Other

Convex Computer Corporation

Michael C Harris

Gary Belgrave Gostin

David M Chastain

Steven Jeffrey Wallach

Thomas M Jones

Harold Wallace Dozier

Arthur T Kimmel

John W Clark

James R Weatherford

James E Mankovich

Alan D Gant

David A Nobles

Jeffrey H Gruger

Kent A Fuka

Frank J Marshall

Gilbert J Hansen

Harold D Shelton

John M Golenbieski

Gaynel J Lockhart

Gerald Matulka

Michael E Sydow

Larry W Spry

Robert B Kolstad

William H Wallace

Steven M Rowan

A computer (20) is configured for optimizing the processing rate of instructions and the throughput of data. The computer (20) includes a main memory (99), a memory control unit (22), a physical cache unit (100), and a central processor (156). A instruction processing unit (126) is included within the central processor (156). The function of the instruction processing unit (126) is to decode instructions and produce instruction execution commands or directing the execution of the instructions within the central processor (156). Instructions are transferred from the main memory (99) into a register (180) where the address fields of the instructions are decoded to produce a cracked instruction and these instructions are stored in a logical instruction cache (210). As the cracked instructions are selected they are transferred to an output buffer and decoder (214) where the remaining fields of the instructions are decoded to produce instruction execution commands. The instructions in the cache (210) are stored at logical rather than at physical addresses. The cache (210) further can operate at double the rate of a basic clock period for the computer (20) such that a branch instruction can be selected in one clock cycle. The combination of the logical instructiion cache (210) and the concurrent computation of program counts serves to substantially increase the instruction execution rate for the computer (20).

Instruction processing unit for computer

A vector processing computer is configured to operate in a pipelined fashion wherein each of the functional units is essentially independent and is designed to carry out its operational function in the fastest possible manner. Vector elements are transmitted from memory, either main memory, a physical cache unit or a logical cache through a source bus where the elements are alternately loaded into the vector processing units. The vector control unit decodes the vector instructions and generates the required control commands for operating the registers and logical units within the vector processing units. Thus, the vector processing units essentially work in parallel to double the processing rate. The resulting vectors are transmitted through a destination bus to either the physical cache unit, the main memory, the logical cache or to an input/output processor. In a further aspect of the computer there is produced an entry microword from a store for the immediate execution of the first microinstruction within a sequence of microinstructions. The remaining microinstructions are produced from a conventional store. This reduces the delay in the retrieval and execution of the first microinstruction. In a still further aspect of the computer there is included the logical data cache which stores data at logical addresses such that the central processor can store and retrieve data without the necessity of first making a translation from logical to physical address.

Computer system

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, TX, United States of America

Michael C Harris