Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Stuart Raymond Patrick

Amit Chatterjee

James E Walsh

Stuart T Laney

Nadim Y Abdo

Ralph A Lipe

Mukund Sankaranarayan

Andrew Kadatch

Raymond Edward Endres

Max Alan McMullen

David Neal Weise

Richard Allen Pletcher

Meher P Malakapalli

Chung Lang Dai

Asael Dror

Michael Scott Gibson

Xiaowen Shan

Meher Prasad Malakapalli

Various techniques for remoting graphics are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

Command remoting

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing asymmetric Graphical Processing Unit ('GPU') processors in a para-virtualized environment. A virtual GPU ('vGPU') within a child partition of the para-virtualized environment includes a kernel-mode driver (&#x201c;KMD&#x201d;) and a user-mode driver (&#x201c;UMD&#x201d;). The KMD includes a plurality of virtual nodes. Each virtual node performs a different type of operation in parallel with other types of operations. The KMD is declared as a multi-engine GPU. The UMD schedules operations for parallel execution on the virtual nodes. A render component within a root partition of the para-virtualized environment executes GPU commands received from the vGPU at the physical GPU. A plurality of memory access channels established between the KMD and the render component communicate GPU commands between a corresponding virtual node at the KMD and the render component.

Para-virtualized asymmetric GPU processors

Adaptable accelerated content streaming allows data to be streamed from a server to a client over a network at an accelerated rate for an amount of time before reducing the rate. In accordance with one aspect, the accelerated rate is prohibited from exceeding a threshold amount, which is based at least in part on both a total bandwidth of the server and an amount of bandwidth currently being used by the server. In accordance with one aspect, the data can be streamed to the client at up to an adaptable accelerated rate.

Adaptable accelerated content streaming

A user-mode device driver architecture is provided by the subject invention. The architecture includes a reflector, a driver manager and a host process which hosts and isolates one or more user-mode device driver(s). The user-mode device driver runs in the user-mode (UM) environment and has access to various UM services. The reflector resides in 'kernel memory' (e.g., memory/resource(s) available to operating system) while the driver manager, host process and user mode device driver(s) are located in user space (e.g., memory/resource(s) available to user application(s)). The reflector provides a secure, stable communication path for application(s), the host process and/or user-mode device driver(s) to communicate with the operating system.

Protocol for communication with a user-mode device driver

The present invention leverages high-frequency interrupts and/or low priority threads to accurately determine which computing resources are available. This provides a computing asset (CPUs and/or software applications) with a means to accurately compensate for resource utilization in order to increase its performance. By utilizing the present invention, the computing asset can optimize its performance in a real-time, self-tuning manner. In one instance of the present invention, high intensity, low priority threads are initiated on available CPUs (logical and/or physical) to effectively replace a CPU's idle time with the low priority thread. This thread generally constitutes a computationally-intensive and/or a memory-intensive thread which permits a highly accurate performance measurement to be obtained for available CPU resources. In another instance of the present invention, high-frequency interrupts are initiated on CPUs to compensate for processes that are shorter than a thread's time quantum, providing a more accurate performance counter.

High performance counter for realistic measurement of computer system load

Operating system enhancements that enable an application program to create and perform graphics operations on device-independent bitmaps (DIBs) efficiently. The enhancements are in the form of functions that return to the application program a handle to the DIB and a pointer to the location of the DIB in memory. With the handle, the application program can use the capabilities of the operating system to perform graphics operations on the DIB. With the pointer, the application program can use its own drawing capabilities and address the DIB directly. The operating system enhancements also streamline the design and content of graphics drivers such as display drivers by placing basic graphics functions in a graphics engine that communicates with the graphics driver. Simple graphics operations are passed from the graphics driver to the graphics engine, allowing the driver to be limited to more complex operations that utilize special characteristics of graphics hardware associated with the driver.

Method and apparatus for creating and performing graphics operations on device-independent bitmaps

Operating system enhancements that enable an application program to create and perform graphics operations on device-independent bitmaps (DIBs) efficiently. The enhancements are in the form of functions that return to the application program a handle to the DIB and a pointer to the location of the DIB in memory. With the handle, the application program can use the capabilities of the operating system to perform graphics operations on the DIB. With the pointer, the application program can use its own drawing capabilities and address the DIB directly. The operating system enhancements also streamline the design and content of graphics drivers such as display drivers by placing basic graphics functions in a graphics engine that communicates with the a graphics driver. Simple graphics operations are passed from the graphics driver to the graphics engine, allowing the driver to be limited to more complex operations that utilize special characteristics of graphics hardware associated with the driver.

Method and apparatus for creating and performing graphics operation on device-independent bitmaps

In response to a change in the color depth of a computer system's display device, the invention dynamically changes the color depth of existing objects in system memory to match the changed color depth of the device. As a result open applications need not be shut down and then reopened to change the color depth of objects already in system memory. The dynamic changing is accomplished through a number of functions calls between an application, the operating system and a display driver. In one embodiment of the invention, copies with the changed color depth are made at one time of all objects in system memory and the original objects discarded. The copies are then transferred to screen memory (if the display device is a video display terminal) for display as they are requested. In another embodiment of the invention, copies with the changed color depth are made selectively as the objects are transferred to the screen memory. The copies are then discarded from system memory after transfer and the original objects retained.

Method and apparatus for dynamically changing the color depth of objects displayed in a computer system

A method and apparatus for efficiently transferring a data block of bytes from a source to a destination in memory of a computer system. The method transfers bytes in multiple-byte words on word-aligned boundaries of memory as much as possible to reduce the number of fetches and writes and the number of memory cycles required to execute the transfer. For handling data block transfers of various sizes and locations, the method is implemented in a compiler that compiles different portions of code at run time into a block of code that is then immediately executed. The compiler employs a state machine stored in memory and having a plurality of states. Each state is associated with a portion of code for aligning a destination address or for transferring bytes in multiple-byte words on word-aligned boundaries. The states correspond to different starting source and destination addresses. A number of state machines are provided corresponding to the different color formats (bits per pixel) that may exists in the source and destination.

Run-time code compiler for data block transfer

Method and apparatus for dynamically changing the color depth of objects

Method and apparatus for creating and performing graphics operations on

A method and apparatus for providing access to a banked peripheral memory via a contiguous linear address space. The present invention provides a linear address space having a present region that is mapped to a host memory region of a computer system. The present invention further provides a relocatable selector that provides access to a portion of the linear address space. Accessing programs exchange data with the banked peripheral memory via the relocatable linear address space. When an accessing program references an address of the relocatable address base that is not mapped to the present region, the relocatable linear address space is positioned so that the referenced address maps to the present region. Additionally, a bank of the peripheral memory that corresponds to the referenced address is also mapped into the host memory region so as to enable the accessing program to exchange data with the banked peripheral memory via the relocatable linear address space.

Method and apparatus for simulating banked memory as a linear address

Method and apparatus for transferring a brush pattern of pixels stored in memory to a destination bitmap in memory. The method transfers an entire row of the brush pattern to the scan line of a destination bitmap without checking each byte for the end of the row. Data bytes are fetched from the pixel row a predetermined number of times to transfer the pixel row in one pass. The transfer method preferably uses multiple-byte words on word-aligned boundaries of memory to reduce the number of fetches and writes and the number of memory cycles to execute the transfer. The transfer may include combining the pattern with a bitmap such as a source bitmap or the destination bitmap and transferring the combination to the destination bitmap. To accelerate the transfer process, a compiler is provided to compile, in response to an appropriate function call, run time code that is then immediately executed to transfer the pattern to the destination bitmap.

Method and apparatus for transferring a brush pattern to a destination

A method for storing a sequence consisting of a repeated data pattern of three bytes to a memory in double word increments aligned with double word boundaries. A register is loaded with the first four bytes of the sequence. The contents of the register are then repeatedly stored to consecutive locations of the memory. Between each storing of the register's contents, the contents are updated to the next four bytes of the sequence by shifting the second through fourth bytes to the first through third bytes and also moving the second byte to the fourth byte. When the beginning address where the sequence is to be stored in memory is not aligned with a double word boundary, the initial bytes of the sequence up to the double word boundary are stored and the contents of the register updated to the next four bytes of the sequence.

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Stuart Raymond Patrick