System, method, and computer readable medium for capability-enhanced virtualization of caches

A computing method comprising:

• executing, by a computing device, a thread of programmable instructions, wherein the thread includes a request for data to be retrieved from memory of the computing device, wherein the request for data includes a virtual memory address;
• and
• processing, by the computing device, the request for the data by:
• translating the virtual memory address and a trust domain identifier associated with the thread being executed into a capability token value that is associated with a physical capability register, where the capability register contains one or more cache line numbers that are allocated to a capability token associated with the thread being executed, a permissions vector that defines a set of operations allowed on the allocated cache lines, and a physical memory tag for each of the cache line numbers contained in the capability register;
• determining that a cache line in cache memory of the computing device is allocated to the virtual memory address included in the request for data;
• searching for and retrieving contents of the physical capability register from a capability lookaside buffer that is associated with the capability token value;
• and
• granting access to the cache line in the cache memory to the thread being executed if the contents of the physical capability register indicate that the cache line is one of the one or more cache line numbers that are allocated to the capability token associated with the thread being executed and the set of operations, defined by the permissions vector, allowed on the allocated cache lines permit access to the cache line.

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to at least:

• execute a thread of programmable instructions, wherein the thread includes a request for data to be retrieved from the memory, wherein the request for data includes a virtual memory address;
• and
• process the request for the data by:
• translating the virtual memory address and a trust domain identifier associated with the thread being executed into a capability token value that is associated with a physical capability register, where the capability register contains one or more cache line numbers that are allocated to a capability token associated with the thread being executed, a permissions vector that defines a set of operations allowed on the allocated cache lines, and a physical memory tag for each of the cache line numbers contained in the capability register;
• determining that a cache line in cache memory of the computing device is allocated to the virtual memory address included in the request for data;
• searching for and retrieving contents of the physical capability register from a capability lookaside buffer that is associated with the capability token value;
• and
• granting access to the cache line in the cache memory to the thread being executed if the contents of the physical capability register indicate that the cache line is one of the one or more cache line numbers that are allocated to the capability token associated with the thread being executed and the set of operations, defined by the permissions vector, allowed on the allocated cache lines permit access to the cache line.