| Author | Hong, Wenli |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.CS-94-29 |
| Subject(s) | Cache memory
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Cache memories help bridge the cycle-time gap between fast microprocessors and relatively
slow main memories. By holding recently referenced regions of memory, caches can reduce the
number of cycles the processor must stall waiting for data. As the disparity between processor and
main memory cycle times increases, cache perfo1mance becomes even more important. How to
improve program cache pe1formance becomes the main topic of the study.
Fortunately, for many programs small changes in the source code can radically alter memory
reference pattern, greatly improving cache performance. Although we can mentally simulate the
cache behavior of certain algorithms, analyzing large complex programs is ve1y difficult. Instead,
programmers often rely on an execution-time profile to isolate problematic code sections, and then
apply asymptotic analysis only on those sections.
In this study, we use CPROF-a cache profiler- to identify cache perfo1mance bottlenecks
and gain insight into their origin. Then for each program profiled, we concentrate on the
problematic data structures to predict which program transformation techniques are likely to
work. We show how to carefully analyze the results produced by each transformation method to
find the most effective way of to improve cache performance. By restructuring the source code of
the five programs studied, we greatly improve cache behavior and achieve execution time
speedups ranging from 1.01 to 1.43 on a Sun SPARCstation 2. Finally, the results are analyzed
and discussed. |
| Year | 1994 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Computer Science (CS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Yulu, Qi
|
| Examination Committee(s) | Sadananda, Ramakoti ;Batanov, Dentcho N.
|
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Development Bank, Japan |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1994 |