Abstract: A computer memory system is provided. Received memory requests can be for addresses which are virtual or physical. The type of address is determined, and a virtual/physical bit is set and stored. At least row address bits are compared to one or more registers which contain either a virtual or a physical row address, corresponding to a row addressed by a row address latch. When there is a hit with respect to one of these registers, column address bits are used to select the requested memory element, without the necessity for a virtual-to-physical translation. When there is a miss on all registers, a physical address is obtained, either from the requested address when this is physical, or from a virtual-to-physical translation. The physical address is used to load a new row address into a row address latch. Some column address bits are changed only when there has been a miss.

Abstract: The computer system architecture utilizes the ability to actively force a ghost line state in management of a split instruction and operand cache associated with an instruction unit with respect to a secondary system integrity cache tag store separately managed by a system controller. The split instruction and operand cache and the system controller tag store permit the management of multiple copies (line-pairs) of a memory line by storing address tag line pair state information with respect to each memory line present in the split-cache to allow determinations of whether and where the respective memory line pair members reside upon access of any one member. The architecture further includes a data path selector for transferring operand data to either the instruction or operand data cache buffers, or both, depending on whether the operand buffer destination is a memory line that is a member of a line pair.