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Patent Title: Shared L2 support for inclusion property in split L1 data and instruction caches

Assignee: IBM
Patent Number: US5694573
Issue Date: 12-02-1997
Application Number:
File Date:12-30-1996


Abstract: A multi-processor data processing system has a multi-level cache wherein each processor has a split high level (e.g., level one or L1) cache composed of a data cache (DCache) and an instruction cache (ICache). A shared lower level (e.g., level two or L2) cache includes a cache array which is a superset of the cache lines in all L1 caches. There is a directory of L2 cache lines such that each line has a set of inclusion bits indicating if the line is residing in any of the L1 caches. A directory management system requires only N+2 inclusion bits per L2 line, where N is the number of processors having L1 caches sharing the L2 cache.

Notes:

Link to USPTO

IBM Pledge dated 1/11/2005