Binary Translation Thread Co-location for Cache Latency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Binary translation systems face inefficiencies in cache coherence and translation overhead due to scattered thread execution across multiple cores, leading to increased cache coherence traffic and latency in processing guest instructions within a host machine.
Innovation Solution
Implementing thread scheduling logic to co-locate translator, interpreter, and translation-execution threads on the same simultaneous multi-threaded core or adjacent cores sharing a mid-level cache, along with data cache way prediction guided by binary translation code morphing software to enhance cache locality and reduce latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If thread scheduling logic co-locates translator, interpreter, and translation-execution threads on the same core or adjacent cores sharing a mid-level cache, then cache efficiency and access latency are improved, but device complexity increases due to additional scheduling logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines translator, interpreter, and translation-execution threads to execute on the same simultaneous multi-threaded core or adjacent cores sharing a mid-level cache. This merging of threads that previously executed scattered across multiple cores creates cache locality and reduces access latency, as these threads frequently access shared data structures and code segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thread scheduling logic as an intermediary component that manages and coordinates the execution of translator, interpreter, and translation-execution threads. This scheduling logic acts as a mediator to optimize thread placement on cores, ensuring they are co-located to maximize cache efficiency while minimizing cache coherence traffic.
2Productivity
If threads are scattered across multiple cores, then device utilization is improved, but cache coherence traffic increases and cache efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the execution location of translator, interpreter, and translation-execution threads by confining them to the same core or adjacent cores sharing a mid-level cache. This spatial consolidation reduces the distance and number of cache coherence operations required between threads, thereby reducing cache coherence traffic and energy consumption.
3Loss of time
If data cache way prediction is implemented guided by binary translation code morphing software, then cache efficiency and latency are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by using binary translation code morphing software to analyze and predict cache way patterns before actual cache access occurs. The system pre-determines which cache ways are likely to contain the required data based on the binary translation code patterns, allowing the cache system to prepare and prioritize access to the predicted cache ways, thereby reducing access latency.
Data Source
AI summary
Various different embodiments of the invention are described including: (1) a method and apparatus for intelligently allocating threads within a binary translation system; (2) data cache way prediction guided by binary translation code morphing software; (3) fast interpreter hardware support on the data-side; (4) out-of-order retirement; (5) decoupled load retirement in an atomic OOO processor; (6) handling transactional and atomic memory in an out-of-order binary translation based processor; and (7) speculative memory management in a binary translation based out of order processor.