Color-based cache monitoring
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsXiaowei Shen, David F. Bacon, Robert W. Wisniewski, Orran Krieger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Color-based caching allows each cache line to be distinguished by a specific color, and enables the manipulation of cache behavior based upon the colors of the cache lines. When multiple threads are able to share a cache, effective cache management is critical to overall performance. Color-based caching provides an effective method to better utilize a cache and avoid unnecessary cache thrashing and/or pollution. The color based caching can be monitored to improve memory performance and guarantee Quality-Of-Service of cache utilization.
Claims19
An apparatus for guaranteeing Quality-Of-Service of cache utilization, said apparatus comprising:
- a generator that generates memory access operations in response to software;
- an assignor that assigns a color to memory access operations;
- a receiver that receives and records color information for each cache line based upon the operation utilizing the cache line;
- wherein the hardware is able to distinguish between memory access operations with different colors.
The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an instruction from the Operating System comprises locking a certain number of cache lines to be utilized with a certain color.
The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the Operating System locks a certain number of cache lines for colors associated with threads that require Quality-Of-Service memory guarantees.
A method of guaranteeing Quality-Of-Service of cache utilization, said method comprising the steps of:
- generating memory access operations in response to software;
- assigning a color to memory access operations;
- receiving and recording color information for each cache line based upon the operation utilizing the cache line;
- wherein the hardware is able to distinguish between memory access operations with different colors.
A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for guaranteeing Quality-Of-Service of cache utilization, said method comprising the steps of:
- generating memory access operations in response to software;
- assigning a color to memory access operations;
- receiving and recording color information for each cache line based upon the operation utilizing the cache line;
- wherein the hardware is able to distinguish between memory access operations with different colors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.