Computer system and method for snooping date writes to cacheable memory

Abstract

A computer system and method allow memory locations in both system memory and expansion memory devices coupled to an input/output (I/O) bus to be cacheable in a central processing unit (CPU) cache. The computer system contains an I/O bus connected to I/O devices and an expansion bus connected to expansion memory devices, a system memory not accessible via the I/O bus or expansion bus, and the system bus used for conducting data transfers between the I/O bus and both the CPU cache and system memory. The I/O bus supports data transfers between pairs of I/O devices, and I/O devices and expansion memory devices on the expansion bus, as well as data transfers between individual I/O devices and the system, which presents a problem of maintaining coherency in the CPU cache when data is written by one I/O device or expansion memory device to a cacheable memory location in another I/O device or expansion memory device. The computer system employs a snoop/data invalidation function at the system interface to the I/O bus to determine when a memory location in an expansion memory device coupled to the expansion bus is being written to by another expansion memory device coupled to the expansion bus or an I/O device coupled to the I/O bus. If such a write is taking place, it is then determined if the address of the location being written is in and address range predesignated as cacheable; if so, then the CPU cache controller or other device controlling the CPU cache is notified that memory at a cacheable location in an expansion memory device has been overwritten.