Patent · US Expired

Multiprocessor cache system having three states for generating invalidating signals upon write accesses

US5283886A · kind A · utility

60Cited by
6References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 24, 1992
Grant dateFeb 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 24, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0833
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Herein disclosed is a multiprocessor system which comprises first and second processors (1001 and 1002), first and second cache memories (100:#1 and #2), an address bus (123), a data bus (126), an invalidating signal line (PURGE:131) and a main memory (1004). The first and second cache memories are operated by the copy-back method. The state of the data of the first cache (100:#1) exists in one state selected from a group consisting of an invalid first state, a valid and non-updated second state and a valid and updated third state. The second cache (100:#2) is constructed like the first cache. When the write access of the first processor hits the first cache, the state of the data of the first cache is shifted from the second state to the third state, and the first cache outputs the address of the write hit and the invalidating signal to the address bus and the invalidating signal line, respectively. When the write access from the first processor misses the first cache, a data of one block is block-transferred from the main memory to the first cache, and the invalidating signal is outputted. After this, the first cache executes the write of the data in the transfer block. In case t…

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