Method and apparatus for executing singly-initiated, singly-sourced variable delay system bus operations of differing character
US6178485A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 13, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 23, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 13, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/0831
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus for preventing the occurrence of deadlocks from the execution of singly-initiated singly-sourced variable delay system bus operations. In general, each snooper excepts a given operation at the same time according to an agreed upon condition. In other words, the snooper in a given cache can accept an operation and begin working on it even while retrying the operation. Furthermore, none of the active snoopers release an operation until all the active snoopers are done with the operation. In other words, execution of a given operation is started by the snoopers at the same time and finished by each of the snoopers at the same time. This prevents the ping-pong deadlock by keeping any one cache from finishing the operation before any of the others.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.