Computer system having shared address space among multiple virtual address spaces

摘要

A multi-tasking computer operating system allocates a respective virtual address space to each task. A portion of virtual address space is reserved as a shared address space (SAS) region, the SAS region occupying the same range of virtual addresses in the virtual address space of each task. Certain classes of data intended for sharing among multiple tasks are assigned unique and persistent addresses in the range of the shared address space region. Preferably, certain facilities are added to a conventional base operating system to support the SAS region and associated function. These include a join facility for initiating a task to the SAS region, an attach facility for attaching blocks of memory within the SAS region, and a paging facility for retrieving a page within the SAS region from storage. In this manner, it is possible for a multi-tasking multiple virtual address space computer system to assume the advantages of a single level store computer system when performing certain tasks.