Computer that selectively forces ordered execution of store and load operations between a CPU and a shared memory
US6079012A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 6, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 20, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 6, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/522
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer apparatus which detects a store or load operation into or from a shared memory page by a program that does not provide for synchronization when executed by a CPU that completes instructions out of program order. After the store or load is detected, the CPU explicitly orders operations into the shared memory page. Store operations are ordered such that no new store into the shared memory page is performed until all prior store operations into the shared memory page are complete. Also, load operations are ordered such that load operations from the shared memory page are performed in program order. This ordering is achieved by maintaining a process bit and a memory attribute bit associated with a shared memory page. When both bits are true, all load or store operations referencing the shared memory page are ordered.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.