Zilog, Inc.

Other

Fujitsu Corporation

Ravi Swami

Hanumanthrao Nimishakavi

Gene W Shen

Michael C Shebanow

Niteen Aravind Patkar

Craig A MacKenna

In a microprocessor, an apparatus is included for coordinating the use of physical registers in the microprocessor. Upon receiving an instruction, the coordination apparatus extracts source and destination logical registers from the instruction. For the destination logical register, the apparatus assigns a physical address to correspond to the logical register. In so doing, the apparatus stores the former relationship between the logical register and another physical register. Storing this former relationship allows the apparatus to backstep to a particular instruction when an execution exception is encountered. Also, the apparatus checks the instruction to determine whether it is a speculative branch instruction. If so, then the apparatus creates a checkpoint by storing selected state information. This checkpoint provides a reference point to which the processor may later backup if it is determined that a speculated branch was incorrectly predicted. Overall, the apparatus coordinates the use of physical registers in the processor in such a way that: (1) logical/physical register relationships are easily changeable; and (2) backup and backstep procedures are accommodated.

Method and apparatus for register management using issue sequence prior

A time multiplexing technique and corresponding circuitry is described which provides controlled access to one processor at a time of two or more access requesting processors, to a system resource shared by the two or more processors. Each of the access requesting processors is connected to an input of a plurality of multiplexers. Each of the multiplexers has a select input which determines which of the multiplexer's inputs becomes its output which is in turn, connected to an appropriate input of the system resource. By connecting together the select inputs of the multiplexers, access to the shared system resource is alternated between the two or more processors by alternating the value of the select input in response to the system clock.

Technique and circuit for providing two or more processors with time

A time multiplexing technique and corresponding circuitry which provides controlled access to one processor at a time of two or more access requesting processors, to a system resource shared by the two or more processors. Each of the access requesting processors is connected to an input of a plurality of multiplexers. Each of the multiplexers has a select input which determines which of the multiplexer's inputs becomes its output which is in turn, connected to an appropriate input of the system resource. By connecting together the select inputs of the multiplexers, access to the shared system resource is alternated between the two or more processors by alternating the value of the select input in response to the system clock.

A bidirectional interrupt technique and mechanism is described for handling programmable length interrupt messages between two devices, preferably both processors, through dual, programmably defined memory queues. The technique and mechanism automatically updates a read and write address counter, a queue count register, and an interrupt count register for each direction of the flow of interrupts.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Ravi Swami