Patent · US Expired

Data processing system for performing either a precise memory access or an imprecise memory access based upon a logical address value and method thereof

US5666509A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
16References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 24, 1994
Grant dateSep 9, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 24, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/1027
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A processor (10) has a data cache unit (16) wherein the data cache unit includes a memory management unit (MMU) (32). The MMU contains memory locations within transparent translation registers (TTRs), an address translation cache (40), or a table walk controller (42) which store or generate cache mode (CM) bits which indicate whether a memory access (i.e., a write operation) is precise or imprecise. Precise operations require that a first write operation or bus write instruction be executed with no other operationsnstructions executing until the first operation/instruction completes with or without a fault. Imprecise operations are operations/instruction which may be queued, partially performed, or execution simultaneously with other instructions regardless of faults or bus write operations. By allowing the logical address to determine whether the bus write operation is precise or imprecise, a large amount of system flexibility is achieved.

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