International Business Machines Corporation

Timothy J Siegel

Mark S Farrell

Bruce C Giamei

Dan F Greiner

Christian Jacobi

Lisa Cranton Heller

Matthias Klein

Jonathan D Bradbury

Erwin F Pfeffer

Donald W Schmidt

Damian Leo Osisek

Simon Weishaupt

Michael K Gschwind

Chung-Lung K Shum

Fadi Y Busaba

Anthony Saporito

Charles Franklin Webb

Anthony Thomas Sofia

Martin Recktenwald

Louis P Gomes

Christian Zoellin

Ashutosh Misra

Girish Gopala Kurup

Aditya Nitin Puranik

Valentina Salapura

Eric M Schwarz

Alper Buyuktosunoglu

Charles W Gainey, Jr

Pradip Bose

Harold Wade Cain, Iii

James J Bonanno

Jeffrey Paul Kubala

Gustav E Sittmann, Iii

Elpida Tzortzatos

Ute Gaertner

Adam B Collura

Scott Barnett Swaney

Kenneth E Plambeck

Michael Billeci

Younes Manton

Joran S C Siu

Ramon M Bertran

Mahmoud Amin

Bruce A Wagar

A method is provided that is executable by a processor of a computer. Note that the processor is communicatively coupled to a memory of the computer, and the memory stores a response block of a call command. In implementing the method, the processor defines a sub-functions field in the response block of the call command. Further the processor indicates that a set of functions of a set of instructions are installed and available at an interface based on a corresponding sub-functions flag within the sub-functions field being set. Note that the interface is also being executed on the computer and that the set of functions being represented by the corresponding sub-functions flag. The processor further indicates that the set of functions of the set of instructions are not installed based on the corresponding sub-functions flag not being set.

Extended asynchronous data mover functions compatibility indication

A processor requests that a data transformation operation be performed using another processor, in which the data transformation operation is performed asynchronously. A determination is made that the data transformation operation performed using the other processor has completed unsatisfactorily, and based on the unsatisfactory completion, status relating to performance of the data transformation operation is incomplete. The data transformation operation is then re-executed synchronously using the one processor, and the re-executing provides status information unavailable in performing the data transformation operation asynchronously.

Synchronous re-execution of a data transformation operation to obtain further details regarding an exception

A system is provided and includes a plurality of machines. The plurality of machines includes a first generation machine and a second generation machine. Each of the plurality of machines includes a machine version. The first generation machine executes a first virtual machine and a virtual architecture level. The second generation machine executes a second virtual machine and the virtual architecture level. The virtual architecture level provides a compatibility level for a complex interruptible instruction to the first and second virtual machines. The compatibility level is architected for a lowest common denominator machine version across the plurality of machines. The compatibility level includes a lowest common denominator indicator identifying the lowest common denominator machine version.

Maintaining compatibility for complex functions over multiple machine generations

A Sort Lists instruction is provided to perform a sort and/or a merge operation. The instruction is an architected machine instruction of an instruction set architecture and is executed by a general-purpose processor of the computing environment. The executing includes sorting a plurality of input lists to obtain one or more sorted output lists, which are output.

Sort and merge instruction for a general-purpose processor

A method, system, and computer program product are provided for prioritizing transactions. A processor in a computing environment initiates the execution of a transaction. The processor includes a transactional core, and the execution of the transaction is performed by the transactional core. The processor obtains concurrent with the execution of the transaction by the transactional core, an indication of a conflict between the transaction and at least one other transaction being executed by an additional core in the computing environment. The processor determines if the transactional core includes an indicator and based on determining that the transactional core includes an indicator, the processor ignores the conflict and utilizing the transactional core to complete executing the transaction.

Indicator-based prioritization of transactions

A system and method of executing a plurality of threads, including a first thread and a set of remaining threads, on a computer processor core. The system and method includes determining that a start interpretive execution exit condition exists; determining that the computer processor core is within a grace period; and entering by the first thread a start interpretive execution exit sync loop without signaling to any of the set of remaining threads. In turn, the first thread remains in the start interpretive execution exit sync loop until the grace period expires or each of the remaining threads enters a corresponding start interpretive execution exit sync loop.

Efficiency for coordinated start interpretive execution exit for a multithreaded processor

A single architected instruction to perform multiple functions is executed. The executing includes performing a first function of the multiple functions and a second function of the multiple functions. The first function includes moving a block of data from one location to another location, and the second function includes setting one portion of a storage key using one selected key and another portion of the storage key using another selected key. The storage key is associated with the block of data and controls access to the block of data. The first function and the second function are performed as part of the single architected instruction.

Move data and set storage key based on key function control

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a DEFLATE compression accelerator and to a method for verifying the correctness of the DEFLATE compression accelerator. The accelerator includes an input buffer and a Lempel-Ziv 77 (LZ77) compressor communicatively coupled to an output of the input buffer. A switch is communicatively coupled to the output of the input buffer and to the output of the LZ77 compressor. The switch is configured to bypass the LZ77 compressor during a compression test. The accelerator further includes a deflate Huffman encoder communicatively coupled to an output of the switch and an output buffer communicatively coupled to the deflate Huffman encoder. When the switch is not bypassed, the compressor can be modified to produce repeatable results.

Verifying the correctness of a deflate compression accelerator

Saving and restoring machine state between multiple executions of an instruction. A determination is made that processing of an operation of an instruction executing on a processor has been interrupted prior to completion. Based on determining that the processing of the operation has been interrupted, current metadata of the processor is extracted. The metadata is stored in a location associated with the instruction and used to re-execute the instruction to resume forward processing of the instruction from where it was interrupted.

Saving and restoring machine state between multiple executions of an instruction

Executing a Next Instruction Access Intent instruction by a computer. The processor obtains an access intent instruction indicating an access intent. The access intent is associated with an operand of a next sequential instruction. The access intent indicates usage of the operand by one or more instructions subsequent to the next sequential instruction. The computer executes the access intent instruction. The computer obtains the next sequential instruction. The computer executes the next sequential instruction, whose execution comprises, based on the access intent, adjusting one or more cache behaviors for the operand of the next sequential instruction.

Next instruction access intent instruction for indicating usage of a storage operand by one or more instructions subsequent to a next sequential instruction

A facility and cache machine instruction of a computer architecture for specifying a target cache cache-level and a target cache attribute of interest for obtaining a cache attribute of one or more target caches. The requested cache attribute of the target cache(s) is saved in a register.

Extract target cache attribute facility and instruction therefor

A time-of-day (TOD) clock is leveraged to provide a high-resolution measure of the real time that is suitable for the indication of date and time to perform cycle-level thread synchronization. A time-of-day value provided by the time-of-day clock is used in a spin lock, along with a configurable mask, to meet a specified condition. The condition is met at regular time intervals and at the same time for all the hardware threads to be synchronized. When the condition is met and synchronization is reached, execution of the threads continues ensuring that the activity generated on each thread is in synchronization.

Cycle-level thread alignment on multi-threaded processors

According to some embodiments, a method for controlling a processor state with transient cache memory is described. The method may include identifying, via a processor, a memory section having a memory address, retrieving, via the processor, memory control information, and controlling the processor state by allowing a memory access to the transient cache memory based on the memory control information.

Dynamic management of a processor state with transient cache memory

Embodiments relate to speculative branch handling for transaction abort. An aspect includes detecting a beginning of a current execution of a transaction. Another aspect includes, based on detecting the beginning of the transaction, disabling speculative execution based on branch prediction of an initial branch instruction of the transaction, wherein the initial branch instruction branches to two possible paths, and wherein a first path of the two possible paths comprises an abort handler. Another aspect includes disabling updating of a history table for the initial branch instruction.

Speculative branch handling for transaction abort

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Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

Timothy J Siegel