Hardware/software system for instruction profiling and trace selection using branch history information for branch predictions
US6418530B2 · kind B2 · utility
17Cited by
15References
18Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 18, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 9, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 18, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3844
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The inventive mechanism provides fast profiling and effective trace selection. The inventive mechanism partitions the work between hardware and software. The hardware automatically detects which code is executed very frequently, e.g. which code is hot code. The hardware also maintains the branch history information. When the hardware determines that a section or block of code is hot code, the hardware sends a signal to the software. The software then forms the trace from the hot code, and uses the branch history information in making branch predictions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.