CS224-Lab 6 Examining the Effect of Cache Parameters and Program Factors on Cache Hit Rate Solved

Part 1. Cache Memory Problems and Program 

 

1. Fill in the empty cells of the following table. Assume that main memory size is 0.5 GB. Index Size: No. of bits needed to express the set number in an address, Block Offset: No. of bits needed to indicate the word offset in a block, Byte Offset: No. of bits needed to indicate the byte offset in a word. Block Replacement Policy Needed: Indicate if a block replacement policy such as FIFO, LRU, LFU (Least Frequently Used) etc. is needed (yes) or not (no). If some combinations are not possible mark them. 

No.
Cache

Size KB
N way

cache
Word

Size in bits
Block size

(no. of words)
No. of

Sets
Tag Size

in bits
Index Size

(Set No.) in bits
Word Block

Offset

Size in bits1
Byte

Offset

Size in bits2
Block

Replacement

Policy Needed (Yes/No)
1
2
1
32 
4
 
 
 
 
 
 
2
2
2
32 
4
 
 
 
 
 
 
3
2
4
32 
8
 
 
 
 
 
 
4
2
Full
32 
8
 
 
 
 
 
 
9
16
1
16 
4
 
 
 
 
 
 
10
16
2
16 
4
 
 
 
 
 
 
11
16
4
8 
16
 
 
 
 
 
 
12
16
Full
8 
16
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 Word Block Offset Size in bits: Log2(No. of words in a block) 

2 Byte Offset Size in bits: Log2(No. of bytes in a word)

 

2.Consider the following MIPS code segment. (Remember MIPS memory size is 4 GB.)  Cache capacity is 8 words, Block size: 2 words, N= 1.

                       addi       $t0, $0, 5

loop:             beq        $t0, $0, done

                       lw           $t1, 0xA4($0)

                       lw           $t2, 0xAC($0)

                       lw           $t3, 0xA8($0)

                       addi       $t0, $t0, -1

                       j              loop

done:

 

a. In the following table indicate the type of miss, if any: Compulsory, Conflict, Capacity.

Instruction
Iteration No.
1
2
3
4
5
 
lw $t1, 0xA4($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
lw $t2, 0xAC($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
lw $t3, 0xA8($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

b. What is the total cache memory size in number of bits? Include the V bit your calculations. Show the details of your calculation.

 

c. State the number of AND and OR gates, EQUALITY COMPARATORs and MULTIPLEXERs needed to implement the cache memory. No drawing is needed.

 

 

3. Consider the above MIPS code segment. The cache capacity is 2 words , block size is 1 word. There is only 1 set. The block replacement policy is LRU.

 

a. In the following table indicate the type of miss, if any: Compulsory, Conflict, Capacity.

Instruction
Iteration No.
1
2
3
4
5
 
lw $t1, 0xA4($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
lw $t2, 0xAC($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
lw $t3, 0xA8($0)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

b. How many bits are needed for the implementation of LRU policy? What is the total cache memory size in number of bits? Include the V bit and the bit(s) used for LRU in your calculations. Show the details of your calculation.

 

c. State the number of AND and OR gates, EQUALITY COMPARATORs and MULTIPLEXERs needed to implement the cache memory. No drawing is needed.

 

4. Write a program to find the summation of the elements of a square matrix. Provide a user interface for user interaction to demonstrate that your program is working properly. Assume that in the main memory matrix elements are placed column by column. Create an array for the matrix elements and initialize them column by column with consecutive values. For example, a 3 by 3 (N= 3) matrix would have the following values.

 

1
4
7
2
5
8
3
6
9
 

The column by column placement means that you will have the values of the above 3 x 3 matrix are stored as follows in the memory.

Matrix Index

(Row No., Col. No.)
(1, 1)
(2, 1)
(3, 1)
(1, 2)
(2, 2)
(3, 2)
(1, 3)
(2, 3)
(3, 3)
Displacement

With respect the beginning
of the array containing the matrix
0
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
Value stored
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
 

In this configuration accessing the matrix element (i, j) simply involves computation of its displacement from the beginning of the array that stores the matrix elements. For example, the displacement of the matrix element with the index (i, j) with respect to the beginning of the array is (j - 1) x N x 4 + (i - 1) x 4, for a matrix of size N x N.

 

Your user interface must provide at least the following functionalities,

1.      Ask the user the matrix size in terms of its dimensions (N),

2.      Allocate an array with proper size using syscall code 9,

3.      Ask user the matrix element to be accessed and display the content,

4.      Obtain summation of matrix elements row-major (row by row) summation,

5.      Obtain summation of matrix elements column-major (column by column) summation,

6.      Display desired elements of the matrix by specifying its row and column member

 

2. Experiments with Data Cache Parameters
Run your program with two reasonably large different matrix sizes that would provide meaningful observations. Modify your original program if needed. For large matrix initialization you may use a loop rather than user interface.

 

Report for Matrix Size 1: 25 Points



Report for Matrix Size 2: 25 Points

 

As described above make sure that you have an easy to follow presentation with numbered tables having proper heading etc.

 

Make sure that you find the summation of matrix elements by performing row-major and column-major addition. Note that the column-major addition is a simple array addition from the beginning to the end; however, the row-major addition is somewhat tricky. 



a)      Direct Mapped Caches: For the matrix sizes you have chosen, conduct tests with various cache sizes and block sizes, to determine the hit rate, miss rate and number of misses. Use at least 5 different cache sizes and 5 different block sizes (make sure your values are reasonable) in order to obtain curves like those of Figure 8.18 (see below) in the textbook.  Make a 5 x 5 table with your values, with miss rate and # of misses as the data at each row-column location.  Make the graph of miss rate versus block size, parameterized by cache size, like Figure 8.18 both for row-major and column-major additions.

 

Hint: You can reach the Cache Simulator from MARS/Tools/Data Cache Simulator as shown in the following image: 

 

 

b)     Fully Associative Caches: Pick 3 of your parameter points obtained in part for row-major addition a), one with good hit rate, one with medium hit rate, and one with poor hit rate.  For these 3 results, there were 3 configuration pairs of cache size and block size that resulted in the data.  Take the same 3 configuration pairs, but this time run the simulation with a fully associate cache, using LRU replacement policy.  Compare the results obtained: The Direct Mapped good result versus the Fully Associative good result, the Direct Mapped medium result versus the Fully Associative medium result, and the Direct Mapped poor result versus the Fully Associative poor result. How much difference did the change to fully associative architecture make?  Now change the replacement policy to Random replacement, and run the 3 tests again (using the same 3 configuration pairs). Does replacement policy make a significant difference?  Record these 9 values in a new graph, with 3 lines: for Direct Mapped, for Fully Associative-LRU and for Fully Associative-Random. Note that this step is only for row-major addition so that by the end of the lab you’ll have (2+1)x2 = 6 graphs.

 

N-way Set Associative Caches: To save on hardware costs, fully set-associative caches are rarely used. Instead, most of the benefit can be obtained with an N-way set associative cache. Pick the medium hit rate configuration that you found in a) and used again in b), and change the architecture to N-way set associative.  For several different set sizes (at least 4) and LRU replacement policy, run the program and record the hit rate, miss rate and number of misses. What set size gives the best result?  How much improvement is gained as N (the number of blocks in a set) increases each step?  Now repeat the tests, but for the good hit rate configuration from a) and b). Record these data and answer the same question again. Finally, repeat for the poor hit rate configuration