Enhanced cache operation with remapping of pages for optimizing data relocation from addresses causing cache misses

A computer system, comprising:

• a) a CPU accessing a main memory and a cache, said cache having a plurality of cache page locations, data being stored in said main memory and in said cache page locations in pages;
• b) means for detecting physical addresses for accesses by said CPU producing cache misses, wherein said detected physical addresses correspond to said cache page locations;
• c) means for recording said detected physical address in entries in a structure, wherein each of said entries corresponds to one of said cache page locations, and for counting the number of occurrences of cache misses for each cache page location and recording a cache miss location count for each cache page location in said corresponding entries in said structure;
• and
• d) means for remapping data, corresponding to physical addresses recorded in said entries having a cache miss location count greater than a predetermined threshold value, to a different physical address corresponding to a different cache page location.

A method of operating a computer system, comprising the steps of:

• a) storing in a main memory, pages of data used by a task executing on a CPU, where said CPU is using a virtual memory system;
• b) storing in a cache, a subset of said pages of data of said main memory in cache page locations;
• c) generating virtual page addresses in said CPU while executing said task;
• d) translating said virtual page addresses to physical page addresses to access said cache page locations in said cache and said pages in said main memory;
• e) detecting physical addresses of accesses that cause cache misses wherein said detected physical addresses correspond to said cache page locations;
• f) counting the number of cache misses and producing a detected cache miss count;
• g) storing said detected physical addresses in a buffer each time said detected cache miss count reaches a predetermined number;
• h) recording said stored physical addresses in entries in a structure, wherein each of said entries corresponds to one of said cache page locations, and counting the number of occurrences of cache misses for each cache page location and recording a cache miss location count for each cache page location in said corresponding entries in said structure, each time said buffer is filled and clearing said buffer after each of said stored physical addresses are recorded;
• and
• i) remapping data, corresponding to said physical addresses recorded in said entries, having a cache miss location count greater than a predetermined threshold value, to a different physical address corresponding to a different cache page location.

A computer system, comprising:

• a) a CPU executing a virtual memory system;
• b) a main memory storing pages of data used by a task executing on said CPU under said virtual memory system;
• c) a direct-mapped cache storing a subset of said pages of data stored in said main memory in cache page locations;
• d) means for generating virtual page addresses in said CPU while executing said task;
• e) means for translating said virtual page addresses to physical page addresses to access said cache and said main memory;
• f) means for detecting physical addresses for accesses by said CPU that cause cache misses, wherein said detected physical addresses correspond to said cache page locations;
• g) means for counting the number of cache misses and for producing a detected cache miss count;
• h) means for storing said detected physical addresses in a buffer each time said detected cache miss count reaches a predetermined number;
• i) means for recording said detected physical addresses in entries in a structure, wherein each of said entries corresponds to one cache page locations, and for counting the number of occurrences of cache misses for each cache page location and recording a cache miss location count for each cache page location in said corresponding entries in said structure each time said buffer is filled and including means for clearing said buffer after said stored physical addresses in said buffer are recorded;
• and
• j) means for remapping data, corresponding to said physical addresses recorded in said entries, having a cache miss location count greater than a predetermined threshold value, to a different physical address corresponding to a different cache page location.