Merging data in an l2 cache memory
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDeanna P. Dunn, Robert J. Sonnelitter, III, Gary E. Strait
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for merging data including receiving a request from an input/output device to merge a data, wherein a merge of the data includes a manipulation of the data, determining that the data exists in a local cache memory that is in local communication with the input/output device, fetching the data to the local cache memory from a remote cache memory or a main memory if the data does not exist in the local cache memory, merging the data according to the request to obtain a merged data, and storing the merged data in the local cache, wherein the merging of the data is performed without using a memory controller within a control flow or a data flow of the merging of the data.
Claims20
A method for merging data, in a computer system having a hierarchy of caches, the hierarchy of caches consisting of an L1 cache associated with a processor, an L2 cache and main storage, the L1 cache configured to hold a subset of L2 cache data, the method comprising:
- receiving a request from an input/output (I/O) device to merge I/O data with processor data, wherein a merge of the I/O data comprises a manipulation of the processor data;
- responsive to determining that the processor data does not exist in the L2 cache, fetching the processor data to the L2 cache from a remote cache memory or a main memory;
- and
- responsive to determining that the processor data exists in the L2 cache, merging the I/O data with the processor data in the L2 cache according to the request to obtain a merged data;
- and
- storing the merged data in the L2 cache.
A system for merging data, comprising:
- a shared cache system comprising an L2 cache of a hierarchy of caches, the hierarchy of caches comprising an L1 cache associated with a processor, an L2 cache and main storage, the L1 cache configured to hold a subset of L2 cache data;
- the shared cache system configured to communicate with an input/output (I/O) device, the shared cache system configured to receive a request to merge I/O data with processor data, wherein the system is configured to perform:
- receiving a request from the I/O device to merge I/O data with processor data, wherein a merge of the I/O data comprises a manipulation of the processor data;
- responsive to determining that the processor data does not exist in the L2 cache, fetching the processor data to the L2 cache from a remote cache memory or a main memory;
- and
- responsive to determining that the processor data exists in the L2 cache, merging the I/O data with the processor data in the L2 cache according to the request to obtain a merged data;
- and
- storing the merged data in the L2 cache.
A computer program product for merging data, comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:
- receiving a request from an input/output (I/O) device to merge I/O data with processor data, wherein a merge of the I/O data comprises a manipulation of the processor data;
- responsive to determining that the processor data does not exist in an L2 cache, fetching the processor data to the L2 cache from a remote cache memory or a main memory;
- and
- responsive to determining that the processor data exists in the L2 cache, merging the I/O data with the processor data in the L2 cache according to the request to obtain a merged data;
- and
- storing the merged data in the L2 cache.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.