Patent · US Expired

System and method of local data alignment for stack memory

US6070010A · kind A · utility

30Cited by
8References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 31, 1998
Grant dateMay 30, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 31, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/44
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for aligning data in stack memory in a data processing system where the stack memory provides temporary storage for storing parameters for a function call. The method first determines if any of the parameters in the function being call are of a selected type. If a parameter is of a selected type, code is generated for aligning the parameter on a stricter boundary than the default boundary for the stack memory. Code is then generated to align the remaining parameters in the function call on the default boundary in the stack memory. The aligned parameter in the stack provides a reference point which is used by the called function to align locally scoped variables in the stack. By aligning a parameter of a selected type on stricter boundary in the stack, for example, a double precision floating point aligned on an 8 byte boundary, the execution performance of the compiled program code is improved.

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