Texas Instruments Corporation

Douglas C Crawford

Michael A Denio

Michael D Asal

Jerry R Van Aken

James G Littleton

Thomas M Albers

William S Egr

Graham Short

An interface for use with a multiprocessor computer system, having a host processor system and a graphics processor system. The interface permits extended functions to be developed on the host system or on another system, and subsequently loaded to the graphics processor system. The interface comprises software residing on both the host system side and the graphics system side, which operates at run time to permit the function to be called from a main program running on the host. The function's arguments are passed to the graphics system so that the function is executed by the graphics processor.

Multiprocessor software interface for a graphics processor subsystem

A method of partitioning a software program, so that a main program may be executed on a first processor, and at least one designated function may be executed on a second processor. The subprogram to be executed by the second processor is selected from a main program associated with a first processor and identified globally to both processors. The subprogram is given a call from the main program that creates a software environment that is compatible to both processors. More specifically, the method entails creating an argument passing means, via the function call, so that relevant information about the subprogram parameters may be communicated to the second processor.

Partitioning software in a multiprocessor system

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Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Douglas C Crawford