Region based directory scheme to adapt to large cache sizes
US11119926B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 2017 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 5, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/621
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for maintaining a region-based cache directory are disclosed. A system includes multiple processing nodes, with each processing node including a cache subsystem. The system also includes a cache directory to help manage cache coherency among the different cache subsystems of the system. In order to reduce the number of entries in the cache directory, the cache directory tracks coherency on a region basis rather than on a cache line basis, wherein a region includes multiple cache lines. Accordingly, the system includes a region-based cache directory to track regions which have at least one cache line cached in any cache subsystem in the system. The cache directory includes a reference count in each entry to track the aggregate number of cache lines that are cached per region. If a reference count of a given entry goes to zero, the cache directory reclaims the given entry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.