Cache/disk subsystem with dual aging of cache entries
First Claim
1. In a data processing system including a host processor for issuing addressing signals specifying data to be accessed, a mass memory, a cache store for storing segments, and a segment descriptor table for storing segment descriptors, there being a segment descriptor associated with each data segment in said cache store and including age information defining, from the most recently accessed to the least recently accessed, the relative lengths of time since each associated data segment has been accessed, the system including means for transferring to said mass memory the least recently accessed segments in said cache store in order to make room for more data segments, the improvement comprising:
- means connected to said host processor, said mass memory and said cache store for transferring from said mass memory to said cache store not only a data segment containing data specified by said addressing signals but not resident in said store, but also a number of additional segments; and
,age modifying means for modifying said age information in said segment descriptors each time data segments are transferred from said mass memory to said cache store to produce modified age information, said modified age information indicating that the data segment containing the data specified by said addressing signals is the most recently accessed data segment, and indicating that said number of additional segments have an age intermediate the most recently accessed and the least recently accessed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
When a processor issues a read or write command to read one or more words from a disk, a cache store is checked to see if a copy of the segment(s) containing the word(s) are present therein. If a copy of the segment is not present in the cache store then it is moved from disk to the cache store and sent to the processor. A segment descriptor table is maintained and the entries in the table are linked by forward and backward age links. When a segment is brought into the cache store from a disk because it contains the word or words specified by a command, its segment descriptor is linked in the age chain as the most recently used. Provision is made for reading into the cache store one or more segments in addition to the segment(s) containing the word(s) specified by a command, on speculation that the additional segment(s) contain words most likely to be accessed soon by the processor. The segment descriptor for these additional segments are linked into the age chain at an age which is intermediate the most recently used and the least recently used.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. In a data processing system including a host processor for issuing addressing signals specifying data to be accessed, a mass memory, a cache store for storing segments, and a segment descriptor table for storing segment descriptors, there being a segment descriptor associated with each data segment in said cache store and including age information defining, from the most recently accessed to the least recently accessed, the relative lengths of time since each associated data segment has been accessed, the system including means for transferring to said mass memory the least recently accessed segments in said cache store in order to make room for more data segments, the improvement comprising:
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means connected to said host processor, said mass memory and said cache store for transferring from said mass memory to said cache store not only a data segment containing data specified by said addressing signals but not resident in said store, but also a number of additional segments; and
,age modifying means for modifying said age information in said segment descriptors each time data segments are transferred from said mass memory to said cache store to produce modified age information, said modified age information indicating that the data segment containing the data specified by said addressing signals is the most recently accessed data segment, and indicating that said number of additional segments have an age intermediate the most recently accessed and the least recently accessed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. In a data processing system having a host processor, a mass memory for storing segments of data, a cache store for storing copies of segments of data which have been read from, or are to be written to said mass memory, and a store for storing a table of segment descriptors, there being a segment descriptor in said table corresponding to each segment of data resident in said cache store and each of said segment descriptors including a backward age link field and a forward age link field, said age link fields linking said segment descriptors to thereby define an age chain for the segments of data corresponding to said segment descriptors, said backward age link fields defining links in an age chain extending from the most recently accessed data segment in said cache store to the least recently accessed data segment in said cache store and said forward age link fields defining links in an age chain extending from the least recently accessed data segment in said cache store to the most recently accessed data segment in said cache store, a method of assigning ages in said age chain to data segments transferred from said mass memory to said cache store, said method comprising:
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assigning to each data segment transferred from said mass memory to said cache store a most recently accessed age if said transfer is made to satisfy a host processor command for access to data in the segment; and
,assigning to each data segment transferred from said mass memory to said cache store an age which is intermediate said most recently and least recently accessed ages if the transfer is not made to satisfy a host processor command for access to data in the segment.
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6. In a system having a host processor, a cache store for storing segments of data, means for linking said segments of data in an age chain according to the relative times at which they were last accessed, a mass memory and means for transferring to said cache store from said mass memory not only segments of data to which access has been required by said host processor but also a number of additional segments to which access has not been required by said host processor, said system being operative to transfer the least recently accessed data segments in said cache store to said mass memory to make room for data segments transferred to said cache store, the method of controlling the aging of segments in said cache store comprising:
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assigning to a given segment transferred to said cache store from said mass memory a most recently accessed age if said given segment is transferred because access thereto has been required by said host processor; assigning to a given segment transferred to said cache store from said mass memory an intermediate age which is intermediate the most recently and least recently accessed ages in said age chain if said given segment is not transferred because access thereto has been required by said host processor. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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Specification