Storing of instructions relating to a stalled thread
US6792446B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 1, 2002 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 1, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/3869
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A processor is provided that includes an execution unit for executing instructions and a replay system for replaying instructions which have not executed properly. The replay system is coupled to the execution unit and includes a checker for determining whether each instruction has executed properly and a plurality of replay queues or replay queue sections coupled to the checker for temporarily storing one or more instructions for replay. In one embodiment, thread-specific replay queue sections may each be used to store a long latency instruction for each thread until the long latency instruction is ready to be executed (e.g., data for a load instruction has been retrieved from external memory). By storing the long latency instruction and its dependents in a replay queue section for one thread which has stalled, execution resources are made available for improving the speed of execution of other threads which have not stalled.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.