Patent · US Expired

High-speed memory storage unit for a multiprocessor system having integrated directory and data storage subsystems

US6415364B1 · kind B1 · utility

49Cited by
13References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 31, 1997
Grant dateJul 2, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 31, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0817
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A high-speed memory system is disclosed for use in supporting a directory-based cache coherency protocol. The memory system includes at least one data system for storing data, and a corresponding directory system for storing the corresponding cache coherency information. Each data storage operation involves a block transfer operation performed to multiple sequential addresses within the data system. Each data storage operation occurs in conjunction with an associated read-modify-write operation performed on cache coherency information stored within the corresponding directory system. Multiple ones of the data storage operations may be occurring within one or more of the data systems in parallel. Likewise, multiple ones of the read-modify-write operations may be performed to one or more of the directory systems in parallel. The transfer of address, control, and data signals for these concurrently performed operations occurs in an interleaved manner. The use of block transfer operations in combination with the interleaved transfer of signals to memory systems prevents the overhead associated with the read-modify-write operations from substantially impacting system performance. This i…

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