4 ms·
> So instead of a 'kernel call' it'd be an opcode or small loop. Like a Wait For Interrupt instruction? If all idle processors sleep, I imagine it could save s
by geon 10y ago
> So instead of a 'kernel call' it'd be an opcode or small loop.
Like a Wait For Interrupt instruction? If all idle processors sleep, I imagine it could save some power as well.
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoYes! And an interrupt is any bit in a large (128bit?) register. Some bits are real hardware interrupts, some are local semaphores, some are global semaphores, and maybe one is a 'my timer register matches the system time counter'. Existing OSs use a kernel call to wait, because they want to manage the (tiny number of) hyperthread(s) closely. But with essentially unlimited hyperthreads, they can manage themselves! And avoid the whole kernel-round-trip latency.