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US 9,430,385 B2Granted
Moveable locked lines in a multi-level cache
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsDennis M. O'Connor, Michael W. Morrow, Stephen Strazdus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A processor includes a multi-level cache hierarchy where a lock property is associated with a cache line. The cache line retains the lock property and may move back and forth within the cache hierarchy. The cache line may be evicted from the cache hierarchy after the lock property is removed.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- attaching a lock indication property to a cache line in a first level cache in a processor, the first cache line included in a multi-level cache hierarchy that comprises the first level cache and a second level cache, and setting the lock indication property to indicate that the cache line is unavailable for eviction from the multi-level cache hierarchy upon a cache miss;
- evicting the cache line from the first level of the multi-level cache hierarchy to the second level cache of the multi-level cache hierarchy;
- moving the cache line from the second level cache to another level cache including the first level cache responsive to identifying that the cache line moves from the second level cache to the other cache;
- and
- transferring the lock indication property attached to the cache line from the first level cache to the second level cache in the processor responsive to an eviction of the cache line from the first level cache to the second level cache, wherein the attaching, the evicting, the moving, and the transferring are performed by the processor.
2 more elements
A system including a multi-level cache hierarchy comprising:
- a processor to attach a lock indication property to a cache line in the processor in a first level of the multi-level cache hierarchy that comprises the first level and a second level, set the lock indication property to indicate that the cache line is unavailable for eviction from the multi-level cache hierarchy upon a cache miss, to move the lock indication property from the second level to another level including the first level responsive to identifying that the cache line moves from the second level to the other level, to evict the cache line from the first level of the multi-level cache hierarchy to the second level in the processor of the multi-level cache hierarchy, and to transfer the lock indication property associated with the cache line the first level of the multi-level cache hierarchy to the second level of the multi-level cache hierarchy responsive to the cache line being evicted from the first level to the second level.
A device comprising:
- a first level cache;
- a second level cache, the first and second cache included in a multi-level cache hierarchy;
- and
- a core to attach a lock indication property to a cache line in the first level cache, set the lock indication property to indicate that the cache line is unavailable for eviction from the multi-level cache hierarchy upon a cache miss, to move the lock indication property from the second level cache to another level cache including the first level cache responsive to identifying that the cache line moves from the second level cache to the other cache, and to transfer the lock indication property attached to the cache line from the first level cache to the second level cache responsive to an eviction of the cache line from the first level cache to the second level cache, wherein the first level cache, the second level cache, and the core are included in in a processor.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.