DATA STORAGE AND ACCESS IN MULTI-CORE PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES

• US 20110161346A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mercury Kingdom Assets Limited
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Solihin, Yan
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/082 Associative directories G06F12/0822 takes precedence

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for a system for sending a data block stored in a cache. In some examples described herein, a system may comprise a first processor in a first tile. The first processor is effective to generate a request for a data block, the request including a destination identifier identifying a destination tile for the data block, the destination tile being distinct from the first tile. Some example systems may further comprise a second tile effective to receive the request, the second tile effective to determine a data tile including the data block, the second tile further effective to send the request to the data tile. Some example systems may still further comprise a data tile effective to receive the request from the second tile, the data tile effective to send the data block to the destination tile.

Claims

1. A system for sending a data block stored in a cache, the system comprising:

a first processor in a first tile, the first processor effective to generate a request for a data block, the request including a destination identifier that includes an identification of a destination tile for the data block, the destination tile being distinct from the first tile; and

a second tile effective to receive the request from the first tile, the second tile effective to determine a data tile including the data block, the second tile further effective to send the request received from the first tile to the data tile;

wherein

the data tile is effective to receive the request from the second tile, the data tile further effective to send the data block to the destination tile identified by the destination identifier.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first tile further includes a table, the table effective to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein:

the first processor is further effective to generate a second request to access the data block;

the first processor is effective to search the table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the table; and

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the table, the first processor is effective to send the second request from the first tile to the destination tile;

when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the table, the first processor is effective to send the second request from the first tile to the second tile.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second tile includes a directory for the data block.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the second tile is further effective to update the directory in the second tile to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the second tile is further effective to update a location hint table in the second tile distinct from the directory, the location hint table effective to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the first processor is further effective to generate a second request to access the data block;

the first processor is effective to send the second request from the first tile to the second tile;

the second tile is further effective to search the location hint table in the second tile to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the location hint table;

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the location hint table, the second tile is effective to send a location hint from the second tile to the first tile; and

the second tile is effective to search the directory and send the second request to the destination tile.

8. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the second tile is further effective to search the location hint table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the location hint table;

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the location hint table, the second tile is effective to send the second request from the directory tile to the destination tile;

when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the location hint table, the second tile is effective to search the directory and send the second request from the second tile to the destination tile.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the destination tile is located one or two network hops from the requesting tile.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the data block stored in the data tile has a first priority level;

the data block stored in the first tile has a second priority level; and

the first and second priority levels are distinct.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first tile is in a first die;

the destination tile is in a second die; and

the first and second dies are distinct.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the second tile is in the first die.

13. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the table is effective to indicate that a plurality of related data blocks are stored in the destination tile.

14. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first processor is inhibited from storing data in the destination tile beyond a threshold.

15. A method for sending a data block stored in a cache, the method comprising:

generating a request for a data block by a first processor in a first tile, the request including a destination identifier that includes an identification of a destination tile for the data block, the destination tile being distinct from the first tile;

receiving the request by a second tile from the first tile;

determining, by a second processor in the second tile, a data tile including the data block;

sending, by the second processor, the request received from the first tile to the data tile;

receiving the request by the data tile from the second tile; and

sending, by a third processor in the data tile, the data block to the destination tile identified by the destination identifier.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising updating a table in the first tile to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

generating a second request by the first processor to access the data block;

searching, by the first processor, the table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the table; and

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the table, sending by the first processor the second request from the first tile to the destination tile;

when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the table, sending by the first processor the second request from the first tile to the second tile.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising updating by the second processor a directory in the second tile to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising the second processor updating a location hint table in the second tile distinct from the directory, the location hint table effective to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

searching, by the second processor, the location hint table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the location hint table;

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the location hint table, sending, by the second processor, a location hint from the second tile to the first tile; and

searching, by the second processor the directory, and sending by the second processor the second request from the second tile to the destination tile.

21. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, adapt the computer to perform the method comprising:

generating a request for a data block by a first processor in a first tile, the request including a destination identifier that includes an identification of a destination tile for the data block, the destination tile being distinct from the first tile;

receiving the request by a second tile from the first tile;

determining, by a second processor in the second tile, a data tile including the data block;

sending, by the second processor, the request received from the first tile to the data tile;

receiving the request by the data tile from the second tile; and

sending, by a third processor in the data tile, the data block to the destination tile identified by the destination identifier.

22. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 21, further comprising updating a table in the first tile to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile.

23. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

generating a second request by the first processor to access the data block;

searching, by the first processor, the table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the table; and

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the table, sending by the first processor the second request from the first tile to the destination tile;

when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the table, sending by the first processor the second request from the first tile to the second tile.

24. A tile in a multi-processor architecture, the tile comprising:

a processor, the processor effective to generate a first request for a data block, the first request including a destination identifier that includes an identification of a destination tile for the data block, the destination tile being distinct from the tile including the processor;

the processor effective to send the first request from the tile including the processor to a second tile;

a table, the table effective to indicate that the data block is stored in the destination tile;

the processor further effective to generate a second request to access the data block;

the first processor effective to search the table to determine if the destination tile is indexed in the table; and

when the destination tile is determined to be indexed in the table, the processor is effective to send the second request from the tile including the processor to the destination tile;

when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the table, the processor is effective to send the second request from the tile including the processor to the second tile.

25. The tile as recited in claim 24, wherein when the destination tile is determined to be absent from the table, the processor is further effective to receive the data block from the destination tile.