Abstract: A write-back cache memory system is disclosed which includes a source of a sequence of memory addresses and a tag store coupled to the source of addresses and accessed by an index portion of said addresses, which produces information relating to the addresses. The write-back cache memory system also includes an error detector for detecting an error in the tag store information. Circuitry is included for reporting an error and saving the index which caused the error if an error is detected but no error has been previously detected. Comparing circuitry is included for comparing the index causing the current error to the previously saved address if an error is detected and an error has been previously detected; and if the address is not the same, then reporting a fatal error; otherwise, if the index is the same, then not reporting a fatal error.

Abstract: A pipelined CPU executing instructions of variable length, and referencing memory using various data widths. Macroinstruction pipelining is employed (instead of microinstruction pipelining), with queueing between units of the CPU to allow flexibility in instruction execution times. A wide bandwidth is available for memory access; fetching 64-bit data blocks on each cycle. A hierarchical cache arrangement has an improved method of cache set selection, increasing the likelihood of a cache hit. A writeback cache is used (instead of writethrough) and writeback is allowed to proceed even though other accesses are suppressed due to queues being full. A branch prediction method employs a branch history table which records the taken vs. not-taken history of branch opcodes recently used, and uses an empirical algorithm to predict which way the next occurrence of this branch will go, based upon the history table.