The decoder is responsible for splitting instructions in micro
operations (uops). Given that different micro architectures may split
operations differently, this patch allows to specify which micro
architecture each isa implements, so different cores in the system can
split instructions differently, also decoupling uop splitting
(microArch) from ISA (Arch). This is done making the decodification
calls templates that receive a type 'DecoderFlavour' that maps the
name of the operation to the class that implements it. This way there
is only one selection point (converting the command line enum to the
appropriate DecodeFeatures object). In addition, there is no explicit
code replication: template instantiation hides that, and the compiler
should be able to resolve a number of things at compile-time.
The changes made by the changeset 270c9a75e91f do not work well with switching
of cpus. The problem is that decoder for the old thread context holds state
that is not taken over by the new decoder.
This patch adds a takeOverFrom() function to Decoder class in each ISA. Except
for x86, functions in other ISAs are blank. For x86, the function copies state
from the old decoder to the new decoder.
This interface is no longer used, and getting rid of it simplifies the
decoders and code that sets up the decoders. The thread context had been used
to read architectural state which was used to contextualize the instruction
memory as it came in. That was changed so that the state is now sent to the
decoders to keep locally if/when it changes. That's significantly more
efficient.
Committed by: Nilay Vaish <nilay@cs.wisc.edu>
This will allow it to be specialized by the ISAs. The existing caching scheme
is provided by the BasicDecodeCache in the GenericISA namespace and is built
from the generalized components.
--HG--
rename : src/cpu/decode_cache.cc => src/arch/generic/decode_cache.cc
These classes are always used together, and merging them will give the ISAs
more flexibility in how they cache things and manage the process.
--HG--
rename : src/arch/x86/predecoder_tables.cc => src/arch/x86/decoder_tables.cc
