Cache memory, including miss status/information and a method using the same
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorsKazuhisa Ishizaka, Takashi Miyazaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cache memory includes: a plurality of MSHRs (Miss Status/Information Holding Registers); a memory access identification unit that identifies a memory access included in an accepted memory access request; and a memory access association unit that associates a given memory access with the MSHR that is used when the memory access turns out to be a cache miss and determines, on the basis of the association, a candidate for the MSHR that is used by the memory access identified by the access identification unit.
Claims29
A cache memory, comprising:
- a plurality of MSHRs (Miss Status/Information Holding Registers) which are used when a memory access turns out to be a cache miss;
- a memory access identification unit which identifies a given memory access so that an identifier is attached to the given memory access;
- a memory access-MSHR correspondence table which stores, for each identifier of a memory access, a correspondence between the memory access and at least one of the MSHRs;
- a memory access association unit which associates the given memory access with at least one of the MSHRs by referring to the memory access-MSHR correspondence table;
- and
- an unused MSHR determination unit which determines an MSHR to be assigned to the given memory access in such a way that an unused one of at least one of the MSHRs which are associated with the given memory access is assigned to the given memory access.
A method of using a cache memory, comprising:
- a step of providing a plurality of MSHRs (Miss Status/Information Holding Registers) which are used when a memory access turns out to be a cache miss;
- a memory access identification step of identifying a given memory access so that an identifier is attached to the given memory access;
- a step of providing a memory access-MSHR correspondence table which stores, for each identifier of a memory access, a correspondence between the memory access and at least one of the MSHRs;
- a memory access association step of associating the given memory access with at least one of the MSHRs by referring to the memory access-MSHR correspondence table;
- and
- an unused MSHR determination step which determines an MSHR to be assigned to the given memory access in such a way that an unused one of at least one of the MSHRs which are associated with the given memory access is assigned to the given memory access, wherein the steps are each performed by a cache memory including the plurality of MSHRs.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program, said program causing a computer to function as:
- a plurality of MSHRs (Miss Status/Information Holding Registers) which are used when a memory access turns out to be a cache miss;
- a memory access identification unit which identifies a given memory access so that an identifier is attached to the given memory access;
- a memory access-MSHR correspondence table which stores, for each identifier of a memory access, a correspondence between the memory access and at least one of the MSHRs;
- a memory access association unit which associates the given memory access with at least one of the MSHRs by referring to the memory access-MSHR correspondence table;
- and
- an unused MSHR determination unit which determines an MSHR to be assigned to the given memory access in such a way that an unused one of at least one of the MSHRs which are associated with the given memory access is assigned to the given memory access.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.