COUNTER BASED STRIDE PREDICTION FOR DATA PREFETCH

摘要

A prefetching system (400) includes hysteresis in the determination and modification of a stride value (412) that is used for prefetching data (130) in a sequential process. Once a stride value is determined, intermittent stride inconsistencies are ignored (322-330), and the stride value retains its prior value. When the stride inconsistencies become frequent (322-330), the stride value is modified (230). When the modified stride value becomes repetitive, the system adopts this value as the stride, and subsequent stride inconsistencies are again ignored, and the stride value thereafter retains is current value until inconsistencies become frequent.