Pipeline Resource Conflict Detection via Assignment Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data processors face architectural state errors due to data corruption, such as soft errors, which can cause incorrect resource access, leading to program errors that are difficult to recover from, and conventional error detection methods like ECC or redundant execution impact performance.
Innovation Solution
The data processor employs resource assignment indicators to detect pipeline resource conflicts by setting indicators for each instruction's required resources, flushing the instruction pipeline and returning to a checkpointed state when conflicts are detected, thereby preventing architectural state errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional error detection techniques such as ECC or redundant execution are used, then reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent sets resource assignment indicators in advance for pipeline resources before instructions are executed. This preliminary marking of assigned resources allows the system to detect conflicts quickly without needing to re-execute instructions or use complex error correcting codes, thus maintaining high instruction execution speed while ensuring reliability through conflict detection.
2Reliability
If resource assignment indicators are set for each pipeline resource, then reliability is improved by detecting conflicts, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex error correcting codes or redundant execution mechanisms, the patent creates a simplified copy or representation of resource assignment status through binary indicators. Each pipeline resource has a simple indicator bit that copies the essential information about resource assignment, enabling conflict detection without the complexity of full error correction mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
At an instruction pipeline of a data processor, pipeline resource conflicts are detected by setting, for each executing instruction, one or more assignment indicators to indicate which pipeline resources are to be utilized for executing the instruction. The instruction pipeline detects a pipeline resource conflict if an instruction is assigned a pipeline resource for which the assignment indicator is set. In addition, for selected pipeline resources, such as registers in a register file, the instruction pipeline can detect a pipeline resource conflict if more than one instruction attempts to access the pipeline resource when the assignment indicator for the resource is set. In response to detecting a pipeline resource conflict, the instruction pipeline is flushed and returned to a checkpointed state, thereby protecting the instruction pipeline from architectural state errors.