Fundamentals of Parallel Multicore Architecture

Chapter 6

Introduction to Shared Memory Multiprocessors

Contents

6.1   The Cache Coherence Problem

6.2   Memory Consistency Problem

6.3   Synchronization Problem

6.4   Exercises

In Chapter 5, we discussed the memory hierarchy organization of single-processor as well as parallel/multicore systems. The objective of this chapter is to answer the question of what hardware support is needed in order to guarantee the correctness of executing shared memory parallel programs on a multiprocessor system. This chapter highlights that there are three main types of support needed: a (1) cache coherence protocol, which ensures a coherent view of cached values as seen by multiple processors, a (2) memory consistency model, which ensures consistent view ...