Patent ID: 7086058

Claim:
A symmetric multiprocessor computer system comprising: a plurality of processors; an operating system capable of switching and swapping tasks among the processors; a detector to detect occurrence of hot spots in the plurality of processors; wherein the operating system responds to the detection of a hot spot on a first processor by switching or swapping a task from the first processor to a second processor in the plurality of processors; wherein the detector is capable of measuring temperature differences between physically separate areas within one or more of the processors in the plurality of processors; wherein the detector utilizes a pattern of instructions executed over a predetermined time interval to identify the one or more hot spots; and wherein the detector comprises: a power token generator that utilizes an opcode of an instruction and produces a power token; an accumulator that sums the power tokens; a reset timer that resets the accumulator at predetermined intervals; and a comparator that changes the digital value of a thermal warning if the value in the accumulator exceeds a predetermined value; wherein each power token is a predetermined value for the power or power density of the associated opcode.