Abstract: A computer readable medium embodies a set of instructions. The set of instructions includes an instruction to manipulate a processor to determine a first value representative of a source memory location of a source storage component, a second value representative of a destination memory location of a destination storage component, a third value representative of a number of lines of a data block to be transferred from the source storage component to the destination storage component, a fourth value representative of a number of bytes to be transferred per line of the data block, a fifth value representative of a byte width of the source storage component and a sixth value representative of a byte width of the destination storage component. The instruction further is to transfer a data block from the source storage component to the destination storage component based on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth values.

Abstract: Instructions involving a relatively significant data transfer or a particular type of data transfer via a cache result in the application of a restricted access policy to control access to one or more partitions of the cache so as to reduce or prevent the overwriting of data that is expected to be subsequently used by the cache or by a processor. A processor or other system component may assert a signal which is utilized to select between one or more access policies and the selected access policy then may be applied to control access to one or more ways of the cache during the data transfer operation associated with the instruction. The access policy typically represents an access restriction to particular cache partitions, such as a restriction to one or more particular cache ways or one or more particular cache lines.