Method, system, and program for updating a cached data structure table
OwnerGary Tsao, Hemal Shah +1inventors
InventorsGary Tsao, Hemal Shah, Arturo Arizpe
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Abstract
Provided are a method, system, and program for updating a cache in which, in one aspect of the description provided herein, changes to data structure entries in the cache are selectively written back to the source data structure table maintained in the host memory. In one embodiment, translation and protection table (TPT) contents of an identified cache entry are written to a source TPT in host memory as a function of an identified state transition of the cache entry in connection with a memory operation and the memory operation. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
Claims41
A method, comprising:
- performing at least a portion of a memory operation which affects a cache entry of a cache for a network controller and wherein said cache entry contains contents associated with contents of a first entry in a Translation and Protection Table (TPT) in a host memory;
- identifying an entry of the cache to be changed in connection with said memory operation;
- identifying the transition of the state of said identified cache entry in connection with said memory operation;
- identifying the memory operation;
- and
- selecting the contents of said identified cache entry to be written back to said first entry of said TPT of said host memory as a function of said identified state transition of said identified cache entry and said identified memory operation.
A system, comprising:
- at least one host memory which includes an operating system;
- a motherboard;
- a processor mounted on the motherboard and coupled to the memory;
- an expansion card coupled to said motherboard;
- a network controller mounted on said expansion card and having a cache;
- and
- a device driver executable by the processor in the host memory for said network controller wherein the device driver is adapted to store in said host memory a Translation and Protection Table (TPT) in a plurality of entries including first and second entries, wherein the cache is adapted to maintain at least a portion of said TPT and wherein the network controller is adapted to:
- perform at least a portion of a memory operation which affects a cache entry of said TPT;
- identify an entry of the cache to be changed in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the transition of the state of said identified cache entry in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the memory operation;
- and
- select the contents of said identified cache entry to be written back to said first entry of said TPT of said host memory as a function of said identified state transition of said identified cache entry and said identified memory operation.
A network controller for use with a host memory adapted to maintain a Translation and Protection Table (TPT) in a plurality of entries including first and second entries, comprising:
- a cache having a plurality of entries adapted to maintain at least a portion of said TPT;
- and
- logic adapted to:
- perform at least a portion of a memory operation which affects a cache entry of said cache for wherein said cache entry contains contents associated with contents of said first entry in said Translation and Protection Table (TPT) in said host memory;
- identify an entry of the cache to be changed in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the transition of the state of said identified cache entry in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the memory operation;
- and
- select the contents of said identified cache entry to be written back to said first entry of said TPT of said host memory as a function of said identified state transition of said identified cache entry and said identified memory operation.
An article for use with a cache having a plurality of entries adapted to maintain at least a portion of a Translation and Protection Table (TPT) in a plurality of entries including first and second entries maintained in a host memory, said article comprising a storage medium, the storage medium comprising machine readable instructions stored thereon to:
- perform at least a portion of a memory operation which affects a cache entry of said TPT;
- identify a cache entry to be changed in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the transition of the state of said identified cache entry in connection with said memory operation;
- identify the memory operation;
- and
- select the contents of said identified cache entry to be written back to said first entry of said TPT of said host memory as a function of said identified state transition of said identified cache entry and said identified memory operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.