Systems software support for new generation non-volatile memories

这项NSERC发现基金提出了对新兴的非易失性存储器（NVRAM）技术的系统软件支持的新颖和及时的研究。这些新技术以字节粒度运行，几乎和DRAM一样快，但它们的价格比DRAM低一个数量级。有潜力的NVRAM技术的两个例子是相变存储器和忆阻存储器。****** NVRAM技术的颠覆性：我们相信这些新的NVRAM技术将改变游戏规则，这一前景让我们非常兴奋。NVRAM将对计算机系统架构和应用程序产生破坏性影响。NVRAM将颠覆计算机系统架构，因为它要么需要在内存层次结构中增加一个新的层，要么将部分合并并取代过去50年来一直渗透到计算机系统中的DRAM和本地持久存储层。NVRAM将颠覆应用程序，因为访问持久存储将比目前的内存技术更加高效。我们甚至期待新的编程模型。******对系统软件的影响：这些新的现实将在很大程度上影响系统软件，即硬件和应用程序之间的软件层。现有的系统软件将不得不适应新的硬件架构。例如，文件系统和虚拟内存系统必须完全重新设计；操作系统及其服务器的组织可能不得不完全重组；而且，保护模式很可能必须进行重大改变。此外，需要设计新的系统软件来支持使用新存储器的应用程序，并支持预期的新编程模型。******NVRAM提供了许多引人注目的潜在优势，但同时也带来了挑战。例如，通过将所有应用程序状态保存在NVRAM中，可以使长时间运行的应用程序更加可靠，从而允许它们在许多类型的系统故障后继续执行。另一方面，如果不采取适当的干预措施，系统故障可能导致永久性的不一致。******研究目标：我们这项研究的目标是：(i)更好地了解如何最好地使用NVRAM，以便使应用程序和系统软件受益；（ii）开发通用技术，帮助应用程序更好地利用NVRAM； （iii）推进系统软件中的最先进技术，以适应NVRAM技术；（iv）启用使用NVRAM的新类别的应用程序；(v)为hqp提供肥沃的培训场地。**

This NSERC Discovery Grant proposes novel and timely research on systems software support for the new, emerging non-volatile memory (NVRAM) technologies. These new technologies operate at byte granularity, are almost as fast as DRAM, and yet they have a price point one order of magnitude lower than DRAM. Two examples of potential NVRAM technologies are phase-change and memristor memories. ******Disruptive nature of NVRAM technology: We believe these new NVRAM technologies will be game changers, and this prospect has us very excited. NVRAM will be disruptive to both computer systems architectures and to applications. NVRAM will disrupt computer systems architectures because it will either require a new layer in the memory hierarchy or it will partially merge and replace the DRAM and local, persistent storage layers that have permeated computer systems for the last 50 years. NVRAM will disrupt applications because accessing persistent storage will be dramatically more efficient than with current memory technologies. We even anticipate new programming models.******Effect on systems software: These new realities will affect systems software, the layer of software between hardware and applications, in a major way. Existing systems software will have to be adapted to the new hardware architectures. For example, file systems and virtual memory systems will have to be completely redesigned; the organization of the operating system and its servers will likely have to be completely reorganized; and the model of protection will likely have to be significantly altered. Furthermore, new systems software will need to be devised to support applications that use the new memories and to support the anticipated new programming models. ******NVRAM offers many compelling potential advantages, but at the same time introduces challenges. For example, long-running applications can be made much more reliable by keeping all application states in NVRAM, thus allowing them to continue execution after many types of system failures. On the other hand, system failures can result in permanent inconsistencies if appropriate interventions are not taken.******Research objectives: Our objectives for this research are: (i) to obtain a better understanding of how best to use NVRAM so as to benefit applications and systems software, (ii) to develop general techniques to help applications better utilize NVRAM, (iii) to advance the state-of-the-art in systems software to accommodate NVRAM technologies, (iv) to enable new classes of applications that make use of NVRAM, and (v) to provide a fertile training ground for HQPs.**