An Iteration Partition Approach for Cache or Local Memory Thrashing on Parallel Processing

Parallel processing systems with cache or local memory in the memory hierarchies have become very common. These systems have large-size cache or local memory in each processor and usually employ copy-back protocol for the cache coherence. In such systems, a problem called “cache or local memory thrashing” may arise in executions of parallel programs, when the data unnecessarily moves back and forth between the caches or local memories in different processors. The techniques associated with parallel compilers to solve the problem are not completely developed.