Functional-level instruction-set computer architecture for processing application-layer content-service requests such as file-access requests

A functional-level instruction-set computing (FLIC) Processor comprising:

• a plurality of processing units for executing functional-level instructions on variable-length operands to produce results that are also variable-length operands;
• an execution buffer, coupled to the plurality of processing units, for storing the variable-length operands;
• fixed-length registers that store
• (1) fixed-length operands,
• (2) a pointer that indicates a location of a variable-length operand in the execution buffer, and
• (3) an operand-length that indicates a length of a variable-length operand in the execution buffer;
• wherein the functional-level instructions identify a fixed-length operand for input to a processing unit in the plurality of processing units by specifying a register number of one of the fixed-length registers that contains the fixed-length operand;
• wherein the functional-level instructions identify a variable-length operand for input to a processing unit in the plurality of processing units by specifying a register number of one of the fixed-length registers that contains the pointer or the operand-length of the variable-length operand stored in the execution buffer, whereby variable-length operands are stored in the execution buffer and executed by the processing unit when identified by the functional-level instructions;
• an expansion buffer, coupled to the execution buffer, for expanding storage space for a set of the execution buffer,
• whereby execution space of a context in the execution buffer is expandable using storage from the expansion buffer.

A file server comprising:

• input buffer means for receiving requests for content-services, the requests containing variable-length strings;
• output buffer means for outputting responses to the requests, the responses containing variable-length strings;
• memory means for storing lookup tables having entries that comprise tags storing variable-length strings;
• functional-level processing means for executing functional-level instructions belonging to a functional-level instruction-set, the functional-level instructions including operand-identifier fields that identify variable-length strings as operands;
• variable-length storage means, in the functional-level processing means and accessed in response to the operand-identifier fields in the functional-level instructions, for storing the variable-length strings for access during execution of the functional-level instructions;
• lookup means, in the functional-level processing means, for searching the lookup tables in the memory means for tags that match a variable-length string stored in the variable-length storage means;
• and
• move means, coupled to the functional-level processing means, for moving the variable-length strings from the input buffer means to the functional-level processing means and from the functional-level processing means to the output buffer means,
• whereby variable-length strings are looked up in the lookup tables by execution of the functional-level instructions.

A processor comprising:

• a lookup memory that stores a lookup table having entries;
• one or more processor slices, each processor slice comprising:
• general-purpose registers that store fixed-length operands;
• execution buffers that store variable-length operands that are pointed to by a register in the general-purpose registers that contains a pointer to a variable-length operand;
• processing units, coupled to receive the fixed-length operands from the general-purpose registers and to receive the variable-length operands from the execution buffers, for performing operations specified by functional-level instructions on operands specified by the functional-level instructions;
• wherein the functional-level instructions include native instructions that specify input of the variable-length operands to the processing units;
• a lookup unit, in the processing units, the lookup unit activated by execution of a single instruction that is a lookup instruction in the functional-level instructions, the lookup unit searching the lookup memory for an entry that matches a variable-length operand stored in the execution buffers and specified by the lookup instruction;
• and
• a move unit, coupled to each processor slice and to the lookup memory, for moving variable-length operands, whereby variable-length operands are operated upon by native instruction execution.