Patent ID: 7496715

Claim:
A method of controlling a memory system having cache tags to record which data is stored within one or more associated caches and a main memory coupled to the cache tags, and further having one or more programmable control indicators, comprising: a.) obtaining data by providing a request for the data to, and receiving the data from, the main memory; b.) determining whether or not to update the cache tags to record the data based on the state of one or more of the control indicators; and c.) determining whether or not to store the data in a predetermined one of the associated caches based on the state of one or more of the control indicators; wherein programmably altered control indicators affect at least one or both of the determining steps; and wherein the request is any one of multiple types, wherein one of the control indicators identifies one or more of the multiple request types, and wherein at least one of the determining steps is performed based, at least in part, upon whether the request is any of the identified response types.