Method and system for executing new instructions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11914997-B2
Application number	US-202117471359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2020
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A method for executing new instructions is provided. The method is used in a processor and includes: receiving an instruction; when the received instruction is an unknown instruction, executing a conversion program by an operating system, wherein the conversion program executes the following steps: determining whether the received instruction is a new instruction; converting the received instruction into at least one old instruction when the received instruction is a new instruction; and executing the at least one old instruction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for executing new instructions, comprising:
receiving an instruction;
decoding the received instruction with an instruction decoder;
determining the received instruction is an unknown instruction, based on decoded information from the instruction decoder;
when the received instruction is an unknown instruction, executing a conversion program by an operating system, wherein the conversion program executes the following steps:
determining whether the received instruction is a new instruction;
converting the received instruction into at least one old instruction when the received instruction is a new instruction; and
executing the at least one old instruction.

2. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
the operating system executes the conversion program through a kernel driver.

3. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the received instruction is an instruction set architecture instruction, and the at least one old instruction is an instruction set architecture instruction.

4. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the received instruction is an x86 instruction, an ARM instruction, a RISC-V instruction, or a MIPS instruction, and the at least one old instruction is an x86 instruction, an ARM instruction, a RISC-V instruction, or a MIPS instruction.

5. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
decoding the at least one old instruction into at least one microinstruction; and
executing the at least one microinstruction.

6. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
executing the following steps through the operating system:
obtaining the machine code of the received instruction according to the instruction pointer of the received instruction;
obtaining the operating environment information of the received instruction; and
sending the instruction pointer of the received instruction, the machine code and the operating environment information to the conversion program.

7. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising:
the conversion program determines whether the received instruction is a new instruction according to the machine code.

8. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 6 , when the received instruction is not a new instruction, the method further comprises:
generating an unknown instruction exception;
the conversion program sends the unknown instruction exception to a kernel driver; and
the kernel driver sends the unknown instruction exception to the operating system.

9. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 6 , wherein when the received instruction is a new instruction, the method further comprises:
when the received instruction cannot be executed in an operating mode, the conversion program generates a decoding exception, wherein the operating environment information comprises the operating mode; and
the conversion program sends the decoding exception to the operating system.

10. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , when the received instruction is a new instruction, the method further comprises:
the conversion program sends the at least one old instruction to the operating system; and
executing the at least one old instruction.

11. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the conversion program is a driver or application program of the operating system.

12. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conversion program is executed in a dedicated processing core.

13. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
the operating system sends the instruction pointer of the received instruction, the machine code of the received instruction, and the operating environment information of the received instruction to the conversion program through the polling mechanism or doorbell mechanism of the dedicated processing core.

14. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising:
the operating system obtains the at least one old instruction generated by the conversion program through the polling mechanism or the doorbell mechanism of the dedicated processing core.

15. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conversion program is comprised in the operating system.

16. The method for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
generating an unknown instruction exception when the received instruction is an unknown instruction; and
in response to the unknown instruction exception, executing a kernel driver of the operating system, and executing the conversion program through the kernel driver.

17. A system for executing new instructions, comprising:
an instruction decoding unit, receiving an instruction;
decoding the received instruction with an instruction decoder;
determining whether the received instruction is an unknown instruction based on decoded information from the instruction decoder;
when the received instruction is an unknown instruction, the system for executing new instructions executes a conversion program by an operating system, wherein the conversion program executes the following steps:
determining whether the received instruction is a new instruction; and
converting the received instruction into at least one old instruction when the received instruction is a new instruction;
wherein the system for executing new instructions executes the at least one old instruction.

18. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the operating system executes the conversion program through a kernel driver.

19. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the received instruction is an instruction set architecture instruction, and the at least one old instruction is an instruction set architecture instruction.

20. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the received instruction is an x86 instruction, an ARM instruction, a RISC-V instruction, or a MIPS instruction, and the at least one old instruction is an x86 instruction, an ARM instruction, a RISC-V instruction, or a MIPS instruction.

21. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the system for executing new instructions decodes the at least one old instruction into at least one microinstruction, and executes the at least one microinstruction.

22. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the system for executing new instructions executes the following steps through the operating system:
obtaining the machine code of the received instruction according to the instruction pointer of the received instruction;
obtaining the operating environment information of the received instruction; and
sending the instruction pointer of the received instruction, the machine code and the operating environment information to the conversion program.

23. The system for executing new instructions as claimed in claim 22 , wherein the conversion program determines whether the received instruction is a new instruction according to the machine code.

24. Th

Assignees

• Shanghai Zhaoxin Semiconductor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Weilin
• Yang Mengchen
• Guan Yingbing

Classifications

• G06F9/30145 Primary

  Instruction analysis, e.g. decoding, instruction word fields · CPC title

• G06F9/3861

  Recovery, e.g. branch miss-prediction, exception handling (error detection or correction G06F11/00) · CPC title

• G06F9/4411

  Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers · CPC title

• G06F9/542

  Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications · CPC title

• G06F9/4552 Primary

  Involving translation to a different instruction set architecture, e.g. just-in-time translation in a JVM · CPC title