Abstract: A technique for using memory attributes to relay information to a program or other agent. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to using memory attribute bits to check various memory properties in an efficient manner.

Abstract: A first execution time of a first thread executing on a first processing unit of a multiprocessor is determined. A second execution time of a second thread executing on a second processing unit of the multiprocessor is determined, the first and second threads executing in parallel. Power is set to the first and second processing units to effectuate the first and second threads to finish executing at approximately the same time in future executions of the first and second threads. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for directly communicating between an accelerator and an instruction sequencer coupled thereto, where the accelerator is a heterogeneous resource with respect to the instruction sequencer. An interface may be used to provide the communication between these resources. Via such a communication mechanism a user-level application may directly communicate with the accelerator without operating system support. Further, the instruction sequencer and the accelerator may perform operations in parallel. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Data structure creation, organization and management techniques for data local to user-level threads are provided. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and system embodiments to schedule user-level OS-independent “shreds” without intervention of an operating system. For at least one embodiment, the shred is scheduled for execution by a scheduler routine rather than the operating system. The scheduler routine may receive compiler-generated hints from a compiler. The compiler hints may be generated by the compiler without user-provided pragmas, and may be passed to the scheduler routine via an API-like interface. The interface may include a scheduling hint data structure that is maintained by the compiler. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of creating, based on an operating-system-scheduled thread running on an operating-system-visible sequencer and using an instruction set extension, a persistent user-level thread to run on an operating-system-sequestered sequencer independently of context switch activities on the operating-system-scheduled thread. The operating-system-scheduled thread and the persistent user-level thread may share a common virtual address space. Embodiments of the invention may also provide a method of causing a service thread running on an additional operating-system-visible sequencer to provide operating system services to the persistent user-level thread.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of determining a relative priority between a first agent and a second agent, and assigning the first agent to a first channel and the second agent to a second channel according to the relative priority. Depending on the currently programmed status of the channels, information stored in at least one of the channels may be dynamically migrated to another channel based on the assignments. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and system embodiments to schedule user-level OS-independent “shreds” without intervention of an operating system. For at least one embodiment, the shred is scheduled for execution by a scheduler routine rather than the operating system. The scheduler routine resides in user space and may be part of a runtime library. The library may also include monitoring logic that monitors execution of a shredded program and provides scheduling hints, based on shred dependence information, to the scheduler. In addition, the scheduler may further optimize shred scheduling by taking into account information about a system's configuration of thread execution hardware. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes managing user-level threads on a first instruction sequencer in response to executing user-level instructions on a second instruction sequencer that is under control of an application level program. A first user-level thread is run on the second instruction sequencer and contains one or more user level instructions. A first user level instruction has at least 1) a field that makes reference to one or more instruction sequencers or 2) implicitly references with a pointer to code that specifically addresses one or more instruction sequencers when the code is executed.

Abstract: A processor may include an address monitor table and an atomic update table to support speculative threading. The processor may also include one or more registers to maintain state associated with execution of speculative threads. The processor may support one or more of the following primitives: an instruction to write to a register of the state, an instruction to trigger the committing of buffered memory updates, an instruction to read the a status register of the state, and/or an instruction to clear one of the state bits associated with trap/exception/interrupt handling. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A technique to monitor software thread performance and update software that issues or uses the thread(s) to reduce performance-inhibiting events. At least one embodiment of the invention uses hardware and/or software timers or counters to monitor various events associated with executing user-level threads and report these events back to a user-level software program, which can use the information to avoid or at least reduce performance-inhibiting events associated with the user-level threads.

Abstract: Operating system services are transparently triggered for thread execution resources (“sequencers”) that are sequestered from view of the operating system. A “surrogate” thread that is managed by, and visible to, the operating system is utilized to acquire OS services on behalf of a sequestered sequencer. Multi-shred contention for shred-specific resources may thus be alleviated. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of a system, methods and mechanism for management and translation of mapping between logical sequencer addresses and physical or logical sequencers in a multi-sequencer multithreading system. A mapping manager may manage assignment and mapping of logical sequencer addresses or pages to actual sequencers or frames of the system. Rationing logic associated with the mapping manager may take into account sequencer attributes when such mapping is performed Relocation logic associated with the mapping manager may manage spill and fill of context information to/from a backing store when re-mapping actual sequencers. Sequencers may be allocated singly, or may be allocated as part of partitioned blocks. The mapping manager may also include translation logic that provides an identifier for the mapped sequencer each time a logical sequencer address is used in a user program. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and system embodiments to provide user-level creation, control and synchronization of OS-invisible “shreds” of execution via an abstraction layer for a system that includes one or more sequencers that are sequestered from operating system control. For at least one embodiment, the abstraction layer provides sequestration logic, proxy execution logic, transition detection and shred suspension logic, and sequencer arithmetic logic. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and system embodiments to schedule OS-independent “shreds” without intervention of an operating system. For at least one embodiment, the shred is scheduled for execution by a scheduler routine rather than the operating system. A scheduler routine may run on each enabled sequencer. The schedulers may retrieve shred descriptors from a queue system. The sequencer associated with the scheduler may then execute the shred described by the descriptor. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.