Method and apparatus for assigning thread priority in a processor or the like

摘要

In a multi-threaded processor, thread priority variables are set up in memory. The actual assignment of thread priority is based on the expiration of a thread precedence counter. To further augment, the effectiveness of the thread precedence counters, starting counters are associated with each thread that serve as a multiplier for the value to be used in the thread precedence counter. The value in the starting counters are manipulated so as to prevent one thread from getting undue priority to the resources of the multi-threaded processor.

主权项

1. In a multi-threaded processor to handle processing of at least first and second threads, a method of assigning thread priority comprising:
assigning priority to said first thread; and assigning priority to said second thread in response to one of a first plurality of conditions being true, the first plurality of conditions including processing of said first thread retires an instruction from said first thread, wherein the conditions include there is not an indication of approaching instruction side starvation for said first thread, wherein said indication of approaching instruction side starvation for said first thread includes a second plurality of conditions being true, the second plurality of conditions including:
the processor is operating in a multithreaded processing mode,the first thread has no instructions in an execution pipeline of said processor, andthe first thread is attempting to fetch instructions from a memory.