Apparatus and method to guarantee forward progress in execution

Details Apparatus and method to guarantee forward progress in execution Apparatus and method to guarantee forward progress in execution

1997-10-23

2000-08-15

Banankhah, Majid

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput

Computer-to-computer data routing

Least weight routing

709100, G06F 900

Patent

active

061050512

ABSTRACT:
A system and method for performing computer processing operations in a data processing system includes a multithreaded processor and thread switch logic. The multithreaded processor is capable of switching between two or more threads of instructions which can be independently executed. Each thread has a corresponding state in a thread state register depending on its execution status. The thread switch logic contains a thread switch control register to store the conditions upon which a thread will occur. The thread switch logic has a time-out register which forces a thread switch when execution of the active thread in the multithreaded processor exceeds a programmable period of time. Thread switch logic also has a forward progress count register to prevent repetitive thread switching between threads in the multithreaded processor. Thread switch logic also is responsive to a software manager capable of changing the priority of the different threads and thus superseding thread switch events.

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