Patent ID: 7941627
Filing Date: 2011-05-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In a data processing system having a processor and a memory subsystem with at least a memory connected to the processor via an interconnect fabric and an asynchronous memory mover linked to the processor, a method comprising: receiving an asynchronous memory move (AMM) synchronization (SYNC) instruction from an instruction stream, wherein the AMM SYNC instruction is a part of an instruction set architecture (ISA) supported by the processor and which initiates a synchronization operation on the data processing system relative to processing of an AMM STore (ST) instruction, and wherein the AMM SYNC instruction is different from a normal barrier operation, which halts execution of subsequently received non-AMM instructions until all previously received memory access operations complete on the fabric but does not halt the execution of a subsequently received AMM ST instruction; and in response to the AMM SYNC instruction being executed by the processor, preventing an AMM operation generated by a subsequently received AMM ST instruction from proceeding within the memory subsystem until completion of all ongoing memory access operations within the memory subsystem and interconnect fabric, wherein the AMM operation of a subsequently received AMM ST instruction proceeds without waiting for completion of a normal barrier operation.