Intel Corporation

Madhavan Parthasarathy

David M Durham

Ravi L Sahita

Robert S Chappell

Gilbert A Neiger

Vedvyas Shanbhogue

Barry E Huntley

Scott Dion Rodgers

Rajesh S Parthasarathy

Manohar Ruben Castelino

Mayank Bomb

Anton Ivanov

Uday R Savagaonkar

Robert J Greiner

Keshavan K Tiruvallur

Glenn J Hinton

Raj K Ramanujan

Dion Rodgers

David Zimmerman

Xiang Chris Zou

Douglas M Carmean

Frank Binns

Sham M Datta

Muthukumar Swaminathan

Adrian C Moga

Wayne Alan Downer

Larry O Smith

Scott J Cape

Muntaquim F Chowdhury

Wayne A Downer

Embodiments of an invention for virtualization exceptions are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes instruction hardware, control logic, and execution hardware. The instruction hardware is to receive a plurality of instructions, including an instruction to enter a virtual machine. The control logic is to determine, in response to a privileged event occurring within the virtual machine, whether to generate a virtualization exception. The execution hardware is to generate a virtualization exception in response to the control logic determining to generate a virtualization exception.

Virtualization exceptions

In one embodiment the apparatus is a micro-page table engine that includes logic that is capable of receiving a memory page request for a page in global memory address space. The apparatus also includes a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) that is capable of storing one or more memory page address translations. Additionally, the apparatus also has a page miss handler capable of performing a micro physical address lookup in a page miss handler tag table in response to the TLB not storing the memory page address translation for the page of memory referenced by the memory page request. The apparatus also includes memory management logic that is capable of managing the page miss handler tag table entries.

Apparatus, method, and system for implementing micro page tables

Embodiments of an invention for generating multiple address space identifiers per virtual machine to switch between protected micro-contexts are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an instruction requiring an address translation; initiating, in response to receiving the instruction, a page walk from a page table pointed to by the contents of a page table pointer storage location; finding, during the page walk, a transition entry; storing the address translation and one of a plurality of address source identifiers in a translation lookaside buffer, the one of the plurality of address source identifiers based on one of a plurality of a virtual partition identifiers, at least two of the plurality of virtual partition identifiers associated with one of a plurality of virtual machines; and re-initiating the page walk.

Generating multiple address space identifiers per virtual machine to switch between protected micro-contexts

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to detect an input/output access operation associated with a configuration memory address and a first memory address bit size. The configuration memory address and associated configuration data may be combined into a packet having a second memory address bit size (e.g., 64 bits) greater than the first memory address bit size (e.g., 32 bits). The packet may be used to establish compatibility for legacy operating systems that attempt to communicate with peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface-based peripherals, and similar platform devices, that have been integrated into the same package as the processor.

Address space emulation

Embodiments of an invention for generating multiple address space identifiers per virtual machine to switch between protected micro-contexts are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes privileged mode logic, an interface, and memory management logic. The privileged mode logic is to transfer control of the processor among a plurality of virtual machines. The interface is to perform a transaction to fetch information from a memory. The memory management logic is to translate an untranslated address to a memory address. The memory management logic includes a storage location, a series of translation stages, determination logic, and a translation lookaside buffer. The storage location is to store an address of a data structure for the first translation stage. Each of the translation stages includes translation logic to find an entry in a data structure based on a portion of the untranslated address. Each entry is to store an address of a different data structure for the first translation stage, an address of a data structure for a successive translation stage, or the physical address. The determination logic is to determine whether an entry is storing an address of a different data structure for the first translation stage. The translation lookaside buffer is to store translations. Each translation lookaside buffer entry includes an address source identifiers. Each address source identifier is to identify a unique micro-context. Each address source identifier is based on a virtual partition identifier. At least two of the of virtual partition identifiers are associated with one of the virtual machines.

Performing repeat string operations can include aligning a source data location or a destination data location to a location divisible by a predetermined integer, the aligning including performing a string operation using data having a size equal to the operand size. After aligning, a string operation can be performed using data having a size larger than the operand size. Performing repeat string operations can include issuing a first predetermined number of iterations if an operand size is a predetermined size, and issuing a second predetermined number of iterations otherwise. Performing repeat string operations can include determining that a requested number of iterations in a repeat string operation is within a predetermined multi-number range and issuing exactly the requested number of iterations for any value of the requested number within that range.

Performing repeat string operations

In a multi-threaded system, such as in a multi-processor system, different types of fences are provided to force completion of programmatically earlier instructions in a program. The types of fences can be thread-specific, and different types of fences are used based on different kinds of conditions, instructions, operations, or memory types. When a fence is executed, senior stores, request buffers, bus queues, or any combination of these stages in an execution pipeline can be drained. Fetches at a front end of the pipeline can also be killed to ensure that the bus queue can be drained.

Method and apparatus for multi-mode fencing in a microprocessor system

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Madhavan Parthasarathy