Patent · US Expired

Identification of related instructions resulting from external to internal translation by use of common ID field for each group

US5930491A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
16References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 20, 1997
Grant dateJul 27, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 20, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3885
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for addressing internal instructions in an out-of-order processor is proposed, which allows for an efficient register renaming even in case internal instructions are issued to a multitude of window buffers. In this case, it is not clear how internal instructions that stem from one external instruction can be indicated as being "related". In the method proposed, a common instruction identifier is assigned to each of the internal instructions of a group of internal instructions representing an external instruction. Furtheron, an offset identifier is assigned to each of said internal instructions in order to be able to unambiguously identify each of said internal instructions. These two identifiers are used as a tag, in order to be able to resolve data dependencies. By use of the invention, exception handling, recovery of mispredicted branches, and committing related instructions corresponding to one external instruction is simplified.

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