International Business Machines Corporation

Suman Amugothu

James J Bonanno

Adam B Collura

Brian Robert Prasky

Varnika Atmakuri

Anthony Saporito

Edward Thomas Malley

James Raymond Cuffney

Aspects of the invention include a computer-implemented method of updating metadata prediction tables. The computer-implemented method includes establishing, in the metadata prediction tables, a prediction of how a set of instructions will resolve and identifying that the set of instructions is completed. The computer-implemented method also includes determining, upon completion of the set of instructions, whether prediction update queues (PUQs) associated with the set of instructions indicate that the set of instructions resolved in one of a plurality of prescribed manners relative to the prediction and deciding that the metadata predictions tables are candidates to be updated based on the PUQs indicating that the set of instructions resolved in one of the plurality of prescribed manners.

Updating metadata prediction tables using a reprediction pipeline

A system includes a hierarchical metadata predictor and a processing circuit. The hierarchical metadata predictor includes a first-level metadata predictor and a second-level metadata predictor. The processing circuit is configured to perform a plurality of operations including storing new or updated metadata into the first-level metadata predictor and searching the first-level metadata predictor for a metadata prediction. Responsive to finding the metadata prediction in the first-level metadata predictor, the metadata prediction is output corresponding to an entry of the first-level metadata predictor that is a hit. One or more entries of the first-level metadata predictor that are non-hits are periodically written to the second-level metadata predictor. The first-level metadata predictor is updated based on locating the metadata prediction in the second-level metadata predictor.

Hierarchical metadata predictor with periodic updates

Examples of techniques for controlling write requests to a memory structure having limited write ports are described herein. An aspect includes storing, in a first queue, write requests received from a first source having a first priority. Another aspect includes storing, in a second queue, write requests received from a second source having a second priority, wherein the second priority is lower than the first priority. Aspects also include identifying a selected queue from the first queue and the second queue based on a selection algorithm, which is a function of a state associated with the first queue and the second queue. Aspects further include forwarding a write request from the selected queue to a write port of the memory structure.

Controlling write access to a memory structure based on write request priority

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Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Suman Amugothu