Memory state indicator check operations
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsPak-kin Mak, Timothy J. Slegel, Craig R. Walters, Charles F. Webb
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects include a computer-implemented method includes receiving an instruction at a processor to perform an operation on a memory block having an address and accessing a state indicator by the processor without altering a value of the state indicator. The state indicator is stored in a memory location independent of the memory block, and accessing includes sending a request to an operator to return the value of the state indicator to the processor. The method also includes determining based on the value of the state indicator whether the memory block is in a pre-defined state.
Claims15
A system comprising:
- a memory having computer readable instructions;
- and
- one or more processing devices for executing the computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions comprising:
- receiving an instruction at a processor to perform an operation that includes storing a specified data value in a memory block having an address, the memory block configured to store data therein;
- accessing a state indicator by the processor without altering a value of the state indicator, the state indicator stored in a memory location independent of the memory block, wherein accessing includes sending a request to an operator to return the value of the state indicator to the processor;
- determining based on the value of the state indicator whether the memory block is in one of a plurality of pre-defined states that includes data values stored in a repeating pattern in the memory block, the state indicator indicating that the memory block is in one of the plurality of pre-defined states without identifying contents of the repeating pattern;
- based on the memory block being in one of the plurality of pre-defined states:
- inspecting an initial portion of the data stored in the memory block to identify contents of the repeating pattern, the initial portion a subset of the data stored in the memory block;
- based on the contents of the repeating pattern being the same as the specified data value, not storing the specified data value to the memory block;
- and
- based on the repeating pattern not being the same as the specified data value, storing the specified data value to the memory block;
- and
- based on the memory block not being in the pre-defined state, storing the specified data value to the memory block.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processing device to cause the processing device to perform a method comprising:
- receiving an instruction at a processor to perform an operation to store a specified data value in a memory block having an address, the memory block configured to store data therein;
- accessing a state indicator by the processor without altering a value of the state indicator, the state indicator stored in a memory location independent of the memory block, wherein accessing includes sending a request to an operator to return the value of the state indicator to the processor;
- determining based on the value of the state indicator whether the memory block is in one of a plurality of pre-defined states that includes data values stored in a repeating pattern in the memory block, the state indicator indicating that the memory block is in one of the plurality of pre-defined states without identifying contents of the repeating pattern;
- based on the memory block being in one of the plurality of pre-defined states:
- inspecting an initial portion of the data stored in the memory block to identify contents of the repeating pattern, the initial portion a subset of the data stored in the memory block;
- based on the contents of the repeating pattern being the same as the specified data value, not storing the specified data value to the memory block;
- and
- based on the repeating pattern not being the same as the specified data value, storing the specified data value to the memory block;
- and
- based on the memory block not being in the pre-defined state, storing the specified data value to the memory block.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.