Choosing an error protection scheme for a microprocessor's L1 data cache
Journal Article
We deconstruct and compare the two dominant existing approaches for L1 data cache (L1D) error protection, with respect to performance, L2 cache bandwidth, power, and area. The two approaches are: (1) parity on the L1D with write-through to an ECC-protected L2, and (2) ECC protection on the L1D. Qualitatively, the first approach requires a write-through L1D, which places a large bandwidth and power demand on the L2. The second approach adds more bits in the L1D for error protection, which adds to the L1D's area and power while degrading its performance. Our quantitative results show that the relative costs of the second approach are small and that its benefits outweigh these costs. We also present a new error protection scheme, called the Punctured ECC Recovery Cache (PERC), that achieves the best features of both existing schemes. © 2006 IEEE.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Sadler, NN; Sorin, DJ
Published Date
- December 1, 2006
Published In
- Ieee International Conference on Computer Design, Iccd 2006
Start / End Page
- 499 - 505
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1109/ICCD.2006.4380862
Citation Source
- Scopus