Patent · US Expired

Method of executing coded instructions in a multiprocessor having shared execution resources including active, nap, and sleep states in accordance with cache miss latency

US6035374A · kind A · utility

140Cited by
6References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 25, 1997
Grant dateMar 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 25, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3861
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of executing coded instructions in a dynamically configurable multiprocessor having shared execution resources including steps of placing a first processor in an active state upon booting of the multiprocessor. In response to a processor create command, a second processor is placed in an active state. When either the first or second processor encounter a cache miss that has to be serviced by off-chip cache the processor requiring service is placed in nap state in which instruction fetching for that processor is disabled. When either the first or second processor encounter a cache miss that has to be serviced by main memory, the processor requiring services I placed in a sleep state by flushing all instructions from the processor in the sleep state and disabling instruction fetching for the processor in the sleep state.

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