Adaptive snoop-and-forward mechanisms for multiprocessor systems
US7437520B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 11, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 14, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 19, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2212/507
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a network-based cache-coherent multiprocessor system, when a node receives a cache request, the node can perform an intra-node cache snoop operation and forward the cache request to a subsequent node in the network. A snoop-and-forward prediction mechanism can be used to predict whether lazy forwarding or eager forwarding is used in processing the incoming cache request. With lazy forwarding, the node cannot forward the cache request to the subsequent node until the corresponding intra-node cache snoop operation is completed. With eager forwarding, the node can forward the cache request to the subsequent node immediately, before the corresponding intra-node cache snoop operation is completed. Furthermore, the snoop-and-forward prediction mechanism can be enhanced seamlessly with an appropriate snoop filter to avoid unnecessary intra-node cache snoop operations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.