Method and apparatus for updating and invalidating store data

The technical field encompasses computer systems employing prevalidated cache tag designs. In particular, the technical field encompasses designs to support store updates and invalidates and removal of stale cache lines out of a cache. In a computer architecture using a prevalidated tag cache design...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Lyon, Terry L
Format: Patent
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The technical field encompasses computer systems employing prevalidated cache tag designs. In particular, the technical field encompasses designs to support store updates and invalidates and removal of stale cache lines out of a cache. In a computer architecture using a prevalidated tag cache design, logic circuits are added to enable store and invalidation operations without impacting integer load data access times and to invalidate stale cache lines. The logic circuits may include a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) architecture to handle store operations in parallel with a smaller, faster integer load TLB architecture. A store valid module is added to the TLB architecture. The store valid module sets a valid bit when a new cache line is written. The valid bit is cleared on the occurrence of an invalidation operation. The valid bit prevents multiple store updates or invalidates for cache lines that are already invalid. In addition, an invalidation will block load hits on the cache line.