path: root/src/doc/memory_system.doxygen

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# Author: Djordje Kovacevic

/*! \page gem5MemorySystem Memory System in gem5

  \tableofcontents

  The document describes memory subsystem in gem5 with focus on program flow
  during CPU’s simple memory transactions (read or write).


  \section gem5_MS_MH MODEL HIERARCHY

  Model that is used in this document consists of two out-of-order (O3)
  ARM v7 CPUs with corresponding L1 data caches and Simple Memory. It is
  created by running gem5 with the following parameters:

  configs/example/fs.py --caches --cpu-type=arm_detailed --num-cpus=2

  Gem5 uses Memory Objects (MemObject) derived objects as basic blocks for
  building memory system. They are connected via ports with established
  master/slave hierarchy. Data flow is initiated on master port while the
  response messages and snoop queries appear on the slave port. The following
  figure shows the hierarchy of Memory Objects used in this document:

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig1.PNG" "Memory Object hierarchy of the model" width=3cm

  \section gem5_CPU CPU

  It is not in the scope of this document to describe O3 CPU model in details, so
  here are only a few relevant notes about the model:

  <b>Read access </b>is initiated by sending message to the port towards DCache
  object. If DCache rejects the message (for being blocked or busy) CPU will
  flush the pipeline and the access will be re-attempted later on. The access
  is completed upon receiving reply message (ReadRep) from DCache.

  <b>Write access</b> is initiated by storing the request into store buffer whose
  context is emptied and sent to DCache on every tick. DCache may also reject
  the request. Write access is completed when write reply (WriteRep) message is
  received from DCache.

  Load & store buffers  (for read and write access) don’t impose any
  restriction on the number of active memory accesses. Therefore, the maximum
  number of outstanding CPU’s memory access requests is not limited by CPU
  Memory Object but by underlying memory system model.

  <b>Split memory access</b> is implemented.

  The message that is sent by CPU contains memory type (Normal, Device, Strongly
  Ordered and cachebility) of the accessed region. However, this is not being used
  by the rest of the model that takes more simplified approach towards memory types.

  \section gem5_DCache DATA CACHE OBJECT

  Data Cache object implements a standard cache structure:

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig2.PNG" "DCache Memory Object" width=3cm

  <b>Cached memory reads</b> that match particular cache tag (with Valid & Read
  flags) will be completed (by sending ReadResp to CPU) after a configurable time.
  Otherwise, the request is forwarded to Miss Status and Handling Register
  (MSHR) block.

  <b>Cached memory writes</b> that match particular cache tag (with Valid, Read
  & Write flags) will be completed (by sending WriteResp CPU) after the same
  configurable time. Otherwise, the request is forwarded to Miss Status and
  Handling Register(MSHR) block.

  <b>Uncached memory reads</b> are forwarded to MSHR block.

  <b>Uncached memory writes</b> are forwarded to WriteBuffer block.

  <b>Evicted (& dirty) cache lines</b> are forwarded to WriteBuffer block.

  CPU’s access to Data Cache is blocked if any of the following is true:

    - MSHR block is full. (The size of MSHR’s buffer is configurable.)

    - Writeback block is full. (The size of the block’s buffer is
    configurable.)

    - The number of outstanding memory accesses against the same memory cache line
    has reached configurable threshold value – see MSHR and Write Buffer for details.

  Data Cache in block state will reject any request from slave port (from CPU)
  regardless of whether it would result in cache hit or miss. Note that
  incoming messages on master port (response messages and snoop requests)
  are never rejected.

  Cache hit on uncachable memory region (unpredicted behaviour according to
  ARM ARM) will invalidate cache line and fetch data from memory.

  \subsection gem5_MS_TAndDBlock Tags & Data Block

  Cache lines (referred as blocks in source code) are organised into sets with
  configurable associativity and size. They have the following status flags:
    - <b>Valid.</b> It holds data. Address tag is valid
    - <b>Read.</b> No read request will be accepted without this flag being set.
      For example, cache line is valid and unreadable when it waits for write flag
      to complete write access.
    - <b>Write.</b> It may accept writes. Cache line with Write flags
      identifies Unique state – no other cache memory holds the copy.
    - <b>Dirty.</b> It needs Writeback when evicted.

  Read access will hit cache line if address tags match and Valid and Read
  flags are set. Write access will hit cache line if address tags match and
  Valid, Read and Write flags are set.

  \subsection gem5_MS_Queues MSHR and Write Buffer Queues

  Miss Status and Handling Register (MSHR) queue holds the list of CPU’s
  outstanding memory requests that require read access to lower memory
  level. They are:
    - Cached Read misses.
    - Cached Write misses.
    - Uncached reads.

  WriteBuffer queue holds the following memory requests:
    - Uncached writes.
    - Writeback from evicted (& dirty) cache lines.

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig3.PNG" "MSHR and Write Buffer Blocks" width=6cm

  Each memory request is assigned to corresponding MSHR object (READ or WRITE
  on diagram above) that represents particular block (cache line) of memory
  that has to be read or written in order to complete the command(s). As shown
  on gigure above, cached read/writes against the same cache line have a common
  MSHR object and will be completed with a single memory access.

  The size of the block (and therefore the size of read/write access to lower
  memory) is:
    - The size of cache line for cached access & writeback;
    - As specified in CPU instruction for uncached access.

  In general, Data Cache model distinguishes between just two memory types:
    - Normal Cached memory. It is always treated as write back, read and write
      allocate.
    - Normal uncached, Device and Strongly Ordered types are treated equally
      (as uncached memory)

  \subsection gem5_MS_Ordering Memory Access Ordering

  An unique order number is assigned to each CPU read/write request(as they appear on
  slave port). Order numbers of MSHR objects are copied from the first
  assigned read/write.

  Memory read/writes from each of these two queues are executed in order (according
  to the assigned order number). When both queues are not empty the model will
  execute memory read from MSHR block unless WriteBuffer is full. It will,
  however, always preserve the order of read/writes on the same
  (or overlapping) memory cache line (block).

  In summary:
    - Order of accesses to cached memory is not preserved unless they target
      the same cache line. For example, the accesses #1, #5 & #10 will
      complete simultaneously in the same tick (still in order). The access
      #5 will complete before #3.
    - Order of all uncached memory writes is preserved. Write#6 always
      completes before Write#13.
    - Order to all uncached memory reads is preserved. Read#2 always completes
      before Read#8.
    - The order of a read and a write uncached access is not necessarily
      preserved  - unless their access regions overlap. Therefore, Write#6
      always completes before Read#8 (they target the same memory block).
      However, Write#13 may complete before Read#8.


  \section gem5_MS_Bus COHERENT BUS OBJECT

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig4.PNG" "Coherent Bus Object" width=3cm

  Coherent Bus object provides basic support for snoop protocol:

  <b>All requests on the slave port</b> are forwarded to the appropriate master port. Requests
  for cached memory regions are also forwarded to other slave ports (as snoop
  requests).

  <b>Master port replies</b> are forwarded to the appropriate slave port.

  <b>Master port snoop requests</b> are forwarded to all slave ports.

  <b>Slave port snoop replies</b> are forwarded to the port that was the source of the
  request. (Note that the source of snoop request can be either slave or
  master port.)

  The bus declares itself blocked for a configurable period of time after
  any of the following events:
    - A packet is sent (or failed to be sent) to a slave port.
    - A reply message is sent to a master port.
    - Snoop response from one slave port is sent to another slave port.

  The bus in blocked state rejects the following incoming messages:
    - Slave port requests.
    - Master port replies.
    - Master port snoop requests.

  \section gem5_MS_SimpleMemory SIMPLE MEMORY OBJECT

  It never blocks the access on slave port.

  Memory read/write takes immediate effect. (Read or write is performed when
  the request is received).

  Reply message is sent after a configurable period of time .

  \section gem5_MS_MessageFlow MESSAGE FLOW

  \subsection gem5_MS_Ordering Read Access

  The following diagram shows read access that hits Data Cache line with Valid
  and Read flags:

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig5.PNG" "Read Hit (Read flag must be set in cache line)" width=3cm

  Cache miss read access will generate the following sequence of messages:

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig6.PNG" "Read Miss with snoop reply" width=3cm

  Note that bus object never gets response from both DCache2 and Memory object.
  It sends the very same ReadReq package (message) object to memory and data
  cache. When Data Cache wants to reply on snoop request it marks the message
  with MEM_INHIBIT flag that tells Memory object not to process the message.

  \subsection gem5_MS_Ordering Write Access

  The following diagram shows write access that hits DCache1 cache line with
  Valid & Write flags:

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig7.PNG" "Write Hit (with Write flag set in cache line)" width=3cm

  Next figure shows write access that hits DCache1 cache line with Valid but no
  Write flags – which qualifies as write miss. DCache1 issues UpgradeReq to
  obtain write permission. DCache2::snoopTiming will invalidate cache line that
  has been hit. Note that UpgradeResp message doesn’t carry data.

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig8.PNG" "Write Miss – matching tag with no Write flag" width=3cm

  The next diagram shows write miss in DCache. ReadExReq invalidates cache line
  in DCache2. ReadExResp carries the content of memory cache line.

  \image html "gem5_MS_Fig9.PNG" "Miss - no matching tag" width=3cm

*/