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A methodology for early validation of cache coherence protocols based on relational databases
Author(s) -
Subramaniam Mahadevan,
Conway Patrick
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
concurrency and computation: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.309
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1532-0634
pISSN - 1532-0626
DOI - 10.1002/cpe.1065
Subject(s) - computer science , correctness , cache coherence , protocol (science) , relational database , table (database) , database , cache , relational algebra , multiprocessing , programming language , theoretical computer science , cache algorithms , cpu cache , parallel computing , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
A novel, table‐driven approach based on relational database technology is proposed for the design and early validation of cache coherence protocols. A protocol is specified as multiple communicating, multi‐input, multi‐output, finite‐state machines each represented by a relational database table. The tables are automatically generated by solving relational calculus constraints specifying the protocol transactions. Early protocol validation prior to an implementation is performed by testing these tables for several protocol properties expressed using relational queries and database integrity constraints. The debugged tables are automatically mapped to a high‐level hardware implementation while preserving their correctness. The proposed approach has been deployed at Fujitsu Systems Technology Division for the design of their next‐generation multiprocessor and has been highly successful in reducing the overall protocol development time and has discovered several errors early in the design cycle. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.