Patent · US Expired

Thread properties attribute vector based thread selection in multithreading processor

US6073159A · kind A · utility

71Cited by
12References
71Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 31, 1996
Grant dateJun 6, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 31, 2016

Classification

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

Abstract

A technique is provided for selecting a preferred thread from a plurality of threads executing within a simultaneous multithreaded, out-of-order execution computer system, the preferred thread possessing those instructions which, while in flight within the pipeline of the computer system provide, in contrast to those instructions belonging to other threads, a more beneficial performance of the central processing unit of the computer system. To determine the preferred thread, a technique is provided to evaluate attributes of each thread which indicate whether the thread includes a number of instructions which are likely to be cancelled while in flight or whether a thread includes instructions which will remain in the instruction queue for a number of cycles, unable to execute, thus stalling the execution of the thread to which the instruction belongs.

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