Method and system for efficient cache locking mechanism
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for the implementation of more efficient cache locking mechanisms are disclosed. These systems and methods may alleviate the need to present both a virtual address (VA) and a physical address (PA) to a cache mechanism. A translation table is utilized to store both the address and the locking information associated with a virtual address, and this locking information is passed to the cache along with the address of the data. The cache can then lock data based on this information. Additionally, this locking information may be used to override the replacement mechanism used with the cache, thus keeping locked data in the cache. The translation table may also store translation table lock information such that entries in the translation table are locked as well.
1. A system for efficient cache locking, comprising:
a translation table comprising a set of entries, wherein the translation table is operable to store cache lock information corresponding to an entry in the set of entries, wherein the cache lock information is used for locking cache entries;
a cache operable to store at least one of an instruction and data; and
a queue coupled between the translation table and the cache, operable to store a physical address and the cache lock information from the translation table.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the translation table is operable to store cache lock information corresponding to every entry in the set of entries.
3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
control logic, operable to implement a replacement policy for the cache.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the control logic is operable to override the replacement policy based on the cache lock information.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the replacement policy is a least recently used (LRU) replacement policy.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the translation table is responsive to an instruction referencing a virtual address.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the translation table is operable to set the cache lock information corresponding to one of the set of entries in response to the instruction, if the virtual address corresponds to the one of the set of entries.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein a configuration register is responsive to the instruction.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the translation table is operable to store translation table lock information corresponding to one or more entries in the set of entries.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the translation table is operable to set the translation table lock information corresponding to the one of the set of entries in response to the instruction, if the virtual address corresponds to the one of the set of entries.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the translation table is operable to set the translation table lock information corresponding to the one of the set of the entries, if the one of the set of the entries is invalidated.
12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the translation table is operable to refill if the virtual address does not correspond to any of the set of entries.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the system is operable to generate an exception if the virtual address does not correspond to any of the set of entries.
14. A system for efficient cache locking, comprising:
a translation table comprising a set of entries, wherein the translation table is operable to store cache lock information corresponding to the entry, wherein the cache lock information is used for locking cache entries;
a cache operable to store at least one of an instruction and data associated with one or more entries in the set of entries;
a queue coupled between the translation table and the cache, operable to store a physical address and the cache lock information from the translation table; and
control logic, operable to implement a replacement policy for the cache, wherein the control logic is operable to override the replacement policy based on the cache lock information.