System for restricted cache access during information transfers and method thereof

摘要

Instructions involving a relatively significant information transfer or a particular type of information transfer via a cache, or specified address ranges within cache causing a cache miss result in the application of a restricted access policy to control access to one or more partitions of the cache so as to reduce or prevent the overwriting of information that is expected to be subsequently used by the cache or by a processor. A processor or other system component may assert a signal which is utilized to select between one or more access policies based on instructions or their type so that an access may be applied to control access to one or more ways of the cache during the information transfer operation associated with the instruction. Similarly, a cache way select module may select between one or more access policies based on an address range so that an access policy may be applied to control access to one or more ways of the cache during access to a specific range of memory. The access policy typically represents an access restriction to particular cache partitions, such as a restriction to one or more particular cache ways or one or more particular cache lines.