Compiler Providing Idiom to Idiom Accelerator

• US 20110173593A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arimilli, Ravi K., Sharma, Satya P., Swanberg, Randal C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/4441 Reducing the execution time required by the program code

Abstract

A wake-and-go mechanism may be a programming idiom accelerator. As a processor fetches instructions, the programming idiom accelerator may look ahead to determine whether a programming idiom is coming up in the instruction stream. If the programming idiom accelerator recognizes a programming idiom, the programming idiom accelerator may perform an action to accelerate execution of the programming idiom. A compiler may recognize programming idioms and expose the programming idioms to the programming idiom accelerator within the resulting machine language instructions.

Claims

1. A method, in a compiler, for exposing programming idioms to a programming idiom accelerator, the method comprising:

receiving a portion of high level language program code;

examining a series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code;

determining whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom; and

responsive to a determination that the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom, inserting into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hint instruction is a programming idiom begin hint instruction that marks a beginning of the programming idiom.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising inserting a programming idiom end hint instruction to mark an end of the programming idiom.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compiling the series of instructions to machine code, wherein inserting into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator comprises inserting the hint instruction into the machine code.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the end of the high level language program code is reached; and

responsive to a determination that the end of the high level language program code is not reached, examining a next series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom comprises:

determining whether the series of instructions comprises one or more recognized programming idioms from a set of predetermined programming idioms.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of predetermined programming idioms correspond to a set of programming idiom accelerators.

8. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a portion of high level language program code;

examine a series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code;

determine whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom; and

responsive to a determination that the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom, insert into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the hint instruction is a programming idiom begin hint instruction that marks a beginning of the programming idiom.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to insert a programming idiom end hint instruction to mark an end of the programming idiom.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

compile the series of instructions to machine code, wherein inserting into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator comprises inserting the hint instruction into the machine code.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether the end of the high level language program code is reached; and

responsive to a determination that the end of the high level language program code is not reached, examine a next series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein determining whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom comprises:

determining whether the series of instructions comprises one or more recognized programming idioms from a set of predetermined programming idioms.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the set of predetermined programming idioms correspond to a set of programming idiom accelerators.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive a portion of high level language program code;

examine a series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code;

determine whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom; and

responsive to a determination that the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom, insert into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the hint instruction is a programming idiom begin hint instruction that marks a beginning of the programming idiom.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to insert a programming idiom end hint instruction to mark an end of the programming idiom.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

compile the series of instructions to machine code, wherein inserting into the series of instructions a hint instruction that exposes the recognized programming idiom to a programming idiom accelerator comprises inserting the hint instruction into the machine code.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

determine whether the end of the high level language program code is reached; and

responsive to a determination that the end of the high level language program code is not reached, examine a next series of instructions in the portion of high level language program code.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining whether the series of instructions comprises a recognized programming idiom comprises:

determining whether the series of instructions comprises one or more recognized programming idioms from a set of predetermined programming idioms.