Managing a system level cache

Abstract

Various embodiments include techniques for managing cache memory in a computing system. The disclosed techniques include a cache policy manager that monitors activity of various components that access a common cache memory. The cache policy manager establishes cache rules that determine what data remains stored in cache memory and what data is removed from cache memory in order to make room for new data. As the activities of these components change over time, cache rules that work well for a previous activity profile may no longer work well for the current activity profile. Therefore, the cache policy manager dynamically modifies the cache rules as the activity profile changes in order to select cache rules at any given time that work well with the current activity profile. These techniques are advantageous over conventional approaches that employ static cache rules that work well only for specific activity profiles.