Apparatus for fast data storage with deferred error reporting

• US 4,625,273 A
• Filed: 08/30/1983
• Issued: 11/25/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amdahl Corporation (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Amdahl Corporation (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Woffinden, Gary A., Petolino, Joseph A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US06/527,672
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 371/51, 371/16, 371/38, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/073 in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/10 Adding special bits or symbols to the coded information, e.g. parity check, casting out 9's or 11's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/104 using arithmetic codes, i.e. codes which are preserved during operation, e.g. modulo 9 or 11 check

Abstract

An apparatus for enhancing the speed of access of an execution unit in a data processing machine to the high speed buffer memory array by storing data from the execution unit in the buffer before completing error checking operations.

Claims

1. In a data processing system, an apparatus for storing and detecting erroneous data, comprising:

execution unit means for performing operations on data and creating execution unit data which is the result of said operations;

first storage means in communication with said execution unit means for storing said execution unit data;

second storage means in communication with said first storage means so that data can be moved out from said first storage means into said second storage means;

execution result checking means connected to the execution unit means in parallel with said first storage means for checking said execution unit data for error;

means for generating a bad data signal when said execution unit data contains an error;

a bad data signal processing means, connected to receive said bad data signal, for causing said erroneous execution unit data to move out from said first storage means into said second storage means and for causing said execution unit data to be stored with an error indication; and

error checking means connected to said second storage means upon move-out of said execution unit data from said second storage means for detecting said error indication and for generating an error signal when said error indication is detected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said first storage means provides high speed buffer storage for fast access to data by said execution unit means; and

said second storage means provides large capacity memory for data processing system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus includes:

means, connected to said execution unit means, for generating a residue code from said execution unit data and wherein said execution result checking means includes means for checking said residue code for said execution unit data to detect a residue error as said execution unit data is being stored into said first storage means and to generate said bad data signal when a residue error is detected.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said execution result checking means includes means for generating a parity bit for said execution unit data when said execution unit data moves out from said execution unit means, and means for checking said parity bit when said execution unit data is transferred to said first storage means, whereby parity errors are detected.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said execution result checking means further includes:

means for generating a parity bit for said execution unit data when said execution unit data moves out from said execution unit means, and means for checking said parity bit when said execution unit data is transferred to said first storage means, whereby parity errors are detected; and

means for generating said bad data signal when either a residue error of a parity error, or both, are detected.