Store queue with store-merging and forward-progress guarantees
US8850120B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 2008 |
| Grant date | Sep 30, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F12/0842
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that performs stores in a memory system. During operation, the system performs a store for a first thread, which involves creating an entry for the store in a store queue for the first thread. It also involves attempting to store-mark a corresponding cache line for the first thread by sending a store-mark request for the first thread to the memory system, wherein a store-mark on the cache line indicates that one or more store queue entries are waiting to be committed to the cache line. If the attempt to store-mark the cache line fails because a second thread holds a store-mark on the cache line, and if obtaining the store-mark will ensure forward progress for the first thread, the system forces the second thread to release the store-mark, so the first thread can acquire a store-mark for the cache line.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.