Specification Clarifications
Intel
®
Core
™
2 Duo Processor
Specification Update
49
Specification Clarifications
The Specification Clarifications listed in this section apply to the following documents:
•
Intel
®
Core
™
2 Duo Processor E8000 and E7000 Series Datasheet
•
Intel
®
64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer’s Manual
volumes 1,2A, 2B,
3A, and 3B
All Specification Clarifications will be incorporated into a future version of the
appropriate processor documentation.
AW1.
Clarification of TRANSLATION LOOKASIDE BUFFERS (TLBS)
Invalidation
Section 10.9 INVALIDATING THE TRANSLATION LOOKASIDE BUFFERS (TLBS)
of the
Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual
,
Volume 3A: System Programming Guide will be modified to include the
presence of page table structure caches, such as the page directory cache,
which Intel processors implement. This information is needed to aid
operating systems in managing page table structure invalidations properly.
Intel will update the
Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's
Manual
, Volume 3A: System Programming Guide in the coming months. Until
that time, an application note, TLBs, Paging-Structure Caches, and Their
Invalidation (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/manuals/index.htm),
is available which provides more information on the paging structure caches
and TLB invalidation.
In rare instances, improper TLB invalidation may result in unpredictable
system behavior, such as system hangs or incorrect data. Developers of
operating systems should take this documentation into account when
designing TLB invalidation algorithms. For the processors affected, Intel has
provided a recommended update to system and BIOS vendors to incorporate
into their BIOS to resolve this issue.
§