Patent · US Expired

Processor having plurality of functional units for orderly retiring outstanding operations based upon its associated tags

US5226126A · kind A · utility

401Cited by
28References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 21, 1990
Grant dateJul 6, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 21, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F15/8053
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A pipeline control system is distributed over the functional units (15, 17, 20, 25) in a processor (10). Decoder logic (12) issues operations, each with an associated tag, to the functional units, with up to n operations allowed to be outstanding. The units execute the operations and report termination information back to the decoder logic, but do not irrevocably change the state of the machine. Based on the termination information, the decoder logic retires normally terminated operations in order. If an operation terminates abnormally, the decoder logic instructs the units to back out of those operations that include and are later than the operation that terminated abnormally.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.