Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes verifying an initiating logical processor of a system; validating a trusted agent with the initiating logical processor if the initiating logical processor is verified; and launching the trusted agent on a plurality of processors of the system if the trusted agent is validated. After execution of such a trusted agent, a secure kernel may then be launched, in certain embodiments. The system may be a multiprocessor server system having a partially or fully connected topology with arbitrary point-to-point interconnects, for example.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes verifying an initiating logical processor of a system; validating a trusted agent with the initiating logical processor if the initiating logical processor is verified; and launching the trusted agent on a plurality of processors of the system if the trusted agent is validated. After execution of such a trusted agent, a secure kernel may then be launched, in certain embodiments. The system may be a multiprocessor server system having a partially or fully connected topology with arbitrary point-to-point interconnects, for example.

Abstract: A mechanism for P-state feedback to operating system (OS) with hardware coordination is described herein. In one embodiment, an example of a process includes, but is not limited to, receiving data from a processor representing an average performance over a previous period of time, and determining a performance state (P-state) for a next period of time based in part on the data representing the average performance over the previous period of time. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Abstract: Use of data poisoning techniques may permit proactive operating system recovery without needing to always bringing down the operating system when uncorrectable errors are encountered.

Abstract: Disclosed is a communication mechanism among hardware, firmware and system software in order to redirect interrupts or other hardware events to only one thread execution context of an error domain for a multi-threaded processing system. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A system and method for aligning an instruction stream is described. The system comprises a rotator logic unit for rotating data bytes of the instruction stream. A shifter logic unit is used for shifting the data bytes to the start of a instruction based upon a length of an immediately prior instruction.

Abstract: A technique to improve the performance of virtualized input/output (I/O) resources of a microprocessor within a virtual machine environment. More specifically, embodiments of the invention enable accesses of virtualized I/O resources to be made by guest software without necessarily invoking host software. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention enable more efficient delivery of interrupts to guest software by alleviating the need for host software to be invoked in the delivery process.

Abstract: A technique for performing barrier synchronization among a plurality of program threads. More particularly, at least one embodiment of the invention keeps track of completed tasks associated with a number of program threads using bits within a barrier register that can be updated and reassigned without incurring the amount of bus traffic as in the prior art.

Abstract: The apparatus and method described herein are for handling shared memory accesses between multiple processors utilizing lock-free synchronization through transactional-execution. A transaction demarcated in software is speculatively executed. During execution invalidating remote accesses/requests to addresses loaded from and to be written to shared memory are track by a transaction buffer. If an invalidating access is encountered, the transaction is re-executed. After a pre-determined number of times re-executing the transaction, the transaction may be re-executed non-speculatively with locks/semaphores.

Abstract: Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for improving performance in a virtualization architecture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a processor and a processor abstraction layer. The processor abstraction layer includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, support techniques to improve the performance of the apparatus in a virtualization architecture.

Abstract: A system and method for injecting hardware errors into a microprocessor system is described. In one embodiment, a software interface between system software and system firmware is established. Software test and debug for software error handlers may thus be supported. The software interface may support both a query mode call and a seed mode call. When a query mode call is issued, it may request whether or not the system firmware and hardware support the injection of a specified kind of error. A return from this call may be used to make a list of supported errors for injection. When a seed mode call is issued, the corresponding error may be injected into the hardware.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for global and local power management is herein described. Hardware within monitor/receives power management requests for any number of processing elements and adjusts global performance resources to change the global power state of all the processing elements or adjusts a local performance resource for a processing element to operate that processing element at a pseudo power state within the global power state.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method includes verifying an initiating logical processor of a system; validating a trusted agent with the initiating logical processor if the initiating logical processor is verified; and launching the trusted agent on a plurality of processors of the system if the trusted agent is validated. After execution of such a trusted agent, a secure kernel may then be launched, in certain embodiments. The system may be a multiprocessor server system having a partially or fully connected topology with arbitrary point-to-point interconnects, for example.

Abstract: A mechanism for P-state feedback to operating system (OS) with hardware coordination is described herein. In one embodiment, an example of a process includes, but is not limited to, receiving data from a processor representing an average performance over a pervious period of time, and determining a performance state (P-state) for a next period of time based in part on the data representing the average performance over the previous period of time. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Abstract: Embodiments include a system for supporting the sharing of volatile data between processors, caches and similar devices to minimize thrashing of a data structure tracking shared data. The system may include a modified, exclusive and shared volatile state. The system may also include a volatile load or read command.

Abstract: Use of data poisoning techniques may permit proactive operating system recovery without needing to always bringing down the operating system when uncorrectable errors are encountered.

Abstract: A system and method for decoding the length of a macro instruction is described. In one embodiment, the system comprises an opcode-plus-immediate logic unit to generate a first length value, the first length value comprising a length of an opcode plus a length of intermediate data. A memory-length logic unit generates a second length value, the second length value comprising a potential length of a memory displacement, the opcode-plus-immediate logic unit and memory-length logic unit operating in parallel. In addition, the system comprises a length-summation logic unit to sum the first length value and the second length value if the second length value is present.

Abstract: A method of reducing the branch penalty in a microprocessor includes predecoding the instruction to determine whether an instruction is a branch, the length of the instruction, and prediction marker information for the instruction should it be a branch. The target of the branch is relayed to the align stage of the microprocessor to readjust the read pointer to point to the target of the branch if the instruction is a branch. An apparatus for reducing the branch penalty in a microprocessor includes a branch predecode and taken resolution unit which determines whether an instruction is a predicted taken branch, and relays that information to the align stage of the microprocessor to deliver the target of the branch to the align stage as early as possible.