Caches as filters: a new approach to cache analysis

摘要

As the processor-memory performance gap continues to grow, so doesnthe need for effective tools and metrics to guide the design ofnefficient memory hierarchies to bridge that gap. Aggregate statistics ofncache performance can be useful for comparison, but they give us littleninsight into how to improve the design of a particular component. Wenpropose a different approach to cache analysis-viewing caches asnfilters-and present two new metrics for analyzing cache behavior:ninstantaneous hit rate and instantaneous locality. We demonstrate hownthese measures can give us insight into the reference pattern of annexecuting program, and show an application of these measures innanalyzing the effectiveness of the second level cache of a particularnmemory hierarchy