Reducing cache footprint in cache coherence directory
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsWilliam L. WALKER, Michael W. BOYER, Yasuko ECKERT, Gabriel H. LOH
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method includes monitoring, at a cache coherence directory, states of cachelines stored in a cache hierarchy of a data processing system using a plurality of entries of the cache coherence directory. Each entry of the cache coherence directory is associated with a corresponding cache page of a plurality of cache pages, and each cache page representing a corresponding set of contiguous cachelines. The method further includes selectively evicting cachelines from a first cache of the cache hierarchy based on cacheline utilization densities of cache pages represented by the corresponding entries of the plurality of entries of the cache coherence directory.
Claims20
A data processing system comprising:
- a cache hierarchy having a plurality of caches including a first cache and a cache coherence directory;
- wherein the cache coherence directory is configured to monitor states of cachelines stored in the cache hierarchy, the cache coherence directory having a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is associated with a corresponding cache page of a plurality of cache pages, each cache page representing a corresponding set of contiguous cachelines;
- and
- wherein the first cache includes a controller configured to selectively evict cachelines from the first cache based on cacheline utilization densities of cache pages in the cache coherence directory.
A method for caching data in a data processing system, the method comprising:
- monitoring, at a cache coherence directory, states of cachelines stored in a cache hierarchy of the data processing system using a plurality of entries of the cache coherence directory, each entry associated with a corresponding cache page of a plurality of cache pages, and each cache page representing a corresponding set of contiguous cachelines;
- and
- selectively evicting cachelines from a first cache of the cache hierarchy based on cacheline utilization densities of cache pages represented by the corresponding entries of the plurality of entries of the cache coherence directory.
A method for caching data in a data processing system, the method comprising:
- maintaining, at a cache coherence directory, a set of entries, each entry configured to indicate which cachelines of a plurality of cachelines of a corresponding cache page are cached in a cache hierarchy of the data processing system;
- and
- at each of one or more caches of the cache hierarchy, preferentially evicting cachelines from cache pages having lower numbers of cachelines cached in the cache hierarchy over cache groups having higher numbers of cachelines cached in the cache hierarchy as determined from corresponding entries of the set of entries of the cache coherence directory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.