Patent ID: 8732407

Claim:
A method for avoiding deadlock while attempting to acquire store-marks on cache lines, comprising: in a processor, performing operations for: keeping track of store-mark requests that arise during execution of a thread, wherein a store-mark on a cache line indicates that one or more associated store buffer entries are waiting to be committed to the cache line; wherein the store-mark requests are processed in a pipelined manner thereby causing a store-mark request to be initiated before preceding store-mark requests for the same thread complete; when a store-mark request fails: using state information for younger store-mark requests for the same thread to determine at least one previously-sent younger store-mark request in the younger store-mark requests for which a store-mark was obtained; within a bounded amount of time, removing the store-mark that was obtained for the previously-sent younger store-mark request; and continuing the execution of the thread after the removing of the store-mark.