Direct memory access
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Direct memory access (DMA) allows certain hardware subsystems within a computer to access system memory for reading and/or writing independently of the CPU. Many hardware systems use DMA including disk drive controllers, graphics cards, network cards, and sound cards.
DMA is an essential feature of all modern computers, as it allows devices of different speeds to communicate without subjecting the CPU to a massive interrupt load. Otherwise, the CPU would have to copy each piece of data from the source to one of its registers, and then write it back again to the new location. During this time the CPU would be unavailable for other tasks.
A DMA transfer essentially copies a block of memory from one device to another. While the CPU initiates the transfer, the transfer itself is performed by the DMA Controller. A typical example is moving a block of memory from external memory to faster, internal (on-chip) memory. Such an operation does not stall the processor, which as a result can be scheduled to perform other tasks. DMA transfers are essential to high performance embedded algorithms and networks.
A PC's ISA DMA controller, for example, has 8 DMA channels of which 7 are available for use by the device drivers. Each DMA channel has associated with it a 16 bit address register and a 16 bit count register. To initiate a data transfer the device driver sets up the DMA channel's address and count registers together with the direction of the data transfer, read or write. It then tells the device that it may start the DMA when it wishes. When the transfer is complete the device interrupts the PC. Whilst the transfer is taking place the CPU is free to do other things.
"Scatter-gather" DMA allows the transfer of data to multiple memory areas in a single DMA transaction. It is equivalent to the chaining together of multiple simple DMA requests. Again, the motivation is to off-load multiple I/O interrupt and data copy tasks from the CPU.
DRQ stands for DMA request; DACK for DMA acknowledge.
See also
External links
- mmap() and DMA (http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/ch13.html), from Linux Device Drivers, 2nd Edition, Alessandro Rubini & Jonathan Corbet
- DMA and Interrupt Handling (http://www.eventhelix.com/RealtimeMantra/FaultHandling/dma_interrupt_handling.htm)de:Direct Memory Access
es:Acceso directo a memoria fr:Accès direct mémoire gl:Acceso directo á memoria hr:DMA it:DMA ja:Direct Memory Access nl:Direct Memory Access pl:DMA