On-demand allocation of cache memory for use as a preset buffer
View Patent ↗A data processing system comprises data processing circuitry, a cache memory, and memory access circuitry. The memory access circuitry is operative to assign a memory address region to be allocated in the cache memory with a predefined initialization value. Subsequently, a portion of the cache memory is allocated to the assigned memory address region only after the data processing circuitry first attempts to perform a memory access on a memory address within the assigned memory address region. The allocated portion of the cache memory is then initialized with the predefined initialization value.
1. A data processing system, comprising:
data processing circuitry;
a cache memory; and
memory access circuitry, the memory access circuitry operative to perform the steps of: assigning a memory address region to be allocated in the cache memory with a predefined initialization value; allocating a portion of the cache memory to the assigned memory address region only after the data processing circuitry first attempts to perform a memory access on a memory address within the assigned memory address region; and initializing the allocated portion of the cache memory with the predefined initialization value.
2. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the memory access circuitry, after performing the assigning step, is adapted to perform the initializing step only once until the assigning step is repeated.
3. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the assigning step further causes the assigned memory address region to be associated with a status indicator.
4. The data processing system of claim 3 , wherein the memory access circuitry is further operative to cause a state of the status indicator to be changed upon performing the initializing step.
5. The data processing system of claim 3 , wherein the status indicator is implemented at least in part utilizing a data flag.
6. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the cache memory comprises a random access memory.
7. The data processing system of claim 6 , wherein the random access memory is of a static type.
8. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the cache memory consists of a cache line.
9. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the memory address region has a storage capacity equal to that of a cache line in the cache memory.
10. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the results of the assigning step are stored in a memory array in the data processing system.
11. The data processing circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising a main memory.
12. The data processing system of claim 11 , wherein the data processing circuitry is operative to access the cache memory faster than it can access the main memory.
13. The data processing system of claim 11 , wherein the main memory comprises a random access memory.
14. The data processing system of claim 13 , wherein the random access memory is of a static or dynamic type.
15. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the assigning step is performed at least in part in response to the execution of computer-readable program code by the data processing system.
16. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the computer-readable program code comprises a buffer allocation request at least specifying the memory address region and the predefined initialization value.
17. The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the computer readable program code is stored in the data processing system on a computer readable storage medium.
18. The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the memory access circuitry is further operative to perform the step of causing the data processing circuitry to perform a memory access on the allocated portion of the cache memory subsequent to the initializing step.
19. A method for initializing a buffer in a cache memory of a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:
assigning a memory address region to be allocated in the cache memory with a predefined initialization value;
allocating a portion of the cache memory to the assigned memory address region only after the data processing circuitry first attempts to perform a memory access on a memory address within the assigned memory address region; and
initializing the allocated portion of the cache memory with the predefined initialization value.
20. An integrated circuit comprising:
data processing circuitry;
a cache memory; and
memory access circuitry, the memory access circuitry operative to perform the steps of: assigning a memory address region to be allocated in the cache memory with a predefined initialization value; allocating a portion of the cache memory to the assigned memory address region only after the data processing circuitry first attempts to perform a memory access on a memory address within the assigned memory address region; and initializing the allocated portion of the cache memory with the predefined initialization value.
21. Memory access circuitry for a data processing system comprising data processing circuitry and a cache memory, the memory access circuitry comprising:
means for assigning a memory address region to be allocated in the cache memory with a predefined initialization value;
means for allocating a portion of the cache memory to the assigned memory address region only after the data processing circuitry first attempts to perform a memory access on a memory address within the assigned memory address region; and
means for initializing the allocated portion of the cache memory with the predefined initialization value.