Method and apparatus for performing different cache replacement

Details Method and apparatus for performing different cache replacement Method and apparatus for performing different cache replacement

1996-07-01

1998-07-07

Gossage, Glenn

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory

Storage accessing and control

Hierarchical memories

711136, 711134, 711133, G06F 1212, G06F 1300

Patent

active

057784329

ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for efficiently performing a cache operation in a processor (70) for both flushing and non-flushing. One embodiment uses a cache flush control bit (100) in a data cache (90) to determine whether or not to ignore valid bits (130) during a pseudo least recently used (LRU) replacement algorithm. When the replacement algorithm is being used for flushing the data cache (90), the valid bits (130) are not used in order to make the algorithm more efficient. If the valid bits (130) are ignored, then the least recently used bits (120) are used to select the cache line that will be replaced. However, when the replacement algorithm is being used for a non-flushing replacement purpose, the valid bits (130) are used first, followed by the plurality of least recently used bits (120), to select the cache line that will be replaced.

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Y. Devill, et al."A class of replacement policies for medium and high-associativity structures", pp. 55-64; SIGARCH Conf; Labs.d'Electronique Philips,22 Av.Descaries,B.P.15.94453 Limcil-Brevannes,Fr.
D. Jain, et al., "Design Issues In The PowerPC 620TM Caches", 1995 High Performance Systems Design Conference, pp. 1-26, .COPYRGT. 1994.

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