System and method for implementing hybrid single-compare-single-store operations
US7793052B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 31, 2007 |
| Grant date | Sep 7, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 5, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2209/521
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A hybrid Single-Compare-Single-Store (SCSS) operation may exploit best-effort hardware transactional memory (HTM) for good performance in the case that it succeeds, and may transparently resort to software-mediated transactions if the hardware transactional mechanisms fail. The SCSS operation may compare a value in a control location to a specified expected value, and if they match, may store a new value in a separate data location. The control value may include a global lock, a transaction status indicator, and/or a portion of an ownership record, in different embodiments. If another transaction in progress owns the data location, the SCSS operation may abort the other transaction or may help it complete by copying the other transactions' write set into its own right set before acquiring ownership. A hybrid SCSS operation, which is usually nonblocking, may be applied to building software transactional memories (STMs) and/or hybrid transactional memories (HyTMs), in some embodiments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.