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What are the three types of hazards in pipelining and briefly describe each?
What are the three types of hazards in pipelining and briefly describe each?
The three types of hazards are structural hazards, data hazards, and control hazards. Structural hazards occur when a required resource is busy, data hazards arise when an instruction needs to wait for previous data operations, and control hazards relate to decisions based on the outcome of previous instructions.
What are structural hazards and how can they be mitigated in a MIPS pipeline?
What are structural hazards and how can they be mitigated in a MIPS pipeline?
Structural hazards occur due to conflicts for resource usage, such as when load/store operations require memory access at the same time as instruction fetch. They can be mitigated by using separate instruction and data memories or caches.
Explain the concept of forwarding in pipelining.
Explain the concept of forwarding in pipelining.
Forwarding, also known as bypassing, allows the use of an instruction's result as soon as it is computed instead of waiting for it to be written to a register. This requires additional connections in the datapath to enable quicker data access.
What is a load-use data hazard and why can't it always be resolved by forwarding?
What is a load-use data hazard and why can't it always be resolved by forwarding?
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What role does alignment of memory operands play in memory access times?
What role does alignment of memory operands play in memory access times?
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What is the primary purpose of the multi-clock-cycle diagram?
What is the primary purpose of the multi-clock-cycle diagram?
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Explain the function of the WB stage in the load operation.
Explain the function of the WB stage in the load operation.
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How does the EX stage differ for load and store operations?
How does the EX stage differ for load and store operations?
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What is pipelined control and how is it simplified?
What is pipelined control and how is it simplified?
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What are data hazards, and how can they be resolved?
What are data hazards, and how can they be resolved?
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Describe the role of register numbers in detecting the need to forward.
Describe the role of register numbers in detecting the need to forward.
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What happens during the ID stage for both load and store operations?
What happens during the ID stage for both load and store operations?
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How does a single-cycle pipeline diagram differ from a multi-cycle pipeline diagram?
How does a single-cycle pipeline diagram differ from a multi-cycle pipeline diagram?
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What are the main types of hazards discussed in the context of pipeline processing?
What are the main types of hazards discussed in the context of pipeline processing?
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Explain what a Load-Use data hazard is.
Explain what a Load-Use data hazard is.
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How does the revised forwarding condition help manage data hazards?
How does the revised forwarding condition help manage data hazards?
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What actions are taken to stall a pipeline during a Load-Use hazard?
What actions are taken to stall a pipeline during a Load-Use hazard?
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What is a branch hazard, and how should instructions be handled during this situation?
What is a branch hazard, and how should instructions be handled during this situation?
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Describe the purpose of moving hardware to determine the branch outcome to the ID stage.
Describe the purpose of moving hardware to determine the branch outcome to the ID stage.
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Why are stalls considered detrimental to performance in pipeline processing?
Why are stalls considered detrimental to performance in pipeline processing?
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What mechanism is used to detect Load-Use hazards during instruction execution?
What mechanism is used to detect Load-Use hazards during instruction execution?
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What is the significance of forcing control values in the ID/EX register to 0 during a pipeline stall?
What is the significance of forcing control values in the ID/EX register to 0 during a pipeline stall?
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What does the instruction lw $4, 50($7)
do?
What does the instruction lw $4, 50($7)
do?
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How can a compiler assist in reducing hazards and stalls in pipeline execution?
How can a compiler assist in reducing hazards and stalls in pipeline execution?
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What is the effect of a data hazard if a comparison register is the destination of the preceding ALU instruction?
What is the effect of a data hazard if a comparison register is the destination of the preceding ALU instruction?
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How many stall cycles are required if the comparison register is a destination of an immediately preceding load instruction?
How many stall cycles are required if the comparison register is a destination of an immediately preceding load instruction?
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What is dynamic branch prediction and how does it improve pipeline performance?
What is dynamic branch prediction and how does it improve pipeline performance?
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What is a branch prediction buffer, and how is it utilized?
What is a branch prediction buffer, and how is it utilized?
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What is one limitation of using a 1-bit branch predictor?
What is one limitation of using a 1-bit branch predictor?
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In the context of the examples provided, what happens if the branch prediction is incorrect?
In the context of the examples provided, what happens if the branch prediction is incorrect?
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Explain what a stall cycle is and its significance in branch instruction execution.
Explain what a stall cycle is and its significance in branch instruction execution.
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What is loop unrolling and why is it beneficial?
What is loop unrolling and why is it beneficial?
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Explain the concept of register renaming in dynamic scheduling.
Explain the concept of register renaming in dynamic scheduling.
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How does dynamic multiple issue improve CPU performance?
How does dynamic multiple issue improve CPU performance?
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What is the role of the reorder buffer in a dynamically scheduled CPU?
What is the role of the reorder buffer in a dynamically scheduled CPU?
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Define load speculation and its purpose in dynamic scheduling.
Define load speculation and its purpose in dynamic scheduling.
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What does 'dynamic pipeline scheduling' achieve in a CPU?
What does 'dynamic pipeline scheduling' achieve in a CPU?
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Describe the impact of loop-carried dependencies in instruction execution.
Describe the impact of loop-carried dependencies in instruction execution.
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Why is reducing the number of registers used a challenge in loop unrolling?
Why is reducing the number of registers used a challenge in loop unrolling?
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What are structural hazards, and how does dynamic scheduling help mitigate them?
What are structural hazards, and how does dynamic scheduling help mitigate them?
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In the context of dynamic scheduling, what is the significance of the 'reservation station'?
In the context of dynamic scheduling, what is the significance of the 'reservation station'?
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Study Notes
Hazards in Pipelined Processing
- Hazards are situations occurring in pipelined execution that prevent an instruction from starting in the next cycle.
- There are three main types of hazards: structural, data and control.
Structural Hazards
- Structural hazards occur when a needed resource is busy for the next instruction.
- Pipelined CPUs typically have separate instruction and data memory units to avoid structural hazards.
Data Hazards
- Data hazards occur when one instruction depends on the result of a previous instruction that has not yet completed.
- Forwarding (or Bypassing): This technique allows results to be used by subsequent instructions before they are written back to the register file.
Load-Use Hazards
- Load-Use hazards occur when an instruction uses the result of a load instruction that hasn't completed its memory access.
- Load-Use hazards cannot be resolved by forwarding alone, requiring a stall cycle, where the pipeline is paused for a cycle to allow memory access to complete.
- A stall cycle forces control signals to be set to 0 in the ID/EX register.
Control Hazards
- Control hazards occur when a branch instruction's outcome is not known until the MEM stage.
- To handle branch hazards, pipelines employ techniques to reduce branch delay.
Dynamic Branch Prediction
- To further minimize the impact of control hazards, dynamic branch prediction is employed.
- Dynamic branch prediction uses a branch prediction buffer (aka branch history table).
Loop Unrolling
- Loop unrolling can improve performance by replicating the loop body to increase parallelism and reduce loop control overhead.
Dynamic Multiple Issues
- Superscalar processors can execute multiple instructions in a single cycle, dynamically deciding how many instructions to issue.
- Dynamic multiple issue avoids the need for compiler scheduling, allowing the CPU to handle code semantics independently.
Dynamic Pipeline Scheduling
- Dynamic pipeline scheduling allows the CPU to execute instructions out of order, but results are committed to the registers in their original program order.
Register Renaming
- Dynamically scheduled CPUs use reservation stations and reorder buffers to effectively rename registers.
- Register renaming prevents name dependencies by making sure the same register is not rewritten before its result is used.
Speculation
- Speculative execution allows the CPU to predict the outcome of branches and loads, continuing execution without waiting for confirmation.
- If speculation is wrong, instructions are flushed, and the pipeline is restarted.
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Description
This quiz explores the various hazards in pipelined processing, specifically focusing on structural, data, and control hazards. Learn about techniques like forwarding and the implications of load-use hazards on instruction execution. Test your understanding of how these issues impact CPU performance!