Abstract: A linearly addressed cache capable of fast linear tag validation after a context switch or a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) flush. The cache is configured to validate multiple linear address tags to improve performance in systems which experience frequent context switches or TLB flushes. The cache comprises: a data array configured to store a plurality of cache lines, a linear tag array, a physical tag array, and a TLB. Each array is configured to receive a portion of a requested address. Each linear tag stored in the linear tag array corresponds to one cache line stored within the data array. Each physical tag stored in the physical tag array also corresponds to one cache line stored within the data array. The TLB is configured to store linear to physical address translations, while the linear tag array is configured to store status information for each linear tag. The status information comprises a linear tag valid bit and an enable compare bit.

Abstract: A load/store unit searches a store queue included therein for each byte accessed by the load independently from the other bytes, and determines the most recent store (in program order) to update that byte. Accordingly, even if one or more bytes accessed by the load are modified by one store while one or more other bytes accessed by the load are modified by another store, the forwarding mechanism may assemble the bytes accessed by the load. More particularly, load data may be forwarded accurately from an arbitrary number of stores. In other words, forwarding may occur up to N stores (where N is the number of bytes accessed by the load). In one particular embodiment, the load/store unit generates a bit vector from a predetermined set of least significant bits of the addresses of loads and stores. The bit vector includes a bit for each byte in a range defined by the number of least significant bits. The bit indicates whether or not the byte is updated (for store bit vectors) or accessed (for load bit vectors).

Abstract: A reorder buffer is configured into multiple lines of storage, wherein a line of storage includes sufficient storage for instruction results regarding a predefined maximum number of concurrently dispatchable instructions. A line of storage is allocated whenever one or more instructions are dispatched. A microprocessor employing the reorder buffer is also configured with fixed, symmetrical issue positions. The symmetrical nature of the issue positions may increase the average number of instructions to be concurrently dispatched and executed by the microprocessor. The average number of unused locations within the line decreases as the average number of concurrently dispatched instructions increases. One particular implementation of the reorder buffer includes a future file. The future file comprises a storage location corresponding to each register within the microprocessor.

Abstract: A processor is configured to predecode instruction bytes prior to storing them in an instruction cache. The predecode information generated by the processor includes instruction boundary indications identifying which of the instruction bytes are boundaries of instructions and control transfer indications identifying which of the instructions are control transfer instructions. The combination of the control transfer indications and the instruction boundary indications allows the branch prediction mechanism to locate the branch instructions in a group of instruction bytes fetched from instruction cache by scanning the control transfer and instruction boundary indications. In one embodiment, the branch prediction mechanism attempts to predict up to two branch instructions per clock cycle. Accordingly, the branch prediction mechanism scans the control transfer and instruction boundary indications to locate the first two branch instructions within a group of instruction bytes fetched from the instruction cache.

Abstract: A processor employing a map unit including register renaming hardware is shown. The map unit may assign virtual register numbers to source registers by scanning instruction operations to detect intraline dependencies. Subsequently, physical register numbers are mapped to the source register numbers responsive to the virtual register numbers. The map unit may stores (e.g. in a map silo) a current lookahead state corresponding to each line of instruction operations which are processed by the map unit. Additionally, the map unit stores an indication of which instruction operations within the line update logical registers, which logical registers are updated, and the physical register numbers assigned to the instruction operations. Upon detection of an exception condition for an instruction operation with a line, the current lookahead state corresponding to the line is restored from the map silo.

Abstract: An instruction queue is physically divided into two (or more) instruction queues. Each instruction queue is configured to store a dependency vector for each instruction operation stored in that instruction queue. The dependency vector is evaluated to determine if the corresponding instruction operation may be scheduled for execution. Instruction scheduling logic in each physical queue may schedule instruction operations based on the instruction operations stored in that physical queue independent of the scheduling logic in other queues. The instruction queues evaluate the dependency vector in portions, during different phases of the clock. During a first phase, a first instruction queue evaluates a first portion of the dependency vectors and generates a set of intermediate scheduling request signals. During a second phase, the first instruction queue evaluates a second portion of the dependency vector and the intermediate scheduling request signal to generate a scheduling request signal.

Abstract: A processor employing a map unit including register renaming hardware is shown. The map unit may assign virtual register numbers to source registers by scanning instruction operations to detect intraline dependencies. Subsequently, physical register numbers are mapped to the source register numbers responsive to the virtual register numbers. The map unit may stores (e.g. in a map silo) a current lookahead state corresponding to each line of instruction operations which are processed by the map unit. Additionally, the map unit stores an indication of which instruction operations within the line update logical registers, which logical registers are updated, and the physical register numbers assigned to the instruction operations. Upon detection of an exception condition for an instruction operation with a line, the current lookahead state corresponding to the line is restored from the map silo.

Abstract: A processor includes a lookahead address/result calculation unit which is configured to receive operand information (either the operand or a tag identifying the instruction which will produce the operand value) corresponding to the source operands of one or more instructions. If the operands are available, lookahead address/result calculation unit may generate either a lookahead address for a memory operand of the instruction or a lookahead result corresponding to a functional instruction operation of the instruction. The lookahead address may be provided to a load/store unit for early initiation of a memory operation corresponding to the instruction. The lookahead result may be provided to a speculative operand source (e.g. a future file) for updating therein. A lookahead state for a register may thereby be provided early in the pipeline. Subsequent instructions may receive the lookahead state and use the lookahead state to generate additional lookahead state early.

Abstract: A floating point unit capable of executing multiple instructions in a single clock cycle using a central window and a register map is disclosed. The floating point unit comprises: a plurality of translation units, a future file, a central window, a plurality of functional units, a result queue, and a plurality of physical registers. The floating point unit receives speculative instructions, decodes them, and then stores them in the central window. Speculative top of stack values are generated for each instruction during decoding. Top of stack relative operands are computed to physical registers using a register map. Register stack exchange operations are performed during decoding. Instructions are then stored in the central window, which selects the oldest stored instructions to be issued to each functional pipeline and issues them. Conversion units convert the instruction's operands to an internal format, and normalization units detect and normalize any denormal operands.

Abstract: An apparatus for accelerating move operations includes a lookahead unit which detects move instructions prior to the execution of the move instructions (e.g. upon selection of the move operations for dispatch within a processor). Upon detecting a move instruction, the lookahead unit signals a register rename unit, which reassigns the rename register associated with the source register to the destination register. In one particular embodiment, the lookahead unit attempts to accelerate moves from a base pointer register to a stack pointer register (and vice versa). An embodiment of the lookahead unit generates lookahead values for the stack pointer register by maintaining cumulative effects of the increments and decrements of previously dispatched instructions. The cumulative effects of the increments and decrements prior to a particular instruction may be added to a previously generated value of the stack pointer register to generate a lookahead value for that particular instruction.

Abstract: A microprocessor is configured to execute a prefetch instruction specifying a cache line to be transferred into the microprocessor, as well as an access mode for the cache line. The microprocessor includes caches optimized for the access modes. In one embodiment, the microprocessor includes functional units configured to operate upon various data type. Each different type of functional unit may be connected to different caches which are optimized for the various access modes. The prefetch instruction may include a functional unit specification in addition to the access mode. In this manner, data of a particular type may be prefetched into a cache local to a particular functional unit.

Abstract: A first microprocessor having a PH1/PH2 pipeline structure is designed. The first microprocessor undergoes a design cycle including microarchitecture, design (e.g. logic design, circuit design, and layout work), verification, qualification, and volume manufacture. Subsequently, a second microprocessor is derived from the first microprocessor by replacing the PH1 and PH2 latches with edge triggered flip flops connected to a clock line which is operable at approximately twice the frequency of the clock signals used in the PH1/PH2 pipeline. A minimal design effort may be employed to produce the second microprocessor. The microarchitecture of the second microprocessor is quite similar to the microarchitecture of the first microprocessor. Still further, much of the design, verification, and qualification work performed for the first microprocessor may be reused for the second microprocessor.

Abstract: A microprocessor employs a branch prediction unit including a branch prediction storage which stores the index portion of branch target addresses and an instruction cache which is virtually indexed and physically tagged. The branch target index (if predicted-taken), or the sequential index (if predicted not-taken) is provided as the index to the instruction cache. The selected physical tag is provided to a reverse translation lookaside buffer (TLB) which translates the physical tag to a virtual page number. Concatenating the virtual page number to the virtual index from the instruction cache (and the offset portion, generated from the branch prediction) results in the branch target address being generated. In one embodiment, a current page register stores the most recently translated virtual page number and the corresponding real page number.

Abstract: A microprocessor employs a branch prediction unit including a branch prediction storage which stores the index portion of branch target addresses and an instruction cache which is virtually indexed and physically tagged. The branch target index (if predicted-taken, or the sequential index if predicted not-taken) is provided as the index to the instruction cache. The selected physical tag is provided to a reverse translation lookaside buffer (TLB) which translates the physical tag to a virtual page number. Concatenating the virtual page number to the virtual index from the instruction cache (and the offset portion, generated from the branch prediction) results in the branch target address being generated. In one embodiment, the process of reading an index from the branch prediction storage, accessing the instruction cache, selecting the physical tag, and reverse translating the physical tag to achieve a virtual page number may require more than a clock cycle to complete.

Abstract: A processor employs predecoding to identify instruction boundaries as well as to identify which instructions are branch instructions. In one embodiment, the processor stores a start bit corresponding to each instruction byte in the instruction cache with the instruction bytes. The start bit identifies which instruction bytes are the start of an instruction. Additionally, the processor stores a control transfer bit corresponding to each instruction byte. The control transfer bit corresponding to each instruction byte identified as the start of an instruction is used to indicate whether or not the instruction is a branch instruction. Additionally, the byte identified as the start of the branch instruction via the start bit and control transfer bit is partially decoded upon fetch of the branch instruction from the instruction cache to select the branch target address corresponding to the branch instruction from one of several possible target addresses.

Abstract: A computer system including a microprocessor employing a reorder buffer is provided which stores a last in buffer (LIB) indication corresponding to each instruction. The last in buffer indication indicates whether or not the corresponding instruction is last, in program order, of the instructions within the buffer to update the storage location defined as the destination of that instruction. The LIB indication is included in the dependency checking comparisons. A dependency is indicated for a given source operand and a destination operand within the reorder buffer if the operand specifiers match and the corresponding LIB indication indicates that the instruction corresponding to the destination operand is last to update the corresponding storage location. At most one of the dependency comparisons for a given source operand can indicate dependency. According to one embodiment, the reorder buffer employs a line-oriented configuration.

Abstract: A reorder buffer is configured into multiple lines of storage, wherein a line of storage includes sufficient storage for instruction results regarding a predefined maximum number of concurrently dispatchable instructions. A line of storage is allocated whenever one or more instructions are dispatched. A microprocessor employing the reorder buffer is also configured with fixed, symmetrical issue positions. The symmetrical nature of the issue positions may increase the average number of instructions to be concurrently dispatched and executed by the microprocessor. The average number of unused locations within the line decreases as the average number of concurrently dispatched instructions increases. One particular implementation of the reorder buffer includes a future file. The future file comprises a storage location corresponding to each register within the microprocessor.

Abstract: A floating point unit capable of executing multiple instructions in a single clock cycle using a central window and a register map is disclosed. The floating point unit comprises: a plurality of translation units, a future file, a central window, a plurality of functional units, a result queue, and a plurality of physical registers. The floating point unit receives speculative instructions, decodes them, and then stores them in the central window. Speculative top of stack values are generated for each instruction during decoding. Top of stack relative operands are computed to physical registers using a register map. Register stack exchange operations are performed during decoding. Instructions are then stored in the central window, which selects the oldest stored instructions to be issued to each functional pipeline and issues them. Conversion units convert the instruction's operands to an internal format, and normalization units detect and normalize any denormal operands.

Abstract: An instruction alignment unit is provided which is capable of routing variable byte length instructions simultaneously to a plurality of decode units which form fixed issue positions within a superscalar microprocessor. The instruction alignment unit may be implemented with a relatively small number of cascaded levels of logic gates, thus accomodating very high frequencies of operation. In one embodiment, the superscalar microprocessor includes an instruction cache for storing a plurality of variable byte-length instructions and a predecode unit for generating predecode tags which identify the location of the start byte of each variable byte-length instruction. An instruction alignment unit is configured to channel a plurality of the variable byte-length instructions simultaneously to predetermined issue positions depending upon the locations of their corresponding start bytes in a cache line.

Abstract: A superscalar microprocessor having an instruction alignment unit, an instruction cache, a plurality of decode units and a predecode unit is provided. The instruction alignment unit transfers a fixed number of instructions from the instruction cache to each of the plurality of decode units. The instructions are selected from a quantity of bytes according to a predecode tag generated by the predecode unit. The predecode tag includes start-byte bits that indicate which bytes within the quantity of bytes are the first byte of an instruction. The instruction alignment unit independently scans a plurality of groups of instruction bytes, selecting start bytes and a plurality of contiguous bytes for each of a plurality of issue positions. Initially, the instruction alignment unit selects a group of issue positions for each of the plurality of groups of instructions.