Patent ID: 8055849

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for reducing cache pollution of a software controlled cache using a look-ahead policy, the method comprising: receiving a request to prefetch data into the software controlled cache; setting a first designator for a first cache access to a first value; determining if there is a second cache access to prefetch; responsive to a determination that there is the second cache access to prefetch, determining if data associated with the second cache access exists in the software controlled cache; responsive to a determination that the data associated with the second cache access exists in the software controlled cache, determining if a second value of a second designator associated with the second cache access is greater than the first value of the first cache access; responsive to the second value failing to be greater than the first value, swapping the position of the first cache access and the second cache access in a cache line; decrementing the first value by a predetermined amount thereby forming a third value, wherein the first data access has a first designator equal to the third value; and replacing the second value to equal the first value, wherein the second data access has a second designator equal to the first value.