| United States Patent | 6,510,508 |
| Zuraski, Jr. , et al. | January 21, 2003 |
Translation lookaside buffer
flush filter
Abstract
A translation lookaside buffer (TLB) flush filter. In one embodiment, a central processing unit includes a TLB for storing recent address translations. A TLB flush filter monitors blocks of memory from which address translations have been loaded and cached in the TLB. The TLB flush filter is configured to detect if any of the underlying address translations in memory have changed. If no changes have occurred, the TLB flush filter may then prevent a flush of the TLB following the next context switch. If changes have occurred to the underlying address translations, the TLB flush filter may then allow a flush of the TLB following a context switch.
| Inventors: | Zuraski, Jr.; Gerald D. (Austin, TX); Clark; Michael T. (Austin, TX) |
| Assignee: | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) |
| Appl. No.: | 595597 |
| Filed: | June 15, 2000 |
| Current U.S. Class: | 711/207; 711/135 |
| Intern'l Class: | G06F 012/12; G06F 012/10 |
| Field of Search: | 711/135,206,207 |
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| Foreign Patent Documents | |||
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Other References |
Pentium Pro Family Developer's Manual, vol. 3: Operating System Writer's Manual, Intel, 1996, pp. 11-13 thru 11-26. Patterson et al., Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1990, pp. 437-438. Alpha 21164 Microprocessor Hardware Reference Manual, Dec. 1998, Compaq Computer Corporation, Ch. 1, p. 4; Ch. 2, pp. 7, 8, 10-13; Ch. 5, p. 7, 9, 33, 43; Ch. 7, p. 7; Glossary, p. 1. Alpha Architecture Handbook, Oct. 1998, Compaq Computer Corporation, Ch. 5, p. 4, 25, 26, Table 11-2. International Search Report for application No. PCT/US 01/07591 dated Oct. 17, 2001. |
Primary Examiner: Ellis; Kevin L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Conley, Rose & Tayon, PC,
Merkel; Lawrence J.
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