Method and apparatus for improved recovery of processor state using history buffer
US5860014A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 15, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3861
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for maintaining content of registers of a processor which uses the registers for processing instructions. Entries are stored in a buffer for restoring register content in response to an interruption by an interruptible instruction. Entries include information for reducing the number of entries selected for the restoring. A set of the buffer entries is selected, in response to the interruption and the information, for restoring register content. The set includes only entries which are necessary for restoring the content in response to the interruption so that the content of the processor registers may be restored in a single processor cycle, even if multiple entries are stored for a first one of the registers and multiple entries are stored for a second one of the registers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.