Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sgi!daisy!david
From: david@daisy.UUCP (David Schachter)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: A dumb idea for making data caches more useful
Keywords: data cache, D cache
Message-ID: <2756@daisy.UUCP>
Date: 24 Feb 89 22:57:21 GMT
Organization: Daisy Systems, Mt. View, CA
Lines: 21

The claim has been made recently that I caches are good but
D caches are hard to use, because there is little locality
of reference in data access.

Um, how about constructing the D cache such that a program
can give it a hint?  "Hey, D cache, I intend to access data
starting from location x, w bytes at a time, stride factor
y, for z times."

The D cache could then intelligently look ahead.  How about
it?

Also, is there any use in splitting your D cache into, say,
supervisor/user areas?  I doubt it...

		-- David "Oh yeah?  Yeah.  Oh." Schachter


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