Patent ID: 7596665

Claim:
A method for writing data from a processor of a computer system directly to a locking cache and for retaining the data in the locking cache until accessed for use, the method comprising: partitioning, by the processor, a cache into a locking cache and a non-locking cache; receiving, by a cache controller, a store instruction from the processor; determining, by the cache controller, whether the store instruction is intended for the locking cache; configuring, by the processor, the locking cache so that data written to the locking cache will not be overwritten by at least one application running on the processor until the data is loaded for use; if the store instruction is intended for the locking cache, writing, by the processor, data to the locking cache; responsive to the data being written to the locking cache, issuing, by the processor, a first signal to an I/O subsystem indicating that the data in the locking cache is ready for use by the I/O subsystem; loading, by the I/O subsystem, the data for use; and responsive to loading the data for use, issuing, by the I/O subsystem, a second signal to the processor indicating that the data in the locking cache can be overwritten by the at least one application running on the processor.