Patent · US Expired

Use of a cache ownership mechanism to synchronize multiple dayclocks

US6697925B1 · kind B1 · utility

2Cited by
19References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 2000
Grant dateFeb 24, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 28, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F1/14
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of and apparatus for improving the efficiency of a data processing system employing multiple dayclocks using the facilities which maintain coherency of the system's level cache memories. These efficiencies result from dedicating a separate individual dayclock to each of the multiple instruction processors within the data processing system thereby decreasing access time and user queuing. These individual dayclocks are each incremented at one microsecond intervals. However, these individual dayclocks require periodic synchronization to avoid system level time-tagging problems. This synchronization occurs at 20 microsecond intervals using the cache coherency maintenance hardware of the system.

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