CISE Postdoctoral Research Associates in Experimental Computer Science: Experimental Evaluation of Active Caches For Fine Grain Multi-Threading Systems

9901553高广荣美国特拉华大学计算机科学实验博士后：细粒度多线程系统中主动缓存的实验评估本研究将探讨主动缓存对计算机系统性能的影响。活动高速缓存能够在程序员或编译器的指导下控制复杂的数据转换和数据移动。该研究通过系统仿真，设计了主动缓存，提出了缓存的性能模型，并开发了支持执行渗流模型的编译器机制，提出了一个渗流执行模型，在该模型中，应用程序请求执行一些数据转换，并将转换后的数据传输到内存层次结构中的更高级别。当线程所需的数据已渗漏时，它就可以执行了。主动高速缓存机制在这样的系统中是必要的，在该系统中，在存储器层次结构的较低级别中获取数据的延迟远远高于处理数据所需的时间。该模型不同于传统的预取，因为它不基于任何预测机制：在程序员的指导下或通过编译器技术将请求数据块渗漏的指令插入到代码中。预计这一设想的可行性实验研究将促进有源硬件系统组件领域的进一步研究。

9901553Gao, Guang R.University of DelawareCISE Postdoctoral Associates in Experimental Computer Science: ExperimentalEvaluation of Active Caches for Fine Grain Multi-Threading SystemsThis research will investigate the effect of active cache memories on computer system performance. An active cache is capable of controlling complex data transformations and data movements under the direction of a programmer or compiler. This study, performed through system simulation, requires designing active caches, proposing performance models for the caches, and developing compiler mechanisms to support the percolation model of execution.A percolation model of execution has been proposed in which the application requests that some data transformations be performed and that the transformed data be transferred to a higher level in the memory hierarchy. A thread becomes ready for execution when the data that it needs has percolated. The active caching mechanism is necessary in systems in which the latency to fetch a piece of data in a lower level of the memory hierarchy is much higher than the time required to process the data.The effectiveness of caches that actively percolate data closer to the processing unit before the execution of a piece of code starts is being proposed. This model is different from traditional pre-fetching because itis not based in any prediction mechanism: the instructions requesting the percolation of a data block are inserted into the code either under the programmer direction or through compiler technology. It is expecedt that the experimental study that demonstrates the viability of this idea will spur further research in the area of active hardware system components.