skip to main content
article
Free Access

Coherency for multiprocessor virtual address caches

Published:01 October 1987Publication History
Skip Abstract Section

Abstract

A multiprocessor cache memory system is described that supplies data to the processor based on virtual addresses, but maintains consistency in the main memory, both across caches and across virtual address spaces. Pages in the same or different address spaces may be mapped to share a single physical page. The same hardware is used for maintaining consistency both among caches and among virtual addresses. Three different notions of a cache "block" are defined: (1) the unit for transferring data to/from main storage, (2) the unit over which tag information is maintained, and (3) the unit over which consistency is maintained. The relation among these block sizes is explored, and it is shown that they can be optimized independently. It is shown that the use of large address blocks results in low overhead for the virtual address cache.

References

  1. {CeFe78} L. M. Censier and P. Feautrier, "A new solution to coherency problems in multicache systems," IEEE Trans. on Computers, 25, 12, (December 1978), pp. 1112--1118.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  2. {DEC81} Digital Equipment Corporation, VAX Architecture Handbook, 1981.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  3. {Good83} J. R. Goodman, "Using cache memory to reduce processor-memory traffic," Proc. Tenth International Symposium on Computer Architecture, Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  4. {Good87} J. R. Goodman, "Cache Memory Optimization to Reduce Processor/Memory Traffic," Journal of VLSI and Computer Systems, 2, 2, (1987), pp. 61--86. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  5. {Hill85} M. D. Hill, et. al., "SPUR: A VLSI multiprocessor workstation," IEEE Computer, November 1985.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  6. {IBM} IBM System/370 Principles of Operation, GA22--0644, IBM Corporation; available through IBM branch offices.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  7. {IBM76} System/370 Model 168 Theory of Operation/Diagrams Manual (Volume 1), Document No. SY22-6931-3, IBM System Products Division, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., 1976Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  8. {Lee60} F. F. Lee, "Study of 'Look Aside' Memory," IEEE Trans. on Computers, 18, 11, (November 1960), pp. 1062--1064.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  9. {Lipt68} J. S. Liptay, "Structural Aspects of the System/360 Model 85, II, The cache," IBM Systems Journal, 7, 1, (1968), pp. 15--21.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  10. {McCr84} E. M. McCreight, "The Dragon computer system: An early overview," NATO Advanced Study Institute on Microarchitecture of VLSI Computers, Urbino, Italy, July 1984.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  11. {Smit82} A. J. Smith, "Cache memories," Computing Surveys, 14, 3, (September 1982), pp. 473--530. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  12. {SwSm86} P. Sweazey and A. J. Smith, "A class of compatible cache consistency protocols and their support by the IEEE Futurebus," Proc. Thirteenth International Symposium on Computer Architecture, June 1986, pp. 414--423. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  13. {Tang76} C. K. Tang, "Cache system design in the tightly coupled multiprocessor system," Proc. NCC. 1976, pp. 749--753.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  14. {Thom87} J. Thomas, Private Communication, 1987.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  15. {Tuck86} S. G. Tucker, "The IBM 3090 system: An overview," IBM Systems Journal, 25, 1, (1986), pp. 4--19.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  16. {WEGH86} D. A. Wood, et. al., "An in-cache address translation mechanism," Proc. Thirteenth International Symposium on Computer Architecture, June 1986, pp. 358--365. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

Index Terms

  1. Coherency for multiprocessor virtual address caches

          Recommendations

          Comments

          Login options

          Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

          Sign in

          Full Access

          • Published in

            cover image ACM SIGOPS Operating Systems Review
            ACM SIGOPS Operating Systems Review  Volume 21, Issue 4
            Oct. 1987
            189 pages
            ISSN:0163-5980
            DOI:10.1145/36204
            Issue’s Table of Contents
            • cover image ACM Conferences
              ASPLOS II: Proceedings of the second international conference on Architectual support for programming languages and operating systems
              October 1987
              205 pages
              ISBN:0818608056
              DOI:10.1145/36206

            Copyright © 1987 Copyright is held by the owner/author(s)

            Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

            Publisher

            Association for Computing Machinery

            New York, NY, United States

            Publication History

            • Published: 1 October 1987

            Check for updates

            Qualifiers

            • article

          PDF Format

          View or Download as a PDF file.

          PDF

          eReader

          View online with eReader.

          eReader