Ruby's controller block_on behavior aimed to block MessageBuffer requests into
SLICC controllers when a Locked_RMW was in flight. Unfortunately, this
functionality only partially works: When non-Locked_RMW memory accesses are
issued to the sequencer to an address with an in-flight Locked_RMW, the
sequencer may pass those accesses through to the controller. At the controller,
a number of incorrect activities can occur depending on the protocol. In
MOESI_hammer, for example, an intermediate IFETCH will cause an L1D to L2
transfer, which cannot be serviced, because the block_on functionality blocks
the trigger queue, resulting in a deadlock. Further, if an intermediate store
arrives (e.g. from a separate SMT thread), the sequencer allows the request
through to the controller, and the atomicity of the Locked_RMW may be broken.
To avoid these problems, disallow the Sequencer from passing any memory
accesses to the controller besides Locked_RMW_Write when a Locked_RMW is in-
flight.
39e10ced03