Patent ID: 6912628

Claim:
A method for storing information in an external cache, comprising: storing the contents of a first tag row in one of a plurality of n contiguous storage locations in a external memory device, wherein the contents of the first tag row is associated with a first of n locations in a memory level device; storing the contents of a second tag row in another one of the plurality of n contiguous storage locations in the memory device, wherein the contents of the second tag row is associated with a second one of the n locations in the memory level device; storing the contents of the first memory level device location in a contiguous subset of a plurality of m contiguous storage locations in the memory device, wherein the plurality of m contiguous storage locations follow the n contiguous storage locations in a contiguous relationship within the memory device, wherein the contiguous subset comprises q of the m storage locations, where m/n=q; and storing the contents of the second memory level device location in another contiguous subset of the plurality of m contiguous storage locations in the memory device, wherein the other contiguous subset comprises q of the in storage locations, where m/n=q and where m, n and q are integer numbers.