Hardware-based pre-page walk virtual address transformation

Abstract

An indication of a virtual address is received. A current page size of a plurality of available page sizes is read from a register. A shift amount is determined based, at least in part, on the current page size. A bit shift of the virtual address is performed in which the virtual address is bit shifted by, at least, the determined shift amount.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving an indication of a virtual address;   reading, from a register, a current page size of a plurality of available page sizes;   determining a shift amount based, at least in part, on the current page size; and   performing a bit shift of the virtual address to create a transformed virtual address, wherein the virtual address is bit shifted by at least the determined shift amount.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising utilizing the transformed virtual address as input to a page table walk technique, wherein the page table walk technique is not dependent on the current page size. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the shift amount based, at least in part, on the current page size comprises determining the shift amount by at least one of:
 performing a table lookup, wherein the table maps a value indicating the current page size to a shift amount,   calculating the shift amount based on at least one of the value indicating the current page size and a base shift amount, and   determining the number of bits set to one in the value indicating the current page size.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising using the transformed virtual address as at least one of a set of one or more page identifiers and a page offset. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising:
 calculating a padding amount for at least one of a page identifier of the set of one or more page identifiers and the page offset; and 
 padding at least one of the page identifier of the set of one or more page identifiers and the page offset in accordance with the respective calculated padding amount. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising using the transformed virtual address to perform a page table lookup. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the virtual address is transformed based, at least in part, on a template, wherein the virtual address transformed in accordance with the template is compatible with a plurality of page table types. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising selecting a page table walk technique from a plurality of page table walk techniques, wherein the selection of the page table walk technique is independent of the current page size.