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Cache Memory

Cache memory is a small, high-speed memory located between the CPU and main memory. It stores copies of frequently used instructions and data to accelerate access and improve performance while keeping costs low. There are different mapping techniques - direct mapping stores data based on the memory address, associative mapping allows flexible storage, and set associative mapping offers control of direct mapping with flexibility of associative. Replacement algorithms like LRU, FIFO, LFU, and random are used to determine what data is removed from cache when needed space is full. Write policies include write-through which updates main memory on each write and write-back which only updates cache at first before copying to main memory later.

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Akif Nawab
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608 views

Cache Memory

Cache memory is a small, high-speed memory located between the CPU and main memory. It stores copies of frequently used instructions and data to accelerate access and improve performance while keeping costs low. There are different mapping techniques - direct mapping stores data based on the memory address, associative mapping allows flexible storage, and set associative mapping offers control of direct mapping with flexibility of associative. Replacement algorithms like LRU, FIFO, LFU, and random are used to determine what data is removed from cache when needed space is full. Write policies include write-through which updates main memory on each write and write-back which only updates cache at first before copying to main memory later.

Uploaded by

Akif Nawab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CACHE MEMORY

Maninder Kaur
[email protected]

www.eazynotes.com

24-Nov-2010

What is Cache Memory?


Cache memory is a small, high-speed RAM buffer

located between the CPU and main memory.


Cache memory holds a copy of the instructions

(instruction cache) or data (operand or data


cache) currently being used by the CPU.
The main purpose of a cache is to accelerate

your computer while keeping the price of the


computer low.
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Placement of Cache in computer

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Hit Ratio
The ratio of the total number of hits divided by the

total CPU accesses to memory (i.e. hits plus


misses) is called Hit Ratio.
Hit Ratio = Total Number of Hits / (Total

Number of Hits + Total Number of


Miss)

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Example
A system with 512 x 12 cache and 32 K x 12 of
main memory.

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Types of Cache Mapping

1.

Direct Mapping

2.

Associative Mapping

3.

Set Associative Mapping

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1. Direct Mapping
The direct mapping technique is simple and inexpensive to

implement.
When the CPU wants to access data from memory, it places a

address. The index field of CPU address is used to access


address.
The tag field of CPU address is compared with the associated

tag in the word read from the cache.


If the tag-bits of CPU address is matched with the tag-bits of

cache, then there is a hit and the required data word is read from
cache.
If there is no match, then there is a miss and the required data

word is stored in main memory. It is then transferred from main


memory to cache memory with the new tag.
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1. Direct Mapping

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1. Direct Mapping

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2. Associative Mapping
An associative mapping uses an associative

memory.
This memory is being accessed using its

contents.
Each line of cache memory will accommodate the

address (main memory) and the contents of that


address from the main memory.
That is why this memory is also called Content

Addressable Memory (CAM). It allows each block


of main memory to be stored in the cache.
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2. Associative Mapping

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3. Set Associative Mapping


That is the easy control of the direct mapping

cache and the more flexible mapping of the fully


associative cache.
In set associative mapping, each cache location

can have more than one pair of tag + data items.


That is more than one pair of tag and data are

residing at the same location of cache memory. If


one cache location is holding two pair of tag +
data items, that is called 2-way set associative
mapping.
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3. Two-Way Set Associative


Mapping

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Replacement Algorithms of Cache


Memory
Replacement algorithms are used when there are no available space in

a cache in which to place a data. Four of the most common cache


replacement algorithms are described below:
Least Recently Used (LRU):
The LRU algorithm selects for replacement the item that has been least

recently used by the CPU.


First-In-First-Out (FIFO):
The FIFO algorithm selects for replacement the item that has been in the

cache from the longest time.


Least Frequently Used (LRU):
The LRU algorithm selects for replacement the item that has been least

frequently used by the CPU.


Random:
The random algorithm selects for replacement the item randomly.

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Writing into Cache


When memory write operations are performed,

CPU first writes into the cache memory. These


modifications made by CPU during a write
operations, on the data saved in cache, need to
be written back to main memory or to auxiliary
memory.
These two popular cache write policies

(schemes) are:
Write-Through
Write-Back

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Write-Through
In a write through cache, the main memory is

updated each time the CPU writes into cache.


The advantage of the write-through cache is that

the main memory always contains the same data


as the cache contains.
This characteristic is desirable in a system which

uses direct memory access scheme of data


transfer. The I/O devices communicating through
DMA receive the most recent data.
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Write-Back
In a write back scheme, only the cache memory is

updated during a write operation.


The updated locations in the cache memory are

marked by a flag so that later on, when the word


is removed from the cache, it is copied into the
main memory.
The words are removed from the cache time to

time to make room for a new block of words.


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