Apparatus and method for performing speculative cache directory tag updates
US6564306B2 · kind B2 · utility
6Cited by
9References
9Claims
0Family size
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Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 28, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 13, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 25, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/507
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for performing speculative directory cache tag updates for read accesses to memory is herein disclosed. A control unit for performing tag updates is coupled between the memory controller and the memory bank in a multiprocessor system that employs a directory-based coherency protocol. The control unit transmits data read from the memory bank to the memory controller while calculating the updated tag that it then writes back to the memory bank. In this manner, the memory bank busy time and memory bus traffic are reduced thereby improving the overall performance of a memory access.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.