Apparatus and method to guarantee forward progress in execution of threads in a multithreaded processor
US6105051A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 23, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 23, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3851
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for performing computer processing operations in a data processing system includes a multithreaded processor and thread switch logic. The multithreaded processor is capable of switching between two or more threads of instructions which can be independently executed. Each thread has a corresponding state in a thread state register depending on its execution status. The thread switch logic contains a thread switch control register to store the conditions upon which a thread will occur. The thread switch logic has a time-out register which forces a thread switch when execution of the active thread in the multithreaded processor exceeds a programmable period of time. Thread switch logic also has a forward progress count register to prevent repetitive thread switching between threads in the multithreaded processor. Thread switch logic also is responsive to a software manager capable of changing the priority of the different threads and thus superseding thread switch events.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.