved during a previous computer system shutdown event; responsive to the computer system being in normal operation, performing steps a) and b); a) the processor manipulating data in volatile system memory by way of said memory controller; and b) responsive to the processor storing data in volatile system memory by way of the memory controller, the memory controller storing the data to both said volatile system memory and said non-volatile mirror store, such that content of the mirror store is maintained to be identical to content of the volatile system memory during normal operation; and responsive to the computer system leaving normal operation in order to shutdown the computer system, saving state information in said non-volatile mirror store.