International Business Machines Corporation

Lior Binyamini

Donald W Plass

Noam Jungmann

Elazar Kachir

Israel A Wagner

Hezi Shalom

Lidar Herooti

Chung-Lung K Shum

Gregory William Alexander

Markus Kaltenbach

Timothy Carl Bronson

Deanna Postles Dunn Berger

Stefan Payer

Jang-Soo Lee

Wolfgang Penth

Guy G Tracy

Richard Joseph Branciforte

Ido Rozenberg

Ludmila Zernakov

A computer-implemented method includes assigning a first group of one or more units of an instruction pipeline of a processor as a frontend group and assigning a second group of the one or more units of the instruction pipeline of the processor as a backend group. A frontend logout is performed to transfer one or more trace records from the first group to a trace controller during an in-memory trace of an instruction. A backend logout is performed to transfer one or more trace records from the second group to the trace controller during the in-memory trace of the instruction. A next instruction is started in the first group of the instruction pipeline before the backend logout completes.

In-memory trace with overlapping processing and logout

A method and a computer system for core recovery management are provided. A first operation signal is generated via a first hardware agent. The first operation signal indicates that the first hardware agent is processing an operation requested by a first processor core. The first processor core receives a first extend fence signal based on the generated first operation signal. As long as the first extend fence signal is received via the first processor core, the first processor core is kept in a fenced state for core recovery.

Preventing extraneous messages when exiting core recovery

A memory array includes m&#xb7;(n+1) memory cells, wherein n and m are natural numbers greater than zero. Each of the plurality of memory cells is connected to one of (n+1) bitlines and one of m wordlines. The memory array further includes n outputs configured for reading a content of the memory array. The memory array further includes n output switches, wherein an i-th output switch is configured for selectively connecting, in response to a switching signal, either an i-th bitline or an (i+1)-th bitline to an i-th output, and wherein i is a natural number and 0&#x2266;i&#x2266;n&#x2212;1. The memory array further includes an (n+1)-th output switch, wherein the (n+1)-th output switch is configured for selectively connecting, in response to the switching signal, either the (n+1)-th bitline or a defined potential to an (n+1)-th output.

Automatic built-in self test for memory arrays

A method for testing a circuit comprising a memory element, a voltage comparator and a supply selector, the circuit is configured to be connected to two power supplies, the voltage comparator is configured to provide an output indicative of a voltage difference between the two power supplies above a predetermined threshold, the supply selector is configured to select a power supply to feed power to the memory element in response to the output from the voltage comparator. The method comprises connecting the two power supplies to the circuit, wherein said connecting comprises causing the two power supplies to drive power to the memory element and to another element of the circuit, wherein the voltage different between the two power supplies is above the predetermined threshold. The method further comprises that in response to said connecting, the supply selector of the circuit is invoked and disconnects one power supply from the memory element; whereby stress testing the circuit, the stress testing tests the memory element without a voltage difference condition, the stress testing tests the another element with the voltage difference condition.

Voltage comparator circuit and usage thereof

A circuit comprising a first power supply having a first voltage and a second power supplying having a second voltage, wherein said first and second voltages are different at least in some cycles of said circuit, a memory element, wherein said first and second power supplies are driven into said memory element, a voltage comparator having connected thereto said first and second power supplies, wherein said voltage comparator is an analog to digital converter configured to provide digital output indicting of a voltage difference over a predetermined threshold between said first and second power supplies, and a supply selector element, wherein said supply selector element is configured to disconnect said second power supply from said memory element in response to the digital output of said voltage comparator.

A novel and useful SRAM restore tracking circuit adapted to improve the tracking of SRAM cell behavior for different PVT corners. The SRAM array access path is mainly influenced by two stages: (1) the wordline (WL) delay and (2) the SRAM cell delay. These two stages are usually the most sensitive for process variation in the memory access path. The restore tracking circuit incorporates two novel topologies for enhanced tracking to SRAM cell behavior. The first topology is a circuit that functions to mimic the wordline load and delay characteristics. The WL stage is very sensitive to process variation due to the large load it must drive and the usually relatively poor slope (i.e. depending on the number of cells the WL). The second topology is a circuit that mimics the SRAM cell load and delay characteristics. The SRAM cell is very sensitive to process variation due to its very small device features and the high number of cells in the memory array.

SRAM restore tracking circuit and method

Growing community of inventors

Haifa, Israel

Lior Binyamini