Data processing systems

Abstract

Abstract 1354827 Data processing systems INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP 24 May 1972 [25 Aug 1971] 24383/72 Heading G4A A bus/gating system interconnects a backing store 10, buffers 16, 18, 20 and users 22, 24 and 26, 28, each user having a respective dedicated buffer, and each user requesting a data unit (page) can search and access the buffers dedicated to the other users for the requested data unit if that unit is not found in its own buffer whereby a data unit need only exist in one buffer. Each user can normally access its associated buffer 16, 18, 20 independently over gates such as A1, D1. If the address of a data item cannot be found in the buffer by a search mechanism 50, control and priority logic 43 is signalled to connect the requesting user, e.g. CPU1 to the data and address busses 38, 40 when they become available to CPU1 on a priority basis by way of gates D3, A3. When the address search mechanisms of the other buffers are free, which may or may not occur concurrently, the appropriate gates D5, A5 and D9, A9 are opened by logic 43 so that if the requested data unit resides in either of those buffers it is transferred directly to the requesting user, and the transfer logic 43 then restores the gates to their normal condition. If the required data unit is not found in any of the buffers, a transfer from main storage 10 must take place. To this end, logic 43 signals the buffer of the requesting user so that its access and address mechanisms place the least recently used data item (determined by the corresponding use code 46) and its address on the data and address busses 38, 40 for transmission to the data and address registers 14, 12 of main storage 10 via gates D7, A7. After the store operation in storage 10, gate A3 is opened to transmit the address of the required data unit from the requesting user 22 to address register 12 over bus 40, and the address is also passed through gate A2 to become the new address of the location just vacated in buffer 16. Gates D2 and D3 are also opened by logic 43 so that the data item accessed from main storage is stored in buffer 16 and is supplied directly to the requesting user 22. The buffer 20 associated with channels 26, 28 may be a medium speed memory while buffers 16, 18 are high speed memories. Each user need not have access to all the buffers. As an example, CPU22 may execute problem programmes while CPU24 executes supervisory programs so that neither requires access to the other's buffer. Data not found in the buffer 16, 18 may be searched for in buffer 20 and memory 10 simultaneously. In another arrangement, Fig. 1c (not shown), medium and high speed buffers are interposed between a CPU and the backing store and a channel normally accesses the medium speed buffer.

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