Selectively inclusive cache architecture
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for maintaining data in a first level cache non-inclusively with data in a second level cache coupled to the first level cache. At the same time, at least a portion of directory information associated with the data in the first level cache may be maintained inclusively with a directory portion of the second level cache. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
1. A method comprising:
maintaining data in a first level cache non-inclusively with a second level cache coupled to the first level cache; and
maintaining at least a portion of directory information associated with the data in the first level cache and present in the first level cache inclusive with a directory portion of the second level cache while maintaining the directory portion of the second level cache exclusive with a data portion of the second level cache.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the directory portion of the second level cache comprises tag information and a directory vector.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising evicting an entry in the data portion of the second level cache and storing directory information from the entry in the directory portion of the second level cache.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising maintaining data of the entry evicted from the second level cache in the first level cache by not sending an invalidation message to the first level cache.
5. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium including instructions that if executed by a machine enable the machine to perform a method comprising:
storing directory information in an entry in a first portion of a shared cache in a first directory cache of the shared cache associated with the first portion if the entry is to be replaced;
evicting the entry from the first portion of the shared cache;
maintaining a corresponding entry including first data of the evicted entry in a private cache coupled to the shared cache after replacement of the entry in the first portion of the shared cache;and
maintaining inclusivity of at least a portion of the directory information between the corresponding entry in the private cache and the first directory cache via storing the directory information in the first directory cache wherein the first directory cache is maintained exclusive with the first portion of the shared cache.
6. The article of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises maintaining the corresponding entry by not sending an invalidation message to the private cache from the shared cache.
7. The article of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises maintaining non-inclusively data of the shared cache and data of the private cache.
8. The article of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises not storing the directory information in the first directory cache if the first data has been modified.
9. The article of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises accessing the first directory cache to determine in which of multiple private caches a copy of the first data is stored.
10. The article of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises invalidating the first data in the one of the plurality of private caches responsive to a request for ownership of the first data.
11. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium including instructions that if executed by a machine enable the machine to perform a method comprising:
maintaining data in a first level cache non-inclusively with a second level cache coupled to the first level cache; and
maintaining at least a portion of directory information associated with the data in the first level cache and present in the first level cache inclusive with a directory portion of the second level cache while maintaining the directory portion of the second level cache exclusive with a data portion of the second level cache.
12. The article of claim 11 , wherein the directory portion of the second level cache comprises tag information and a directory vector.
13. The article of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises evicting an entry in the data portion of the second level cache and storing directory information from the entry in the directory portion of the second level cache.
14. The article of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises maintaining data of the entry evicted from the second level cache in the first level cache by not sending an invalidation message to the first level cache.