Halt context switching method and system

Details Halt context switching method and system Halt context switching method and system

2011-03-29

2011-03-29

Wu, Xiao M (Department: 2628)

Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system

Computer graphic processing system

Plural graphics processors

Reexamination Certificate

active

07916146

ABSTRACT:
In a processing pipeline having a plurality of units, an interface unit is provided between a first, upstream pipeline unit that needs to be drained prior to a context switch and a second, downstream pipeline unit that might halt prior to a context switch. The interface unit redirects data that are drained from the first pipeline unit and to be received by the second pipeline unit, to a buffer memory provided in the front end of the processing pipeline. The contents of the buffer memory are subsequently dumped into memory reserved for the context that is being stored. When the processing pipeline is restored with this context, the data that were dumped into memory are retrieved back into the buffer memory and provided to the interface unit. The interface unit receives these commands and directs them to the second pipeline unit.

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