Various embodiments include methods and systems performed by a processor of a first function block for providing secure timer synchronization with a second function block. Various embodiments may include storing, in a shared register space, a first time counter value in which the first time counter value is based on a global counter of the second function block, transmitting, from the shared register space, the stored first time counter value to a preload register of the first function block, receiving, by the first function block, a strobe signal from the second function block configured to enable the first time counter value in the preload register to be loaded into a global counter of the first function block, and configuring the global counter with the first time counter value from the preload register.

A processor system comprises at least a program counter structure, an interrupt control device, a memory, and an apparatus. The interrupt control device is configured to respond to an interrupt request by providing the program counter structure with an address associated with the interrupt request. The program counter structure is configured to output the address to the memory via a memory interface. The apparatus is configured to protect the program counter structure in case of an interrupt request, the apparatus includes an interface, a comparing device, and an outputting device.

The invention relates to a method for processing instructions out-of-order on a processor comprising an arrangement of execution units. The inventive method comprises looking up operand sources in a Register Positioning Table and setting operand input references of the instruction to be issued accordingly, checking for an Execution Unit (EXU) available for receiving a new instruction, and issuing the instruction to the available Execution Unit and entering a reference of the result register addressed by the instruction to be issued to the Execution Unit into the Register Positioning Table (RPT).

A processor includes processing engines, at least one performance counter, and a power control circuit. The at least one performance counter is to determine at least one interrupt rate metric for a first processing engine. The power control circuit is to determine, using the at least one performance counter, whether the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached a first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at a first frequency level, and in response to a determination that the at least one interrupt rate metric has reached the first threshold while the first processing engine is operating at the first frequency level, increase an operating frequency of the first processing engine from the first frequency level to a second frequency level.

Retiring instructions out-of-order includes: receiving processor instructions comprising two or more and fewer than all processor instructions generated based on a program, where the processor instructions include a first instruction and a second instruction such that the first instruction precedes the second instruction in a program order of the program; receiving a start instruction that immediately precedes the processor instructions and indicates that the processor instructions are to be retired out-of-order; receiving a stop instruction immediately that succeeds the processor instructions and indicates a stop to out-of-order instruction retirement; and, in response to completing execution of the second instruction before completing execution of the first instruction, retiring the second instruction before retiring the first instruction.

Generally, this disclosure provides devices, methods, and computer readable media for packet processing with reduced latency. The device may include a data queue to store data descriptors associated with data packets, the data packets to be transferred between a network and a driver circuit. The device may also include an interrupt generation circuit to generate an interrupt to the driver circuit. The interrupt may be generated in response to a combination of an expiration of a delay timer and a non-empty condition of the data queue. The device may further include an interrupt delay register to enable the driver circuit to reset the delay timer, the reset postponing the interrupt generation.

A data processing device is described including one or more processors implementing a plurality of data processing entities, one or more software interrupt nodes and an access register for each software interrupt node. The access register specifies which one or more data processing entities of the plurality of data processing entities is/are each allowed to, as interrupt source data processing entity, trigger an interrupt service request on the software interrupt node for another one of the plurality of data processing entities as an interrupt target processing entity. Each software interrupt node is configured to forward an interrupt service request triggered by an interrupt source data processing entity which is allowed to trigger an interrupt service request on the software interrupt node to an interrupt target processing entity.

A shared memory may be employed for use with a front end (e.g., a guest virtual machine (GVM) component) and a back end (e.g., native driver, physical virtual machine (PVM) component, hardware, etc.) of a virtualization system to allow the front end to influence (e.g., control) the occurrence of the virtual interrupt request (IRQ) forwarding from the back end. The shared memory may include one or more flags or one or more lists to allow the front end to control the behavior of the back end virtual IRQ forwarding logic without causing the back end to stop its existing processes. Thus, the front end may multiple numerous input/output (IO) requests, but the front end may only check the completion of some of the requests (e.g., based on work items written into the shared memory, by the front end, for back end processing and back end IRQ forwarding).

In an embodiment, a method for processing instructions in a microcontroller is disclosed. In the embodiment, the method involves, upon receipt of an interrupt while an instruction is being executed, completing execution of the instruction by a shadow functional unit and, upon servicing the interrupt, terminating re-execution of the instruction and updating a main register file with the result of the execution of the instruction by the shadow functional unit.

Generally, this disclosure provides devices, methods, and computer readable media for packet processing with reduced latency. The device may include a data queue to store data descriptors associated with data packets, the data packets to be transferred between a network and a driver circuit. The device may also include an interrupt generation circuit to generate an interrupt to the driver circuit. The interrupt may be generated in response to a combination of an expiration of a delay timer and a non-empty condition of the data queue. The device may further include an interrupt delay register to enable the driver circuit to reset the delay timer, the reset postponing the interrupt generation.