Programmable event-driven yield mechanism

US8762694B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Xiang Zou · Beaverton, US
• Hong Wang · Santa Clara, US
• Robert Knight · Mahomet, US
• Robert Geva · Cupertino, US
• Gautham Chinya · Hillsboro, US
• Scott Dion Rodgers · Hillsboro, US
• Chris J. Newburn · Rockton, US
• Bryant Bigbee · Scottsdale, US
• Per Hammarlund · Hillsboro, US
• Ittai Anati · Ramat HaSharon, IL
• Jim Crossland · Banks, US
• John Shen · Tainan, TW

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 31, 2006
• Grant date: Jun 24, 2014
• Expiry date: Mar 31, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2201/885
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and system for a programmable event-driven yield mechanism. The mechanism may disrupt processing of a program to deliver a yield event. The event may be treated as a fault-like yield event or a trap-like event. For a fault-like yield event, the faulting instruction is canceled before retirement and processor state is not updated before the yield event is delivered. For a trap-like yield event the instruction causing the trap is retired and the yield event is delivered on an interrupt boundary. Multiple pending yield events may be handled according to priority. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.