bitcoin-android-casino In the intricate world of computer architecture, optimizing instruction execution is paramountLecture 20 Pipelining Reference Appendix C, Hennessy & One fascinating, albeit historically significant, concept that addresses this is the branch delay slotCMSC 611 Advanced Computer Architecture This mechanism, particularly prevalent in RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) architectures, fundamentally alters how branch instructions are handled within a pipelined processorIn DLX 5-stage pipeline,one delay slot is enough to avoid branch delay. • In more aggressively pipelined machine (eg. MIPS R4000) more delay slots would be. Essentially, a branch delay slot is an instruction slot being executed without the effects of a preceding instruction, creating a predictable one-cycle delay after a branch instructionLecture 3
The purpose of the branch delay slot is to mitigate performance penalties inherently associated with branches in pipelined systemsAdvanced Computer Architecture Chapter 4 When a branch instruction is encountered, the pipeline typically needs to stall until the outcome of the branch (whether it's taken or not) is determined and the correct instruction fetch address is knownCMSC 611 Advanced Computer Architecture This stall represents wasted processing cyclesIn computer architecture, a delay slot isan instruction slot being executed without the effects of a preceding instruction. The most common form is a single arbitrary instruction located immediately after a branch instruction on a RISC or DSP architecture; this instruction will execute even if the preceding branch The branch delay slot introduces an instruction that is *always* executed in the cycle immediately following the branch instruction, regardless of whether the branch is ultimately taken or notWhere to get instructions to fillbranch delay slot? – Before branch instruction. – From the target address only valuable when branch taken. – From fall This means that a single cycle delay that comes after a conditional branch instruction has begun execution is filled, preventing a full pipeline stallFor longerbranch delays, hardware-basedbranchprediction is usually used. ○ Thedelayed branchalways executes the next sequential instruction, with the
Scheduling branch delay slots is a critical task for compilers and assemblers作者:TC Moore·2022·被引用次数:1—PerformanceComputer Architecture. HPCA-6 (Cat. No.PR00550), 2000, pp. 61–70. [28] D. R. Kaeli and P. G. Emma, “Branchhistory table prediction of moving targetbranchesdue to subroutine returns,” ACM SIGARCHComputer Architecture. News, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 34–42, 1991. [29] J. Kalamationos and D. R. Kaeli Their effectiveness directly impacts processor performanceLecture 3 The goal is to find an instruction that can be safely moved into the branch delay slot without altering the program's intended logic(10 pts)Scheduling branch delay slots(see Figure A.14) can improve performance. Assume a single branch delay slot and an instruction execution pipeline that According to research and common observations in computer architecture education, compilers typically manage to fill about 60% of branch delay slotsbranch delay slot r/ECE This implies that for approximately 60% to 85% of branches, compilers can discover a useful instruction to place in the delay slotThe instruction after the branch is said to be in thebranch delay slot. ▫ For between 60% and 85% of branches, compilers find an instruction for the branch When a suitable instruction *can* be found, it's often referred to as a delayed branchWhere to get branch delay slot instructions? – Before branch instruction. – From the target address. • only valuable when branch taken. –
Where do these instructions for the branch delay slot originate? There are a few primary sources:
* Instructions that appear *before* the branch instruction in the original code sequenceInstructional Level Parallelism Hazards and Resolutions
* Instructions from the *target address* of the branchLecture 3 This is particularly valuable if the branch is likely to be taken, as it avoids fetching a new instruction from the fall-through pathInstructional Level Parallelism Hazards and Resolutions
* Instructions from the *fall-through path* (the instruction immediately following the branch)20091122—Some RISC architectures have a branch delay slot The instruction after the branch will always be executed, no matter whether the branch is taken or not.
The effectiveness of this strategy is evident in architectures like DLX, where one delay slot is enough to avoid branch delay(PDF) Delayed branches versus dynamic branch prediction However, in more aggressively pipelined machines, such as the MIPS R4000 architecture, more delay slots might be employed to maintain performanceWhat is a delayed branch in a pipeline? The MIPS R4000 processor, for instance, explicitly addresses the behavior of branches within branch delay slots, stating that the result of putting a branch in a branch delay slot is unpredictableBranch delay slot This highlights the careful management required for efficient use of branch delay slots(PDF) Delayed branches versus dynamic branch prediction
While the concept of delayed branches was a significant innovation, modern computer architecture has largely moved towards more sophisticated branch prediction techniques to handle branch delaysUS9535701B2 - Efficient use of branch delay slots and For longer branch delays, hardware-based branch prediction is generally preferred(PDF) Delayed branches versus dynamic branch prediction Nevertheless, understanding the branch delay slot and branch with exposed delay slots provides valuable insight into the historical evolution of pipelined processing and the ongoing quest for performance optimization in computer architecture20091122—Some RISC architectures have a branch delay slot The instruction after the branch will always be executed, no matter whether the branch is taken or not. The complexities surrounding the branch delay slot, including its implementation and the compiler's role in scheduling branch delay slots, offer a rich area of study for anyone interested in the foundational principles of how computers execute instructionsCMSC 611 Advanced Computer Architecture
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