Hot line fairness mechanism favoring software forward progress

A system comprising:

• a shared cache and a controller coupled to the shared cache, the controller configured to:
• determine whether a rejection of a request is required;
• determine whether the request is software forward progress (SFP)-likely or SFP-unlikely upon determining that the rejection of the request is required;
• execute a first pseudo random decision to set or not set a requested state of the request in an event the request is SFP-likely or SFP-unlikely, respectively;
• and
• reject the request following execution of the second first pseudo random decision.

A controller comprising logic, the logic executable to perform operations comprising:

• determining whether a rejection of a request is required;
• determining whether the request is software forward progress (SFP)-likely or SFP-unlikely upon determining that the rejection of the request is required;
• executing a first pseudo random decision to set or not set a requested state of the request in an event the request is SFP-likely or SFP-unlikely, respectively;
• and
• rejecting the request following execution of the second first pseudo random decision.