International Business Machines Corporation

Akash V Giri

Matthias D Heizmann

Narasimha R Adiga

Jatin Bhartia

Brian Robert Prasky

James J Bonanno

David S Levitan

Ulrich Mayer

Albert James Van Norstrand, Jr

Mehul N Patel

Alan Grant Singletary

Darin Marcus Greene

Gregory William Alexander

Timothy Carl Bronson

Jason D Kohl

Winston Herring

A method for managing designated authority status in a cache line includes identifying an initial designated authority (DA) member cache for a cache line, transferring DA status from the initial DA member cache to a new DA member cache, determining whether the new DA member cache is active, indicating a final state of the initial DA cache responsive to determining that the new DA member cache is active, and overriding a DA state in a cache control structure in a directory. A method for managing cache accesses during a designated authority transfer includes receiving a designated authority (DA) status transfer request, receiving an indication that a first cache will invalidate its copy of the cache line, allowing a second cache to assume DA status for the cache line, and denying access to the first cache's copy of the cache line until invalidation by the first cache is complete.

Final cache directory state indication

Methods and apparatus for managing an effective address table (EAT) in a multi-slice processor including receiving, from an instruction sequence unit, a next-to-complete instruction tag (ITAG); obtaining, from the EAT, a first ITAG from a tail-plus-one EAT row, wherein the EAT comprises a tail EAT row that precedes the tail-plus-one EAT row; determining, based on a comparison of the next-to-complete ITAG and the first ITAG, that the tail EAT row has completed; and retiring the tail EAT row based on the determination.

Managing an effective address table in a multi-slice processor

A method comprises identifying a number of branches (N) and a number of iterations (N) in a loop in an instruction stream, generating a number of forward branches until the number of forward branches equals N, generating a non-branch instruction in between the forward branch instruction, recording in a memory, instruction stream generated and a history of each branch, an associated target address of each branch, and whether the branch is a taken branch or a not taken branch, determining whether a loop iterator number (i) is less than N&#x2212;1, generating a backward branch with a target address which is greater than or equal to the start address and is lesser than the current address responsive to determining that (i) is less than N, and recording in the memory, a branch instruction of the generated backward branch and the associated target address of the backward branch.

Pattern based branch prediction

Embodiments relate to testing memory write operations. An aspect includes detecting a first write operation to a set of 'n' divisions in a memory table, and defining a selected set of entries of an optimization checking table corresponding to the set of 'n' divisions of the memory table. The aspect includes determining that at least one selected entry of the selected set of entries is not among an optimal set of entries of the checking table. The aspect further includes determining whether to generate an optimization error or to end an optimization analysis of the first write operation without generating the optimization error by comparing the first time stamps of one or both of the at least one selected entry and one or more optimal entries of the optimal set of entries to a temporal window defined by a predetermined duration.

Testing optimization of microprocessor table functions

Embodiments relate to asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction. An aspect includes a computer-implemented method for asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction using a second-level branch target buffer. The method includes receiving a search request to locate branch prediction information associated with a search address. The method further includes searching, by a processing circuit, for an entry corresponding to the search request in a first-level branch target buffer. The method also includes, based on failing to locate a matching entry in the first-level branch target buffer corresponding to the search request, initiating, by the processing circuit, a secondary search to locate entries in the second-level branch target buffer having a memory region corresponding to the search request. The method additionally includes, based on locating the entries in the second-level branch target buffer, performing a bulk transfer of the entries from the second-level branch target buffer.

Asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction

Embodiments relate to asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction. An aspect includes a system for asynchronous lookahead hierarchical branch prediction. The system includes a first-level branch target buffer and a second-level branch target buffer coupled to a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to perform a method. The method includes receiving a search request to locate branch prediction information associated with a search address, and searching for an entry corresponding to the search request in the first-level branch target buffer. Based on failing to locate a matching entry in the first-level branch target buffer corresponding to the search request, a secondary search is initiated to locate entries in the second-level branch target buffer having a memory region corresponding to the search request. Based on locating the entries in the second-level branch target buffer, a bulk transfer of the entries is performed from the second-level branch target buffer.

Instruction fetch unit (IFU) verification is improved by dynamically monitoring the current state of the IFU model and detecting any predetermined states of interest. The instruction address sequence is automatically modified to force a selected address to be fetched next by the IFU model. The instruction address sequence may be modified by inserting one or more new instruction addresses, or by jumping to a non-sequential address in the instruction address sequence. In exemplary implementations, the selected address is a corresponding address for an existing instruction already loaded in the IFU cache, or differs only in a specific field from such an address. The instruction address control is preferably accomplished without violating any rules of the processor architecture by sending a flush signal to the IFU model and overwriting an address register corresponding to a next address to be fetched.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Akash V Giri