Abstract: A wake-and-go mechanism is provided for a data processing system. The wake-and-go mechanism is configured to issue a look-ahead load command on a system bus to read a data value from a target address and perform a comparison operation to determine whether the data value at the target address indicates that an event for which a thread is waiting has occurred. In response to the comparison resulting in a determination that the event has not occurred, the wake-and-go engine populates a wake-and-go storage array with the target address and snooping the target address on the system bus without data exclusivity. In response to the comparison resulting in a determination that the event has occurred, the wake-and-go engine issues a load command on the system bus to read the data value from the target address with data exclusivity.

Abstract: A system is provided for implementing a multi-tiered full-graph interconnect architecture. In order to implement a multi-tiered full-graph interconnect architecture, a plurality of processors are coupled to one another to create a plurality of processor books. The plurality of processor books are coupled together to create a plurality of supernodes. Then, the plurality of supernodes are coupled together to create the multi-tiered full-graph interconnect architecture. Data is then transmitted from one processor to another within the multi-tiered full-graph interconnect architecture based on an addressing scheme that specifies at least a supernode and a processor book associated with a target processor to which the data is to be transmitted.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for semi-synchronously copying data from a first portion of memory to a second portion of memory are disclosed. The method comprises receiving, in a processor, a call for a semi-synchronous memory copy operation. The semi-synchronous memory copy operation preserves temporal persistence of validity for a virtual source address corresponding to a source location in a memory and a virtual target address corresponding to a target location in the memory by setting a flag bit. The call includes at least the virtual source address, the virtual target address, and an indicator identifying a number of bytes to be copied. The memory copy operation is placed in a queue for execution by a memory controller. The queue is coupled to the memory controller. At least one subsequent instruction is continued to be executed as the subsequent instruction becomes available from an instruction pipeline.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a method of data processing in a data processing system having a memory hierarchy includes a processor core executing a storage-modifying memory access instruction to determine a memory address. The processor core transmits to a cache memory within the memory hierarchy a storage-modifying memory access request including the memory address, an indication of a memory access type, and, if present, a partial cache line hint signaling access to less than all granules of a target cache line of data associated with the memory address. In response to the storage-modifying memory access request, the cache memory performs a storage-modifying access to all granules of the target cache line of data if the partial cache line hint is not present and performs a storage-modifying access to less than all granules of the target cache line of data if the partial cache line hint is present.

Abstract: A data processing system includes an interconnect fabric, a system memory coupled to the interconnect fabric and including a virtual barrier synchronization region allocated to storage of virtual barrier synchronization registers (VBSRs), and a plurality of processing units coupled to the interconnect fabric and operable to access the virtual barrier synchronization region of the system memory. Each of the plurality of processing units includes a processor core and a cache memory including a cache array that caches VBSR lines from the virtual barrier synchronization region of the system memory and a cache controller. The cache controller, responsive to a store request from the processor core to update a particular VBSR line, performs a non-blocking update of the cache array in each other of the plurality of processing units contemporaneously holding a copy of the particular VBSR line by transmitting a VBSR update command on the interconnect fabric.

Abstract: A wake-and-go mechanism is provided for a data processing system. The wake-and-go mechanism is configured to issue a look-ahead load command on a system bus to read a data value from a target address and perform a comparison operation to determine whether the data value at the target address indicates that an event for which a thread is waiting has occurred. In response to the comparison resulting in a determination that the event has not occurred, the wake-and-go engine populates the wake-and-go storage array with the target address and snoops the target address on the system bus.

Abstract: Mechanisms for providing hardware based dynamic load balancing of message passing interface (MPI) tasks are provided. Mechanisms for adjusting the balance of processing workloads of the processors executing tasks of an MPI job are provided so as to minimize wait periods for waiting for all of the processors to call a synchronization operation. Each processor has an associated hardware implemented MPI load balancing controller. The MPI load balancing controller maintains a history that provides a profile of the tasks with regard to their calls to synchronization operations. From this information, it can be determined which processors should have their processing loads lightened and which processors are able to handle additional processing loads without significantly negatively affecting the overall operation of the parallel execution system. As a result, operations may be performed to shift workloads from the slowest processor to one or more of the faster processors.

Abstract: According to at least one embodiment, a method of data processing in a multiprocessor data processing system includes a requesting processing unit initiating an interconnect operation including a memory access request that indicates an acceptability of a variable amount of data to service the interconnect request for data. In response to snooping the memory access request on an interconnect, a snooper selects an amount of data to supply to the requesting processing unit and transmits the selected amount of data to the requesting processing unit. The requesting processing unit receives the selected amount of data and utilizes at least some of the selected amount of data to service a processor request.

Abstract: A method of data processing in a cache memory includes caching a plurality of cache lines of data in a corresponding plurality of entries in a cache array, where each of the plurality of cache lines includes multiple data granules. For each of the plurality of cache entries, a plurality of line coherency state fields indicates an associated coherency state applicable to two or more data granules. For at least a particular cache line among the plurality of cache lines, a granule coherency state field indicates a coherency state for a particular granule of the multiple data granules in the particular cache line, where the coherency state field indicated by the granule coherency state field differs from that indicated for the particular cache line by its line coherency state field.

Abstract: Mechanisms for modifying an operation of one or more processors executing message passing interface (MPI) tasks are provided. Mechanisms for adjusting the balance of processing work loads of the processors are provided so as to minimize wait periods for waiting for all of the processors to call a synchronization operation. Each processor has an associated hardware implemented MPI load balancing controller. The MPI Load balancing controller maintains a history that provides a profile of the tasks with regard to their calls to synchronization operations. From this information, it can be determined which processors should have their processing loads lightened and which processors are able to handle additional processing loads without significantly negatively affecting the overall operation of the parallel execution system. As a result, operations may be performed to shift workloads from the slowest processor to one or more of the faster processors.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for packet coalescing in virtual channels of a data processing system. A first processor bundles original data into a data packet to be transmitted to a destination processor, the original data comprising payload data and overhead data. The first processor transmits the data packet to a second processor along a path to the destination processor. The second processor determines if the second processor has additional payload data destined for the same destination processor. Responsive to the second processor having the additional payload data, the second processor unbundles the data packet, adds the additional payload data to the payload data, and rebundles the payload data along with the additional payload data and the overhead data into a rebundled data packet. Then the second processor transmits the rebundled data packet to at least one other processor along the path to the destination processor.

Abstract: A data processing system has a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and an asynchronous memory mover coupled to the processor. The asynchronous memory mover has registers for receiving a set of parameters from the processor, which parameters are associated with an asynchronous memory move (AMM) operation initiated by the processor in virtual address space, utilizing a source effective address and a destination effective address. The asynchronous memory mover performs the AMM operation to move the data from a first physical memory location having a source real address corresponding to the source effective address to a second physical memory location having a destination real address corresponding to the destination effective address. The asynchronous memory mover has an associated off-chip translation mechanism. The AMM operation thus occurs independent of the processor, and the processor continues processing other operations independent of the AMM operation.

Abstract: A data processing system includes an interconnect fabric, a system memory coupled to the interconnect fabric and including a virtual barrier synchronization region allocated to storage of virtual barrier synchronization registers (VBSRs), and a plurality of processing units coupled to the interconnect fabric and operable to access the virtual barrier synchronization region. Each of the plurality of processing units includes a processor core and a cache memory including a cache controller and a cache array that caches VBSR lines from the virtual barrier synchronization region of the system memory. The cache controller of a first processing unit, responsive to a memory access request from its processor core that targets a first VBSR line, transfers responsibility for writing back to the virtual barrier synchronization region a second VBSR line contemporaneously held in the cache arrays of first, second and third processing units.

Abstract: A remote update programming idiom accelerator identifies a remote update programming idiom in an instruction sequence of a thread running on a processing unit of a data processing system. The remote update programming idiom includes a read operation for reading data from a storage location at a remote node, at least one update operation for performing an update operation on the data to form result data, and a write operation for writing the result data to the storage location at the remote node. The remote update programming idiom accelerator transmits the remote update programming idiom to a remote node to perform an operation on data at the remote node. A remote update programming idiom accelerator at the remote node receives the remote update programming idiom and performs the update as a local operation.

Abstract: Mechanisms for performing dynamic request routing based on broadcast depth queue information are provided. Each processor chip in the system may use a synchronized heartbeat signal it generates to provide queue depth information to each of the other processor chips in the system. The queue depth information identifies a number of requests or amount of data in each of the queues of a processor chip that originated the heartbeat signal. The queue depth information from each of the processor chips in the system may be used by the processor chips in determining optimal routing paths for data from a source processor chip to a destination processor chip. As a result, the congestion of data for processing at each of the processor chips along each possible routing path may be taken into account when selecting to which processor chip to forward data.

Abstract: An integrated processor design includes physical interface macros supporting heterogeneous electrical properties. The processor design comprises a plurality of processing cores and a plurality of physical interfaces to connect to a memory interface, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCI Express or PCIe) interface for input/output, an Ethernet interface for network communication, and/or a serial attached SCSI (SAS) interface for storage.

Abstract: According to a method of data processing in a multiprocessor data processing system, in response to a processor request to read a target granule of a target cache line of data containing multiple granules, a processing unit originates on an interconnect of the multiprocessor data processing system a partial read request that requests permission to read only the target granule of the target cache line. In response to a combined response to the partial read request indicating success, the combined response representing a system-wide response to the partial read request, the processing unit receives the target granule of the target cache line, supplies the target granule to a requesting processor core, and updates a coherency state of the target granule while retaining a coherency state of at least one other granule of the target cache line.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for transmitting data from a first processor of a data processing system to a second processor of the data processing system. In one or more switches, a set of virtual channels is created, the one or more switches comprising, for each processor, a corresponding switch in the one or more switches. The data is transmitted from the first processor to the second processor through a path comprising a subset of processors of a set of processors in the data processing system. In each processor of the subset of processors, the data is stored in a virtual channel of a corresponding switch before transmitting the data to a next processor. The virtual channel of the corresponding switch in which the data is stored corresponds to a position of the processor in the path through which the data is transmitted.

Abstract: A wake-and-go mechanism is configured to issue a look-ahead load command on a system bus to read a data value from a target address and perform a comparison operation to determine whether the data value at the target address indicates that an event for which a thread is waiting has occurred. In response to the comparison resulting in a determination that the event has not occurred, the wake-and-go engine populates the wake-and-go storage array with the target address. In response to the comparison resulting in a determination that the event has occurred, the wake-and-go engine issues a load command on the system bus to read the data value from the target address with data exclusivity and determines whether the wake-and-go engine obtains a lock for the target address. Responsive to obtaining the lock for the target address, the wake-and-go engine holds the lock for the thread.

Abstract: A data processing system has an asynchronous memory mover, which includes multiple sets of registers for storing addressing and control parameters utilized to generate one or more asynchronous memory move (AMM) operations. The memory mover detects a receipt of a first set of parameters in a first set of registers from the processor. The processor forwards the parameters after the processor initiates a data move in virtual address space, utilizing a source effective address and a destination effective address. The memory mover responds to receiving the first set of parameters by generating and launching a first asynchronous memory move (AMM) operation. When the memory mover receives a second set of parameters in a second set of registers before the first AMM operation completes, the memory mover generates and launches a second AMM operation concurrently with the first AMM operation if no address conflicts exist.