International Business Machines Corporation

Michael Thomas Vaden

David Allan Webber

Fadi Y Busaba

Robert J Reese

David Andrew Schroter

Michael John Mayfield

Dung Q Nguyen

David Allen Hrusecky

Sheldon Bernard Levenstein

Brian William Curran

William Elton Burky

Martin Stanley Schmookler

Shih-Hsiung Stephen Tung

Lawrence Joseph Powell, Jr

Trinh Huy Nguyen

Scott Bruce Frommer

Keenan Wynn Franz

Peter Steven Lenk

Ashutosh Goyal

Rachel Flood

Hung Qui Le

Terence M Potter

Christopher Hans Olson

Bryan J Lloyd

Alongkorn Kitamorn

Sam Gat-Shang Chu

Tai Anh Cao

James Wilson Bishop

George Henry Ahrens, Jr

Charles Andrew McLaughlin

Benjamin W Stolt

Wolfram Sauer

Joseph J McGill Iv

Systems, methods and media for implementing logic in the arithmetic/logic unit of a processor are disclosed. More particularly, hardware is disclosed for computing logical operations with minimal hardware by organizing the execution unit such that the propagate and generate functions required for the adder can be used as a basis to implement the bitwise logical instructions. The result of these functions is computed before execution of the instruction by an execution macro in the arithmetic/logic unit.

Systems and methods for implementing logic in a processor

A method of discovering a fault in a circuit is disclosed. The method comprises generating a first result of a selected function by performing the selected function on an operand, wherein the selected function employs a mask. Once the function is performed, an antimask of the mask is created, and the modulo of the antimask is calculated. A modulo function of the first result of the selected function is calculated to obtain a third result. A modulo of the operand is then calculated to obtain a fourth result, and a second function is then performed on the second result and the third result to obtain a fifth result. In response to comparing the fifth result to the fourth result, a signal is propagated to indicate a fault in the circuit.

Method and system for checking rotate, shift and sign extension functions using a modulo function

A method of operating an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) by inverting a result of an operation to be executed during a current cycle in response to control signals from instruction decode logic which indicate that a later operation will require a complement of the result, wherein the result is inverted during the current cycle. The later operation may be a subtraction operation that immediately follows the first operation. The later instruction is decoded prior to the current cycle to control the inversion in the ALU. The ALU includes an adder, a rotator, and a data manipulation unit which invert the result during the current cycle in response to an invert control signal. The second operation subtracts the result during a subsequent cycle in which a carry control signal to the adder is enabled, and the rotator and the data manipulation unit are disabled. The ALU may be used in an execution unit of a microprocessor, such as a fixed-point unit.

Inverting data on result bus to prepare for instruction in the next cycle for high frequency execution units

One embodiment of a processor includes a fetch stage, decoder stage, execution stage and completion stage. The execution stage includes a primary execution stage for handling low latency instructions and a secondary execution stage for handling higher latency instructions. A detector determines if an instruction is a high latency instruction or a low latency instruction. If the detector also finds that a particular low latency instruction is dependent on, and destructive of, a corresponding high latency instruction, then the secondary execution stage dynamically fuses the execution of the low latency instruction together with the execution of the high latency instruction. Otherwise, the primary execution stage handles the execution of the low latency instruction.

Method and apparatus for dynamically fusing instructions at execution time in a processor of an information handling system

Method, system and computer program product for generating effective addresses in a data processing system. A method, in a data processing system, for generating an effective address includes generating a first portion of the effective address by calculating a first plurality of effective address bits of the effective address, and generating a second portion of the effective address by guessing a second plurality of effective address bits of the effective address. By intelligently guessing a plurality of the effective address bits that form the effective address, the effective address can be generated and sent to a translation unit more quickly than in a system in which all the effective address bits of the effective address are calculated. The method and system is particularly suitable for generating effective addresses in a CAM-based effective address translation design in a multi-threaded environment.

System for generating effective address

The present invention includes a system and method for implementing a hardware-supported thread assist under load lookahead mechanism for a microprocessor. According to an embodiment of the present invention, hardware thread-assist mode can be activated when one thread of the microprocessor is in a sleep mode. When load lookahead mode is activated, the fixed point unit copies the content of one or more architected facilities from an active thread to corresponding architected facilities in the first inactive thread. The load-store unit performs at least one speculative load in load lookahead mode and writes the results of the at least one speculative load to a duplicated architected facility in the first inactive thread.

System and method for implementing a hardware-supported thread assist under load lookahead mechanism for a microprocessor

System and method for generating effective address

A processor card for supporting multiple cache configurations, and a microprocessor for selecting one of the multiple cache configurations is disclosed. The processor card has a first static random access memory mounted on a front side thereof and a second static random access memory mounted on a rear side thereof. The address pins of the memories are aligned. Each pair of aligned address pins are electrically coupled to thereby concurrently receive an address bit signal from the microprocessor. During an initial boot of the microprocessor, the microprocessor includes a multiplexor for providing the address bit signals to the address pins in response to a control signal indicative of a selected cache configuration.

Method and system for supporting multiple cache configurations

A memory array includes a storage unit with a number of sections and decoders coupled to respective ones of the sections for decoding an N-bit address signal and responsively asserting a signal on one of the word lines selected by the address signal. Local clock buffers are coupled to respective ones of the decoders for receiving a clock signal and an address signal including M most-significant bits of the N-bit address signal and generating respective timing signals. The decoders receive the timing signal from their respective local clock buffers. Each decoder is operable to alternately precharge and evaluate the N-bit address signal responsive to phases of the timing signal. Each local clock buffer is operable, responsive to a state of the M bits of the address signal, for selecting between holding its timing signal in a deasserted state and enabling its timing signal to follow the clock signal.

Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a memory array with dynamic word line driver/decoders

A mechanism is provided for predicting cache array bit line or driver failures. This mechanism checks for five consecutive errors at different addresses within the same syndrome on invocation of event scan polling to characterize the failure. Once the failure is characterized, it is reported to the system for corrective maintenance including dynamic and/or boot time processor deconfiguration or preventive processor replacement.

Cache thresholding method, apparatus, and program for predictive reporting of array bit line or driver failures

A processor and method of fetching data within a data processing system are disclosed. According to the method, a first difference between a first load address and a second load address is calculated. In addition, a determination is made whether a second difference between a third load address and the second load address is equal to the first difference. In response to a determination that the first difference and the second difference are equal, a fourth load address, which is generated by adding the third address and the second difference, is transmitted to the memory as a memory fetch address. In an embodiment of the data processing system including a processor having an associated cache, the fourth load address is transmitted to the memory only if the fourth load address is not resident in the cache or the target of an outstanding memory fetch request.

Processor and method of prefetching data based upon a detected stride

A mechanism and method for software hint initiated prefetch is provided. The prefetch may be directed to a prefetch of data for loading into a data cache, instructions for entry into an instruction cache or for either, in an embodiment having a combined cache. In response to a software instruction in an instruction stream, a plurality of prefetch specification data values are loaded into a register having a plurality of entries corresponding thereto. Prefetch specification data values include the address of the first cache line to be prefetched, and the stride, or the incremental offset, of the address of subsequent lines to be prefetched. Prefetch requests are generated by a prefetch control state machine using the prefetch specification data values stored in the register. Prefetch requests are issued to a hierarchy of cache memory devices. If a cache hit occurs having the specified cache coherency, the prefetch is vitiated. Otherwise, the request is passed to system memory for retrieval of the requested cache line.

Apparatus for software initiated prefetch and method therefor

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Michael Thomas Vaden