Patent · US Active

Optimizing a cache back invalidation policy

US9043556B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
9References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 21, 2012
Grant dateMay 26, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 21, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/123
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method, a system and a computer program product for enhancing a cache back invalidation policy by utilizing least recently used (LRU) bits and presence bits in selecting cache-lines for eviction. A cache back invalidation (CBI) utility evicts cache-lines by using presence bits to avoid replacing a cache-line in a lower level cache that is also present in a higher level cache. Furthermore, the CBI utility selects the cache-line for eviction from an LRU group. The CBI utility ensures that dormant cache-lines in the higher level caches do not retain corresponding presence bits set in the lower level caches by unsetting the presence bits in the lower level cache when a line is replaced in the higher level cache. Additionally, when a processor core becomes idle, the CBI utility invalidates the corresponding higher level cache by unsetting the corresponding presence bits in the lower level cache.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.