Optimization of a hardware resource shared by a multiprocessor

• US 7,627,739 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran, Wood, JR., Lowell L., Tegreene, Clarence T., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Hillis, W. Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Eddie P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faherty, Corey S
• Application Number:
  US11/541,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 712/23, 712/43
• US Class Current: 712/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/507 Low-level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/6028 Prefetching based on hints or prefetch instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3844 using dynamic branch prediction, e.g. using branch history tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3897 with adaptable data path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory

Abstract

Embodiments include a device and a method. In an embodiment, a method applies a first resource management strategy to a first resource associated with a first processor and executes an instruction block in a first processor. The method also applies a second resource management strategy to a second resource of a similar type as the first resource and executes the instruction block in a second processor. The method further selects a resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the instruction group from the first resource management strategy and the second resource management strategy.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, executing a given instruction group in the first processor, the first resource management policy being an optimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially optimal manner, and acquiring a first execution context corresponding to the first processor during the execution;

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, executing the given instruction group in the second processor, the second resource management policy being a pessimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially sub-optimal manner such that greater than a preselected level of at least one error will occur during execution of the given instruction group, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the execution;

selecting a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy; and

logically associating in a computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and an optimization page, the optimization page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor further includes

applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, the first hardware resource including a memory cache.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor further includes

applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, the first hardware resource including a branch predictor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor further includes

applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, the first hardware resource including at least one of a memory, a cache, a bus, a register-file, a port, and/or a functional unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the given instruction group further includes at least one of a functional instruction, a branching instruction, a memory instruction, and/or other instruction that may be executed by a processor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the given instruction group further includes at least one of a statement or a portion of a statement in a program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the given instruction group further includes at least two statements from a program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the given instruction group further includes at least one of a decoded instruction, a translated instruction, and/or a micro-operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor further includes:

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, the second hardware resource being at least substantially similar to the first hardware resource.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor further includes:

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, the second hardware resource being at least substantially different from the first hardware resource.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor further includes:

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, the second processor being at least substantially similar to the first processor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor further includes:

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, the second processor being at least substantially different from the first processor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy further includes:

determining a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the instruction group based at least partially on the execution of the given instruction group by the first processor and the execution of the instruction group by the second processor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the logically associating in a computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and an optimization page, the optimization page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above further includes:

logically associating in a computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and a memory page, the memory page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the logically associating in a computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and an optimization page, the optimization page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above further includes:

logically associating in a computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and a ghost page, the ghost page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy includes

selecting a cache management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, executing the given instruction group in the second processor, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the execution includes

associating the second hardware resource associated with the first processor.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, executing the given instruction group in the second processor, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the execution includes:

applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, executing the given instruction group in the second processor, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor that executed the given instruction group during the execution.

19. A device comprising:

(a) a first processor having an associated first hardware resource;

(b) a second processor having an associated second hardware resource;

(c) a computer-readable storage medium configurable by a given instruction group and by an optimization page; and

(d) a control unit implemented in a hardware-logic and operable to

(i) apply a first hardware resource management strategy to the first hardware resource, the first resource management policy being an optimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially optimal manner, facilitate an execution of the given instruction group by the first processor, and acquire a first execution context corresponding to the first processor during the execution;

(ii) apply a second hardware resource management strategy to the second hardware resource, the second resource management policy being a pessimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially sub-optimal manner such that greater than a preselected level of at least one error will occur during execution of the given instruction group, facilitate an execution of the given instruction group in the second processor, and acquire a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the execution;

(iii) select a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy; and

(iv) logically associate in the computer-readable storage medium the given instruction group and the optimization page, the optimization page configured to indicate the selected hardware resource management strategy and the execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above.

20. A computer program product comprising:

(a) program instructions operable to perform a process in a computing device, the process comprising;

(i) applying a first hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, executing a given instruction group in the first processor, the first resource management policy being an optimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially optimal manner, and acquiring a first execution context corresponding to the first processor during the execution;

(ii) applying a second hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, executing the given instruction group in the second processor, the second resource management policy being a pessimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially sub-optimal manner such that greater than a preselected level of at least one error will occur during execution of the given instruction group, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the execution;

(iii) selecting a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first hardware resource management strategy and the second hardware resource management strategy; and

(iv) facilitating a logical association in a computer-readable storage medium between the given instruction group and an optimization page, the optimization page indicative of the selected hardware resource management strategy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected hardware resource management strategy as set forth above; and

(b) the computer-readable storage medium bearing the program instructions.

21. A method comprising:

applying a first test hardware resource management strategy to a first hardware resource associated with a first processor, implementing a first possible substantially optimum execution of a given instruction group in the first processor, the first test hardware resource management policy being an optimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially optimal manner, and acquiring a first execution context corresponding to the first processor during the first possible substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group;

applying a second test hardware resource management strategy to a second hardware resource associated with a second processor, the second test hardware resource management policy being a pessimistic policy that assumes based on at least one of theoretical information or historical information that the given instruction group will execute in a substantially sub-optimal manner such that greater than a preselected level of at least one error will occur during execution of the given instruction group, implementing a second possible substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group in the second processor, and acquiring a second execution context corresponding to the second processor during the second possible substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group;

selecting a hardware resource management strategy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of the given instruction group from the first test hardware resource management strategy and the second test hardware resource management strategy; and

saving an association of the given instruction group and an optimization page in a storage device, the optimization page indicative of the selected test hardware resource management policy and the acquired execution context corresponding to the processor that executed the given instruction group during the application of the selected test hardware resource management strategy as set forth above.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the saving an association of the given instruction group and an optimization page in a storage device includes:

logically associating the given instruction group and an optimization page in a computer-readable storage medium.