Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory – Storage accessing and control – Hierarchical memories
Patent
1996-03-01
1998-05-26
Donaghue, Larry D.
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: memory
Storage accessing and control
Hierarchical memories
395566, 711141, 711210, G06F 1202
Patent
active
057581789
ABSTRACT:
A miss tracking system optimizes the bandwidth to a main memory that is associated with a processor that utilizes a data cache and that executes instructions out of order. The miss tracking system includes the processor, the main memory in communication with the processor, and a data cache (DCACHE) associated with the processor. The processor has a memory queue (MQUEUE) for receiving and executing instructions that are directed to memory accesses to the DCACHE or the main memory. The MQUEUE includes a plurality of instruction processing mechanisms for receiving and executing respective memory instructions out of order. Each instruction processing mechanism includes an instruction register for storing an instruction and an address reorder buffer slot (ARBSLOT) for storing the data address of the instruction execution results. Significantly, dependent-on-miss (DM) indicator logic in each ARBSLOT prevents a request from its respective ARBSLOT to the main memory for miss data that is absent from the DCACHE when another ARBSLOT has already requested from the main memory the miss data. This is accomplished with DM indicator logic and a status indicator associated with each DCACHE data line. The DM indicator logic includes a DM indicator for asserting and deasserting a signal DM to indicate respectively whether or not an instruction associated with its respective ARBSLOT currently depends upon miss data that has not yet been received. The status indicator indicates a miss pending status, which means that the corresponding DCACHE data line is both invalid and has already been requested from the main memory.
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Goodman et al. The Wisconsin Multicarbes A New Large-Scale Caehe-Coherent Multiprocessor, 1988.
Donaghue Larry D.
Hewlett--Packard Company
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