Source controlled cache allocation
US6684296B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 21, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jan 27, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 21, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/0888
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A cache is coupled to receive an access which includes a cache allocate indication. If the access is a miss in the cache, the cache either allocates a cache block storage location to store the cache block addressed by the access or does not allocate a cache block storage location in response to the cache allocate indication. In one implementation, the cache is coupled to an interconnect with one or more agents. In such an implementation, the cache accesses may be performed in response to transactions on the interconnect, and the transactions include the cache allocate indication. Thus, the source of a cache access specifies whether or not to allocate a cache block storage location in response to a miss by the cache access. The source may use a variety of mechanisms for generating the cache allocate indication.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.