Circuit and method for initiating exception routines using implicit exception checking

• US 6,289,445 B2
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LSI Logic Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ekner, Hartvig
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US09/119,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 711/141, 710/260, 717/9, 712/244, 712/228, 712/216, 712/234, 712/205, 712/235, 714/15
• US Class Current: 712/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/383 Operand prefetching cache prefetching G06F12/0862
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3842 Speculative instruction execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3865 using deferred exception handling, e.g. exception flags

Abstract

A circuit and method is provided which allows a microprocessor to implement speculative load instructions with implicit exception checking. In one embodiment of the method, exception information is generated in response to a memory access exception caused by a speculative load instruction for loading one of a plurality of first registers with data from memory. The exception information, once generated, is stored within one of a plurality of second registers. Each of the second registers corresponds to at least one of the plurality of first registers and is configured to store exception information. Thereafter, an instruction for operating on data stored in a first register is received and decoded by the microprocessor. In response, a second register corresponding to the first register is accessed. If this second register contains exception information, then the microprocessor initiates the exception routine. On the other hand, if the second register does not contain exception information, then the instruction for operating on data contained in the first register is executed.

Claims

1. In a microprocessor configured to execute instructions, a method of initiating an exception routine in response to a memory access exception caused by a speculative load instruction for loading one of a plurality of first registers with data from memory, the method comprising:

generating exception information in response to the memory access exception caused by the speculative load instruction;

storing the exception information within one of a plurality of second registers, wherein each of the second registers corresponds to at least one of the plurality of first registers;

receiving and decoding an instruction for operating on data stored in a first register;

checking the contents of a second register corresponding to the first register in response to receiving and decoding the instruction, and;

initiating the exception routine if the second register contains exception information, or executing the instruction to operate on data contained in the first register if the second register does not contain exception information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of first registers equals the plurality of second registers in number.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the exception routine is initiated using the exception information stored in the second register.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the exception information includes an instruction address of the speculative load instruction which caused the memory access exception.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the exception information includes a memory address of the data to be loaded in one of the plurality of first registers.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the exception information includes an exception code identifying a type of memory access exception.

7. In a microprocessor configured to execute instructions, a method of initiating an exception routine in response to a memory access exception caused by a first instruction for loading one of a plurality of architectured registers with data from memory, the method comprising:

generating exception information in response to the memory access exception caused by the first instruction;

storing the exception information within one of a plurality of exception registers, wherein each of said exception registers corresponds to at least one of the plurality of architectured registers;

receiving and decoding a second instruction for operating on data stored in the architectured register;

checking the contents of an exception register corresponding to the architectured register in response to receiving and decoding the second instruction; and

initiating the exception routine if the exception register contains exception information, or executing the second instruction to operate on data contained in the architectured register if the exception register does not contain exception information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first instruction is defined to be a speculative load instruction for loading one of a plurality of registers with data from memory.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the data is stored in memory at an address identified by the speculative load instruction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the memory address is defined as a virtual address and wherein the exception is caused by an attempt to translate the virtual address into a physical address.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the second instruction identifies a register as a source of an operand wherein the register corresponds to the exception register.

12. A microprocessor for executing instructions including speculative load instructions, which cause memory access exceptions, the microprocessor comprising:

a plurality of first registers for storing data received from memory in response to executing speculative load instructions;

a plurality of second registers for storing exception information to be used by an exception handling routine;

an exception information generator coupled to the plurality of second registers, wherein the exception information generator is configured to generate exception information in response to memory access exceptions caused by speculative load instructions;

an execution unit coupled to the plurality of first and second registers, wherein the execution unit is configured to execute instructions including instructions which operate on data stored in the plurality of first registers, wherein the execution unit is configured to receive data stored in a second register in response to receiving an instruction for operating on data contained in a first register, wherein the execution unit executes the instruction to operate on data contained in the first register if the received data is not exception information.

13. The microprocessor of claim 12 further comprising a decode unit coupled to the execution unit, wherein the decode unit is configured to receive and decode instructions, wherein the decode unit is further configured to fetch data stored in the plurality of second registers in response to receiving instructions which operate on data stored in the plurality of first registers, and wherein data fetched from the plurality of second registers is transmitted to the execution unit.

14. The microprocessor of claim 12 wherein the execution unit is configured to execute the exception routine using exception information stored in the second register.

15. The microprocessor of claim 12 wherein the plurality of first and second registers are equal in number.

16. The microprocessor of claim 12 wherein exception information includes an instruction address of a speculative load instruction.

17. The microprocessor of claim 16 wherein exception information includes a code identifying a type of memory access exception.

18. In a microprocessor configured to execute instructions, a method of initiating an exception routine in response to an exception caused by a first instruction for loading one of a plurality of first registers with data, the method comprising:

generating exception information in response to the exception caused by the first instruction;

storing the exception information within one of a plurality of second registers, wherein each of the second registers corresponds to at least one of the plurality of first registers;

receiving and decoding a second instruction for operating on data stored in a first register;

checking the contents of a second register corresponding to the first register in response to receiving and decoding the second instruction, and;

initiating the exception routine if the second register contains exception information, or executing the instruction to operate on data contained in the first register if the second register does not contain exception information.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first instruction is a speculative load instruction.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the exception routine is initiated using the exception information stored in the second register.

21. A microprocessor for executing instructions including speculative load instructions which cause memory access exceptions, the microprocessor comprising:

a plurality of first registers for storing data received from memory in response to executing speculative load instructions;

a plurality of second registers for storing exception information to be used by an exception handling routine;

an exception information generator coupled to the plurality of second registers, wherein the exception information generator is configured to generate exception information in response to memory access exceptions caused by speculative load instructions;

an execution unit coupled to the plurality of first and second registers, wherein the execution unit is configured to execute instructions including instructions which operate on data stored in the plurality of first registers, wherein the execution unit is configured to receive data stored in a second register in response to receiving an instruction for operating on data contained in a first register, wherein the execution unit executes the instruction if the received data is not exception information;

wherein the execution unit is configured to execute the exception routine using exception information stored in the second register;

wherein the plurality of first and second registers are equal in number;

wherein exception information includes an instruction address of a speculative load instruction.