International Business Machines Corporation

Deepak Rana

Barry Edward Willner

David Andrew Schroter

Antonio Ruiz

Tam M Nguyen

A method and apparatus for supporting speculative execution of count and link register modifying instructions in a microprocessor is provided. The apparatus includes a queue of rename buffers storing count/link register operand data resulting from speculatively executed instructions that modify a count/link register. The queue contains a set of control buffers, wherein each control buffer contains control bits associated with a rename buffer, the control bits including an instruction identifier tag identifying a speculatively executed instruction, the operand data of the speculatively executed instruction being stored in the associated rename buffer, and an available bit indicating when the operand data no longer needs to be stored in the associated rename buffer. The apparatus control logic sets the control bits for each control buffer, including setting the instruction identifier tag to the value indicated by a dispatch unit, and selectively sets or resets the available bit based on resolution of the speculatively executed instruction.

Method and apparatus for supporting speculative branch and link/branch

A multimedia distribution network combines the flexibility of digital video and digital networks with the low cost, high bandwidth, and isochronous capabilities of analog video distribution. At the heart of the network is a hybrid digital/analog multimedia hub, called a C-box, which provides connectivity to digital networks, both local area and wide area, with the necessary video compression and decompression, composition engines for multiple video streams and analog/digital conversions of the multiple video streams for connectivity to an analog video distribution network for delivery to end user workstations. The C-box receives multiple compressed digital video streams, decompresses the video streams, converts the decompressed video streams to analog, and delivers the converted analog signals to workstations via an analog cable television (CATV) network. The amount of video processing (e.g., compression and decompression) power required is proportional to the number of active video streams instead of the number of attached end user workstations. The analog channels over which the converted analog signals are transmitted are dynamically allocated, and once the analog signals have been transmitted to a requesting client terminal, the channels are released for reuse.

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Yorktown Heights, NY, United States of America

Deepak Rana