DIGITAL PROCESSOR WITH LOCAL STORAGE CONTAINED IN CACHE

摘要

The processor contains a relatively small local storage (LS 12) which can be effectively expanded by utilizing a portion of a processor's store-in-cache (63). The cache allocates a line (i.e. block) for LS use by the instruction unit (IE) sending a special signal with an address for a line in a special area in main storage which is non-program addressable (i.e. not addressable by any of the architected instructions of the processor). The special signal suppresses the normal line fetch operation of the cache from main storage caused when the cache does not have a requested line. After the initial allocation of the line space in the cache to LS use, the normal cache operation is again enabled, and the LS line can be castout to the special area in main storage and be retrieved therefrom to the cache for LS use.