Systems and apparatus for main memory
View Patent ↗A computing system is disclosed that includes a memory controller in a processor socket normally reserved for a processor. A plurality of non-volatile memory modules may be plugged into memory sockets normally reserved for DRAM memory modules. The non-volatile memory modules may be accessed using a data communication protocol to access the non-volatile memory modules. The memory controller controls read and write accesses to the non-volatile memory modules. The memory sockets are coupled to the processor socket by printed circuit board traces. The data communication protocol to access the non-volatile memory modules is communicated over the printed circuit board traces and through the sockets normally used to access DRAM type memory modules.
1. A system comprising:
a motherboard having processor sockets coupled to memory module sockets in one or more memory channels via printed circuit board traces, the processor sockets configured to receive a processor and the memory module sockets configured to receive a memory module;
one or more processors plugged into the processor sockets, at least one processor of the one or more processors including one or more processing cores and a first integrated memory controller,
wherein the first integrated memory controller is configured to control random read and write accesses of data to non-volatile memory in a first memory channel.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor further includes a second integrated memory controller configured to control read and write accesses of data to dynamic random access memory in a second memory channel differing from the first memory channel.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one non-volatile memory module plugged into a memory module socket in a memory channel.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein
the memory module sockets are dual in-line memory module (DIMM) sockets, and
the at least one non-volatile memory module is a non-volatile dual in-line memory module.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein
at least one memory device of the non-volatile memory module is a NOR flash electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) integrated circuit chip.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein
the first integrated memory controller is a non-volatile memory controller.
7. A main memory for a computer system, the main memory comprising:
a motherboard having a plurality of memory channels, each of the plurality of memory channels having a plurality of memory module sockets to receive a plurality of memory modules, wherein
a first memory channel has a plurality of dynamic random access memory modules coupled into a first plurality of memory module sockets, and
a second memory channel has a plurality of non-volatile memory modules coupled into a second plurality of memory module sockets.
8. The main memory of claim 7 , wherein
the second memory channel further has a non-volatile memory controller that is coupled to the plurality of non-volatile memory modules, the non-volatile memory controller being configured to control random read and write accesses of data with the plurality of non-volatile memory modules in the second memory channel.
9. The main memory of claim 8 , wherein
the first memory channel further has a dynamic random access memory controller that is coupled to the plurality of dynamic random access memory modules, the dynamic random access memory controller being configured to control random read and write accesses of data with the plurality of dynamic random access memory modules in the first memory channel.
10. The main memory of claim 7 , wherein
each of the plurality of non-volatile memory modules has a randomly accessible electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) integrated circuit chip.
11. The main memory of claim 7 , wherein
each of the plurality of non-volatile memory modules includes a plurality of buffers coupled between the memory module socket and a plurality of non-volatile memory integrated circuits.