Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080294868 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TLB ENTRIES ASSOCIATED WITH A PHYSICAL ADDRESS OF A SPECIFIED RANGE - A system and method for identifying a TLB entry having a physical address that is within a specified range are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a tentative TLB entry from a page table entry and accessing a physical address associated with the tentative TLB entry. The method further includes comparing the physical address of the tentative TLB entry with a predetermined range of addresses. If the physical address is within the finite range of addresses, an exception is invoked. In response to the exception, the physical address and/or an attribute of the tentative TLB entry can be modified. The tentative TLB entry can then be stored in a TLB. | 11-27-2008 |
20100005464 | EFFICIENT RECORDING AND REPLAYING OF NON-DETERMINISTIC INSTRUCTIONS IN A VIRTUAL MACHINE AND CPU THEREFOR - The output of a non-deterministic instruction is handled during record and replay in a virtual machine. An output of a non-deterministic instruction is stored to a buffer during record mode and retrieved from a buffer during replay mode without exiting to the hypervisor. At least part of the contents of the buffer can be stored to a log when the buffer is full during record mode, and the buffer can be replenished from a log when the buffer is empty during replay mode. | 01-07-2010 |
20110179256 | PROCESSING BYPASS DIRECTORY TRACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A processing bypass directory system and method are disclosed. In one embodiment, a bypass directory tracking process includes setting bits in a bypass directory when a corresponding architectural register is written. The bits are selectively cleared in the bypass directory each cycle. The configuration of the bits is utilized to determine which stage of a bypass path processing information is at. | 07-21-2011 |
20120072697 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TLB ENTRIES ASSOCIATED WITH A PHYSICAL ADDRESS OF A SPECIFIED RANGE - A system and method for identifying a TLB entry having a physical address that is within a specified range are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a tentative TLB entry from a page table entry and accessing a physical address associated with the tentative TLB entry. The method further includes comparing the physical address of the tentative TLB entry with a predetermined range of addresses. If the physical address is within the finite range of addresses, an exception is invoked. In response to the exception, the physical address and/or an attribute of the tentative TLB entry can be modified. The tentative TLB entry can then be stored in a TLB. | 03-22-2012 |
20120079257 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS THAT DEFER EXCEPTION HANDLING - Methods and systems thereof for exception handling are described. An event to be handled is identified during execution of a code sequence. A bit is set to indicate that handling of the event is to be deferred. An exception corresponding to the event is generated if the bit is set. | 03-29-2012 |
20120166703 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CACHING ATTRIBUTE DATA FOR MATCHING ATTRIBUTES WITH PHYSICAL ADDRESSES - A method for caching attribute data for matching attributes with physical addresses. The method includes storing a plurality of attribute entries in a memory, wherein the memory is configured to provide at least one attribute entry when accessed with a physical address, and wherein the attribute entry provided describes characteristics of the physical address. | 06-28-2012 |
20120254584 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TLB ENTRIES ASSOCIATED WITH A PHYSICAL ADDRESS OF A SPECIFIED RANGE - A system and method for identifying a TLB entry having a physical address that is within a specified range are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a tentative TLB entry from a page table entry and accessing a physical address associated with the tentative TLB entry. The method further includes comparing the physical address of the tentative TLB entry with a predetermined range of addresses. If the physical address is within the finite range of addresses, an exception is invoked. In response to the exception, the physical address and/or an attribute of the tentative TLB entry can be modified. The tentative TLB entry can then be stored in a TLB. | 10-04-2012 |
20120265965 | PROCESSING BYPASS DIRECTORY TRACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A processing bypass directory system and method are disclosed. In one embodiment, a bypass directory tracking process includes setting bits in a bypass directory when a corresponding architectural register is written. The bits are selectively cleared in the bypass directory each cycle. The configuration of the bits is utilized to determine which stage of a bypass path processing information is at. | 10-18-2012 |
20130111184 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CACHING ATTRIBUTE DATA FOR MATCHING ATTRIBUTES WITH PHYSICAL ADDRESSES | 05-02-2013 |
20130290689 | EFFICIENT RECORDING AND REPLAYING OF NON-DETERMINISTIC INSTRUCTIONS IN A VIRTUAL MACHINE AND CPU THEREFOR - The output of a non-deterministic instruction is handled during record and replay in a virtual machine. An output of a non-deterministic instruction is stored to a buffer during record mode and retrieved from a buffer during replay mode without exiting to the hypervisor. At least part of the contents of the buffer can be stored to a log when the buffer is full during record mode, and the buffer can be replenished from a log when the buffer is empty during replay mode. | 10-31-2013 |
20140082291 | SPECULATIVE PERMISSION ACQUISITION FOR SHARED MEMORY - In a processor, a method for speculative permission acquisition for access to a shared memory. The method includes receiving a store from a processor core to modify a shared cache line, and in response to receiving the store, marking the cache line as speculative. The cache line is then modified in accordance with the store. Upon receiving a modification permission, the modified cache line is subsequently committed. | 03-20-2014 |
20140136891 | MANAGING POTENTIALLY INVALID RESULTS DURING RUNAHEAD - Embodiments related to managing potentially invalid results generated/obtained by a microprocessor during runahead are provided. In one example, a method for operating a microprocessor includes causing the microprocessor to enter runahead upon detection of a runahead event. The example method also includes, during runahead, determining that an operation associated with an instruction referencing a storage location would produce a potentially invalid result based on a value of an architectural poison bit associated with the storage location and performing a different operation in response. | 05-15-2014 |
20140164736 | LAZY RUNAHEAD OPERATION FOR A MICROPROCESSOR - Embodiments related to managing lazy runahead operations at a microprocessor are disclosed. For example, an embodiment of a method for operating a microprocessor described herein includes identifying a primary condition that triggers an unresolved state of the microprocessor. The example method also includes identifying a forcing condition that compels resolution of the unresolved state. The example method also includes, in response to identification of the forcing condition, causing the microprocessor to enter a runahead mode. | 06-12-2014 |
20140164738 | INSTRUCTION CATEGORIZATION FOR RUNAHEAD OPERATION - Embodiments related to methods and devices operative, in the event that execution of an instruction produces a runahead-triggering event, to cause a microprocessor to enter into and operate in a runahead without reissuing the instruction are provided. In one example, a microprocessor is provided. The example microprocessor includes fetch logic for retrieving an instruction, scheduling logic for issuing the instruction retrieved by the fetch logic for execution, and runahead control logic. The example runahead control logic is operative, in the event that execution of the instruction as scheduled by the scheduling logic produces a runahead-triggering event, to cause the microprocessor to enter into and operate in a runahead mode without reissuing the instruction, and carry out runahead policies while the microprocessor is in the runahead mode that governs operation of the microprocessor and cause the microprocessor to operate differently than when not in the runahead mode. | 06-12-2014 |
20140189313 | QUEUED INSTRUCTION RE-DISPATCH AFTER RUNAHEAD - Various embodiments of microprocessors and methods of operating a microprocessor during runahead operation are disclosed herein. One example method of operating a microprocessor includes identifying a runahead-triggering event associated with a runahead-triggering instruction and, responsive to identification of the runahead-triggering event, entering runahead operation and inserting the runahead-triggering instruction along with one or more additional instructions in a queue. The example method also includes resuming non-runahead operation of the microprocessor in response to resolution of the runahead-triggering event and re-dispatching the runahead-triggering instruction along with the one or more additional instructions from the queue to the execution logic. | 07-03-2014 |
20140281259 | TRANSLATION LOOKASIDE BUFFER ENTRY SYSTEMS AND METHODS - Presented systems and methods can facilitate efficient information storage and tracking operations, including translation look aside buffer operations. In one embodiment, the systems and methods effectively allow the caching of invalid entries (with the attendant benefits e.g., regarding power, resource usage, stalls, etc), while maintaining the illusion that the TLBs do not in fact cache invalid entries (e.g., act in compliance with architectural rules). In one exemplary implementation, an “unreal” TLB entry effectively serves as a hint that the linear address in question currently has no valid mapping. In one exemplary implementation, speculative operations that hit an unreal entry are discarded; architectural operations that hit an unreal entry discard the entry and perform a normal page walk, either obtaining a valid entry, or raising an architectural fault. | 09-18-2014 |
20140281392 | PROFILING CODE PORTIONS TO GENERATE TRANSLATIONS - The disclosure provides a micro-processing system operable in a hardware decoder mode and in a translation mode. In the hardware decoder mode, the hardware decoder receives and decodes non-native ISA instructions into native instructions for execution in a processing pipeline. In the translation mode, native translations of non-native ISA instructions are executed in the processing pipeline without using the hardware decoder. The system includes a code portion profile stored in hardware that changes dynamically in response to use of the hardware decoder to execute portions of non-native ISA code. The code portion profile is then used to dynamically form new native translations executable in the translation mode. | 09-18-2014 |