Patent ID: 6772289
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a system having an error control value assist device and having a system memory containing multiple data blocks each comprising multiple sub-blocks and containing error control values related to each sub-block, a method for caching error control values comprising the steps of:receiving, within the error control value assist device, a request to retrieve an identified error control value corresponding to an identified sub-block of an identified data block; determining, within the error control value assist device, that said identified error control value is not present in a cache memory within said error control value assist device wherein said cache memory stores error control values and is devoid of stored data blocks; and transferring, in response to the determination that said identified error control value is not present in said cache memory, a set of error control values from said system memory to said cache memory wherein said set includes said identified error control value and includes at least one other related error control value wherein the at least one related error control value is related to another sub-block in the same data block as the identified sub-block and wherein the step of transferring is devoid of transferring any sub-blocks into said cache memory.