Abstract:
Implementations of the present disclosure involve a system and/or method for implementing a reset controller of a microprocessor or other type of computing system by connecting the reset controller to a reset controller bus or other type of general purpose bus. Through the reset bus, the reset controller signals used to generate the reset sequence of the system may be transmitted to the components of the system through a bus, rather than utilizing a direct wire connection between the components and the reset controller. The wires that comprise the reset bus may then be run to one or more components of the microprocessor design that are restarted during the reset sequence. Each of these components may also include a reset controller circuit that is designed to receive the reset control signals from the reset controller and decode the signals to determine if the received signal applies to the component.
Abstract:
A method for removal of an offlining cache agent, including: initiating an offlining of the offlining cache agent from communicating with a plurality of participating cache agents while a first transaction is in progress; setting, based on initiating the offlining, an ignore response indicator corresponding to the offlining cache agent on each of the plurality of participating cache agents; offlining, based on setting the ignore response indicator, the offlining cache agent; and ignoring, based on setting the ignore response indicator, a first response to the transaction from the offlining cache agent.
Abstract:
A method for removal of an offlining cache agent, including: initiating an offlining of the offlining cache agent from communicating with a plurality of participating cache agents while a first transaction is in progress; setting, based on initiating the offlining, an ignore response indicator corresponding to the offlining cache agent on each of the plurality of participating cache agents; offlining, based on setting the ignore response indicator, the offlining cache agent; and ignoring, based on setting the ignore response indicator, a first response to the transaction from the offlining cache agent.
Abstract:
Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for conducting simultaneous transition testing of different clock domains of a microprocessor design at different frequencies through a controlled order of clock pulses in each domain. In general, a microelectronic design utilizes test control circuitry associated with each clock domain of the design to conduct simultaneous transition testing of the clock domains. The testing control circuitry associated with each clock domain of the microelectronic design further allows for the testing device to delay testing within a particular clock domain. By delaying the testing within a particular clock domain, the testing of the various clock domains can be synchronized. Through these testing procedures, the amount of time required to perform the ATPG testing of a microelectronic design may be greatly reduced.
Abstract:
An apparatus is disclosed in which the apparatus may include a plurality of cores, including a first core, a second core and a third core, and circuitry coupled to the first core. The first core may be configured to process a plurality of instructions. The circuitry may be may be configured to detect that the first core stopped committing a subset of the plurality of instructions, and to send an indication to the second core that the first core stopped committing the subset. The second core may be configured to disable the first core from further processing instructions of the subset responsive to receiving the indication, and to copy data from the first core to a third core responsive to disabling the first core. The third core may be configured to resume processing the subset dependent upon the data.
Abstract:
A rotational synchronizer for metastability resolution is disclosed. A synchronizer includes a plurality of M+1 latches each coupled to receive data through a common data input. The synchronizer further includes a multiplexer having a N inputs each coupled to receive data from an output of a corresponding one of the M+1 latches, and an output, wherein the multiplexer is configured to select one of its inputs to be coupled to the output. A control circuit is configured to cause the multiplexer to sequentially select outputs of the M+1 latches responsive to N successive clock pulses, and further configured to cause the M+1 latches to sequentially latch data received through the common data input.
Abstract:
Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for mixing high speed and low speed clock signals during structural testing of a digital integrated circuit to improve the test precision and efficiency. In particular, the apparatus and/or method allow for a testing device to perform stuck-bit testing of the circuit by releasing one or more clock cycles of a low speed clock signal. Further, without having to reset the testing of the circuit, at-speed testing of the circuit may be conducted by the testing device. In one embodiment, at-speed testing occurs by activating a mode signal associated with the circuit design that instructs one or more clock cycles from an internal clock signal to the circuit to be released. The testing device may return to stuck-bit testing at a low speed clock signal, or continue with at-speed testing using the high speed internal clock signal.
Abstract:
A system is disclosed in which the system may include multiple bus switches, and multiple processors. Each processor may be coupled to each bus switch. Each processor may be configured to initiate a transfer of data to a given bus switch, and detect if a respective link to the given bus switch is inoperable. In response to detecting an inoperable link to a first bus switch, a given processor may be further configured to send a notification message to at least one other processor via at least a second bus switch and to remove routing information corresponding to the inoperable link from a first register. The at least one other processor may be configured to remove additional routing information corresponding to the inoperable link from a second register in response to receiving the notification message from the given processor.
Abstract:
Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for adjusting a counter in a computing system to account for drift of the counter value over time compared to another counter of the system. In particular, a processor of the computing system that includes a local counter component may access a counter component of another processor of the system, referred to as the reference counter. By comparing the value of the reference counter to the local counter, the processor may determine any drift that may have occurred over a period of time in the local counter. The calculated drift, or counter error, may be converted into one or more adjustments to the local counter to synchronize the local counter with the reference counter. In one embodiment, the adjustment to the local counter includes increasing the rate at which the local counter is incremented for a period of time.
Abstract:
An apparatus is disclosed in which the apparatus may include a plurality of cores, including a first core, a second core and a third core, and circuitry coupled to the first core. The first core may be configured to process a plurality of instructions. The circuitry may be may be configured to detect that the first core stopped committing a subset of the plurality of instructions, and to send an indication to the second core that the first core stopped committing the subset. The second core may be configured to disable the first core from further processing instructions of the subset responsive to receiving the indication, and to copy data from the first core to a third core responsive to disabling the first core. The third core may be configured to resume processing the subset dependent upon the data.