Patent ID: 8719514
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method to filter operations in a processing system that includes multiple thread units for concurrent execution of a plurality of threads, comprising: for a memory location to be accessed by a first thread unit executing a set of atomic instructions, determining the value of a hardware indicator private to the first thread unit and which cannot be seen or manipulated by another thread unit of the processing system, wherein the hardware indicator is to indicate as a filtering hint whether the memory location has been accessed by a thread during execution of the set of atomic instructions; performing, responsive to the hardware indicator being a value that indicates no prior access of the memory location by the thread during the execution of the set of atomic instructions, one or more instructions to enforce atomicity of the execution of the set of instructions with respect to at least one other atomic transaction of one other of the plurality of threads, wherein the one or more instructions includes one or more instructions to modify the contents of the hardware indicator; and declining, responsive to the indicator being a value that indicates prior access of the memory location by the thread during the execution of the set of atomic instructions, to execute the one or more instructions to enforce atomicity.