Memory Management Among Levels Of Cache In A Memory Hierarchy
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsTIMOTHY H. HEIL, ROBERT A. SHEARER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods, apparatus, and product for memory management among levels of cache in a memory hierarchy in a computer with a processor operatively coupled through two or more levels of cache to a main random access memory, caches closer to the processor in the hierarchy characterized as higher in the hierarchy, including: identifying a line in a first cache that is preferably retained in the first cache, the first cache backed up by at least one cache lower in the memory hierarchy, the lower cache implementing an LRU-type cache line replacement policy; and updating LRU information for the lower cache to indicate that the line has been recently accessed.
Claims20
A method of memory management among levels of cache in a memory hierarchy in a computer with a processor operatively coupled through two or more levels of cache to a main random access memory, caches closer to the processor in the hierarchy characterized as higher in the hierarchy, the method comprising:
- identifying a line in a first cache that is preferably retained in the first cache upon an access of the line in the first cache, the first cache backed up by at least one cache lower in the memory hierarchy, the lower cache implementing a least recently used type (‘LRU-type’) cache line replacement policy;
- updating LRU information for the lower cache to indicate that the line has been recently accessed
- wherein the method is implemented on a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC comprising integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controller, each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, each memory communications controller controlling communication between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers, wherein each router implements a plurality of virtual communications channels, the virtual communications channels characterized by different communication types.
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An apparatus for memory management among levels of cache in a memory hierarchy in a computer with a processor operatively coupled through two or more levels of cache to a main random access memory, caches closer to the processor in the hierarchy characterized as higher in the hierarchy, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:
- identifying a line in a first cache that is preferably retained in the first cache upon an access of the line in the first cache, the first cache backed up by at least one cache lower in the memory hierarchy, the lower cache implementing a least recently used type (‘LRU-type’) cache line replacement policy;
- and
- wherein the apparatus further comprises a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC comprising integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controller, each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, each memory communications controller controlling communication between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers, wherein each router implements a plurality of virtual communications channels, the virtual communications channels characterized by different communication types.
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A computer program product for memory management among levels of cache in a memory hierarchy in a computer with a processor operatively coupled through two or more levels of cache to a main random access memory, caches closer to the processor in the hierarchy characterized as higher in the hierarchy, the computer program product disposed in a computer readable, recordable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:
- identifying a line in a first cache that is preferably retained in the first cache upon an access of the line in the first cache, the first cache backed up by at least one cache lower in the memory hierarchy, the lower cache implementing a least recently used type (‘LRU-type’) cache line replacement policy;
- and
- wherein the computer program instructions are executed on a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC comprising integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controller, each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, each memory communications controller controlling communication between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers, wherein each router implements a plurality of virtual communications channels, the virtual communications channels characterized by different communication types.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.