One of the main challenges in multi-core processor resource management is that existing operating systems (either conventional OS for single core or OS for SMP) are not able to effectively handle the new complexities in multi-core processors.
In order to address this challenge, the collaborators will conduct three closely related projects. (1) A hybrid system design and implementation for OS-based cache partitioning will provide efficient software management of shared caches with minimum hardware complexity, and will well define hardware/software interface of shared cache management. (2) The collaborators will design and implement scheduling algorithms in OS kernels to effectively allocate CPU, caches and memory bandwidth resources to multiprogramming jobs in multi-core processors. (3) A data object locality-aware cache partitioning design and implementation will distinguish the locality strengths of objects and make effective cache allocation decisions.
The intellectual challenges of this project are threefold: (1) Hybrid system design involves complex interactions between hardware and the underlined operating system, and demands insightful understanding of existing system structures and innovation to enhance both architecture and the OS kernels. (2) OS-based scheduling in multi-core processors is a fundamental and complex problem in system research. (3) System implementation of proposed algorithms for scheduling and object coordination demands a lot of creative ideas for their seamless integration in the kernels. The broader impact of this project is expected to be significant. Solutions to address critical issues for significant performance improvement in multi-core processors are timely demanded in many application areas. The research training to both undergraduate and graduate students will address the concerns of lacking strong system professionals in IT and computer industries.
