Cache coherency protocol permitting sharing of a locked data granule
US6629209B1 · kind B1 · utility
24Cited by
10References
20Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 9, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 30, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 9, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/0831
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multiprocessor data processing system requires careful management to maintain cache coherency. Conventional systems using a MESI approach sacrifice some performance with inefficient lock-acquisition and lock-retention techniques. The disclosed system provides additional cache states, indicator bits, and lock-acquisition routines to improve cache performance. The additional cache states allow cache state transition sequences to be optimized by replacing frequently-occurring and inefficient MESI code sequences with improved sequences using modified cache states.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.