+

William Stallings
Computer Organization
and Architecture
9th Edition
+
Chapter 4
Cache Memory
Key Characteristics of Computer
Memory Systems

Table 4.1 Key Characteristics of Computer Memory Systems

+
Characteristics of Memory
Systems
 Location
 Refers to whether memory is internal and external to the computer
 Internal memory is often equated with main memory
 Processor requires its own local memory, in the form of registers
 Cache is another form of internal memory
 External memory consists of peripheral storage devices that are
accessible to the processor via I/O controllers

 Capacity
 Memory is typically expressed in terms of bytes

 Unit of transfer
 For internal memory the unit of transfer is equal to the number of
electrical lines into and out of the memory module
Method of Accessing Units of Data
Sequential Direct Random
Associative
access access access

Each addressable A word is retrieved

Memory is organized into
Involves a shared read- location in memory has a based on a portion of its
units of data called
write mechanism unique, physically wired- contents rather than its
records
in addressing mechanism address

Each location has its own

The time to access a
Individual blocks or addressing mechanism
Access must be made in given location is
records have a unique and retrieval time is
a specific linear independent of the
address based on constant independent of
sequence sequence of prior
physical location location or prior access
accesses and is constant
patterns

Any location can be

Cache memories may
selected at random and
Access time is variable Access time is variable employ associative
directly addressed and
access
accessed

Main memory and some

cache systems are
random access
Capacity and Performance:

The two most important characteristics of

memory

Three performance parameters are used:

Memory cycle time

Access time (latency) Transfer rate
•Access time plus any additional
•For random-access memory it is the time required before second •The rate at which data can be
time it takes to perform a read or access can commence transferred into or out of a memory
write operation •Additional time may be required unit
•For non-random-access memory it for transients to die out on signal •For random-access memory it is
is the time it takes to position the lines or to regenerate data if they equal to 1/(cycle time)
read-write mechanism at the are read destructively
desired location •Concerned with the system bus,
not the processor
+ Memory
 The most common forms are:
 Semiconductor memory
 Magnetic surface memory
 Optical
 Magneto-optical

 Several physical characteristics of data storage are important:

 Volatile memory
 Information decays naturally or is lost when electrical power is switched off
 Nonvolatile memory
 Once recorded, information remains without deterioration until deliberately changed
 No electrical power is needed to retain information
 Magnetic-surface memories
 Are nonvolatile
 Semiconductor memory
 May be either volatile or nonvolatile
 Nonerasable memory
 Cannot be altered, except by destroying the storage unit
 Semiconductor memory of this type is known as read-only memory (ROM)

 For random-access memory the organization is a key design issue

 Organization refers to the physical arrangement of bits to form words
+
Memory Hierarchy

 Design constraints on a computer’s memory can be summed

up by three questions:
 How much, how fast, how expensive

 There is a trade-off among capacity, access time, and cost

 Faster access time, greater cost per bit
 Greater capacity, smaller cost per bit
 Greater capacity, slower access time

 The way out of the memory dilemma is not to rely on a single

memory component or technology, but to employ a memory
hierarchy
+ Memory Hierarchy - Diagram
Cache and Main Memory
Cache/Main Memory Structure
Cache Read
Operation
+
Typical Cache Organization
Elements of Cache Design

Table 4.2 Elements of Cache Design

+
Cache Addresses
Virtual Memory

 Virtual memory
 Facility that allows programs to address memory from a logical
point of view, without regard to the amount of main memory
physically available
 When used, the address fields of machine instructions contain
virtual addresses
 For reads to and writes from main memory, a hardware memory
management unit (MMU) translates each virtual address into a
physical address in main memory
+

Logical
and
Physical
Caches
Table 4.3

Cache
Sizes of
Some
Processors

a Two values
separated by a
slash refer to
instruction and
data caches.

b Both caches are

instruction only; no
data caches.
Mapping Function
 Because there are fewer cache lines than main memory
blocks, an algorithm is needed for mapping main memory
blocks into cache lines

 Three techniques can be used:

Direct Associative Set Associative

• The simplest technique • Permits each main • A compromise that
• Maps each block of main memory block to be exhibits the strengths of
memory into only one loaded into any line of the both the direct and
possible cache line cache associative approaches
while reducing their
• The cache control logic disadvantages
interprets a memory
address simply as a Tag
and a Word field
• To determine whether a
block is in the cache, the
cache control logic must
simultaneously examine
every line’s Tag for a
match
+

Direct

Mapping
Direct Mapping Cache Organization
+
Direct

Mapping

Example
+
Direct Mapping Summary

 Address length = (s + w) bits

 Number of addressable units = 2s+w words or bytes

 Block size = line size = 2w words or bytes

 Number of blocks in main memory = 2s+ w/2w = 2s

 Number of lines in cache = m = 2r

 Size of tag = (s – r) bits

+
Victim Cache

 Originally proposed as an approach to reduce the conflict

misses of direct mapped caches without affecting its fast
access time

 Fully associative cache

 Typical size is 4 to 16 cache lines

 Residing between direct mapped L1 cache and the next level

of memory
Fully Associative Cache Organization
+
Associative

Mapping

Example
+
Associative Mapping Summary

 Address length = (s + w) bits

 Number of addressable units = 2s+w words or bytes

 Block size = line size = 2w words or bytes

 Number of blocks in main memory = 2s+ w/2w = 2s

 Number of lines in cache = undetermined

 Size of tag = s bits

+
Set Associative Mapping

 Compromise that exhibits the strengths of both the direct and

associative approaches while reducing their disadvantages

 Cache consists of a number of sets

 Each set contains a number of lines

 A given block maps to any line in a given set

 e.g. 2 lines per set

 2 way associative mapping
 A given block can be in one of 2 lines in only one set
+

Mapping From
Main Memory
to Cache:

k-Way
Set Associative
 k-Way
Set
Associative
Cache
Organization
+
Set Associative Mapping Summary

 Address length = (s + w) bits

 Number of addressable units = 2s+w words or bytes

 Block size = line size = 2w words or bytes

 Number of blocks in main memory = 2s+w/2w=2s

 Number of lines in set = k

 Number of sets = v = 2d

 Number of lines in cache = m=kv = k * 2d

 Size of cache = k * 2d+w words or bytes

 Size of tag = (s – d) bits

+
Varying Associativity Over Cache Size
+
Replacement Algorithms

 Once the cache has been filled, when a new block is brought
into the cache, one of the existing blocks must be replaced

 For direct mapping there is only one possible line for any
particular block and no choice is possible

 For the associative and set-associative techniques a

replacement algorithm is needed

 To achieve high speed, an algorithm must be implemented in

hardware
+
The four most common
replacement algorithms are:
 Least recently used (LRU)
 Most effective
 Replace that block in the set that has been in the cache longest with
no reference to it
 Because of its simplicity of implementation, LRU is the most popular
replacement algorithm

 First-in-first-out (FIFO)
 Replace that block in the set that has been in the cache longest
 Easily implemented as a round-robin or circular buffer technique

 Least frequently used (LFU)

 Replace that block in the set that has experienced the fewest
references
 Could be implemented by associating a counter with each line
 Write Policy
When a block that is resident in
There are two problems to
the cache is to be replaced
contend with:
there are two cases to consider:

If the old block in the cache has not been

altered then it may be overwritten with a More than one device may have access to
new block without first writing out the old main memory
block

If at least one write operation has been A more complex problem occurs when
performed on a word in that line of the multiple processors are attached to the
cache then main memory must be same bus and each processor has its own
updated by writing the line of cache out local cache - if a word is altered in one
to the block of memory before bringing cache it could conceivably invalidate a
in the new block word in other caches
+
Write Through
and Write Back
 Write through
 Simplest technique
 All write operations are made to main memory as well as to the cache
 The main disadvantage of this technique is that it generates substantial
memory traffic and may create a bottleneck

 Write back
 Minimizes memory writes
 Updates are made only in the cache
 Portions of main memory are invalid and hence accesses by I/O
modules can be allowed only through the cache
 This makes for complex circuitry and a potential bottleneck
 Line Size
When a block of Two specific effects
data is retrieved come into play:
and placed in the • Larger blocks reduce the
cache not only the As the block size number of blocks that fit into
desired word but increases more a cache
also some number useful data are • As a block becomes larger
each additional word is
of adjacent words brought into the farther from the requested
are retrieved cache word

As the block size The hit ratio will

increases the hit begin to decrease
ratio will at first as the block
increase because becomes bigger
of the principle of and the probability
locality of using the newly
fetched
information
becomes less than
the probability of
reusing the
information that
has to be replaced
+
Multilevel Caches
 As logic density has increased it has become possible to have a cache
on the same chip as the processor

 The on-chip cache reduces the processor’s external bus activity and
speeds up execution time and increases overall system performance
 When the requested instruction or data is found in the on-chip cache, the bus
access is eliminated
 On-chip cache accesses will complete appreciably faster than would even
zero-wait state bus cycles
 During this period the bus is free to support other transfers

 Two-level cache:
 Internal cache designated as level 1 (L1)
 External cache designated as level 2 (L2)

 Potential savings due to the use of an L2 cache depends on the hit rates
in both the L1 and L2 caches

 The use of multilevel caches complicates all of the design issues related
to caches, including size, replacement algorithm, and write policy
Hit Ratio (L1 & L2)
For 8 Kbyte and 16 Kbyte L1
+
Unified Versus Split Caches

 Has become common to split cache:

 One dedicated to instructions
 One dedicated to data
 Both exist at the same level, typically as two L1 caches

 Advantages of unified cache:

 Higher hit rate
 Balances load of instruction and data fetches automatically
 Only one cache needs to be designed and implemented

 Trend is toward split caches at the L1 and unified caches for

higher levels

 Advantages of split cache:

 Eliminates cache contention between instruction fetch/decode unit
and execution unit
 Important in pipelining
 Pentium
4
Cache

Table 4.4 Intel Cache Evolution

Pentium 4 Block Diagram
 Pentium 4 Cache Operating Modes

Note: CD = 0; NW = 1 is an invalid combination.

Table 4.5 Pentium 4 Cache Operating Modes

ARM Cache Features

Table 4.6 ARM Cache Features

ARM Cache and Write Buffer Organization
+ Summary Cache
Memory
Chapter 4
 Elements of cache design
 Characteristics of Memory
 Cache addresses
Systems
 Cache size
 Location
 Mapping function
 Capacity
 Replacement algorithms
 Unit of transfer
 Write policy
 Memory Hierarchy  Line size
 How much?  Number of caches

 How fast?
 Pentium 4 cache organization
 How expensive?
 Cache memory principles  ARM cache organization