Abstract: A read buffering system employs a bank of FIFOs to hold sequential read data for a number of data streams being fetched by a computer. The FIFOs are located in the memory controller, so the system bus is not used in the memory accesses needed to fill the stream buffer. The buffer system stores addresses used for read requests made by a CPU, and if a next sequential address is then detected in a subsequent read request, this is designated to be a stream (i.e., sequential reads). When a stream is thus detected, data is fetched from DRAM memory for addresses following the sequential address, and this prefetched data is stored in one of the FIFOs. A FIFO is selected using a least-recently-used algorithm. When the CPU subsequently makes a read request for data in a FIFO, this data can be returned without making a memory access, and so the access time seen by the CPU is shorter.

Abstract: A remote delay regulator circuit measures the effects of intrinsic propagation delays experienced by a system clock signal propagating through an extended clock distribution path that encompasses a clock repeater chip, a module transmission network and a clock distribution network of an integrated circuit (IC) chip associated with a clock repeater chip. Circuits of the remote delay regulator are contained on the repeater chip and on the associated IC chip. Delay measurement of the remote IC clock distribution network is provided by sensing the clock signal at the beginning of the network using a BEFORE sense tap and at the end of the network using an AFTER sense tap. The BEFORE and AFTER sense taps are routed to a signal generation circuit on the repeater chip where measurement signals are generated that define the beginning and end of a measurement cycle.