Hyper Threading

Concepts & Architecture

Hyperthreading – Concepts & Architecture

Agenda
„ Technical Journey to Hyperthreading

„ Hardware & Software Requirements

„ Performance Issues

Hyperthreading
Timeline
Now, Parallel Computing is available on Single Processor

Symmetric
Cluster Multi Processor
Processing
(SMP)

Hyperthreading
Parallel Computing - Goals
Parallel computing is when a program
uses concurrency to either:

„ decrease the runtime for the solution to a

problem.

„ Increase the size of the problem that can

be solved.
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 Single-threaded Processor

Parts of Processor:
„ Front-end:
fetching/decoding/reordering
„ Execution core:
Concurrency
actual execution Illusion

„ Multiple programs in memory

„ Only one executes at a time
„ 4-issue CPU with bubbles

„ 7-unit CPU with pipeline bubbles

„ Time-slicing via context switching

Hyperthreading
Single-threaded SMP
What is SMP?

„ “Symmetric Multi-
Processors”
„ Tolerably, mislabeled as
“Shared-Memory
Processors”
„ Processors all connected
to a (large) memory
„ UMA: Uniform Memory
Access, makes is easy to
program
„ Symmetric: all memory is
„ Two threads execute at once, so threads equally close to all
processors
spend less time waiting
„ Cache Coherence via
„ Twice as much speed and twice as much “snoopy caches”
waste

Hyperthreading
 Super-threading
[Time-Slice Multithreading]
„ Principle: the processor can execute
more than one thread at a time

„ Requires more hardware cleverness

„ logic switches at each cycle

„ Leads to less Waste

„ Just a finer grain of interleaving

„ BUT, each stage of the front end or the

execution core only runs instructions
from ONE thread!

„ Does not help with poor instruction

parallelism within one thread

Hyperthreading
 Simultaneous Multi Threading (SMT)
„ Principle: the processor can execute more
than one thread at a time, even within a
single clock cycle!!

„ Requires even more hardware cleverness

„ logic switches within each cycle

„ Finest level of interleaving

„ From the OS perspective, there are two

“logical” processors

Hyperthreading
Evolution of Hyper-Threading
„ Two ways of faster computing
„ Increase Clock Speed
„ Better utilization of resources

„ Clock Speed cannot be increased beyond certain limit

„ Lot of heat generation

„ Better utilization of resources is now the choice

„ Memory access takes relatively more time
„ During this interval, CPU resources can be used by other threads
„ This requires – Out-Of-Order Execution, Register Re-naming,...

Hyperthreading
Hyper Threading

With these points in mind, Intel came up

with its version of Simultaneous Multi
Threading (SMT) called Hyper Threading
(HT)

Hyperthreading
 Hardware Requirements

„ Because the additional threads all run on the same CPU elements
(FPU, ALU) the only additions that are needed are the initial
scheduling process.

„ Although hyper-threading might seem like a pretty large departure

from the kind of conventional, process-switching multithreading done
on a single-threaded CPU, it actually doesn't add too much
complexity to the hardware.

„ Intel reports that adding hyper-threading to their Xeon processor

added only 5% to its die area.

Hyperthreading
Intel Xeon – Case Study
„ Capable of executing at most two threads in parallel on two logical
processors.

„ Must be able to maintain information for two distinct and independent

thread contexts.

„ Done by dividing up the processor's micro-architectural resources into

three types:
„ replicated
„ partitioned
„ shared

Hyperthreading
Intel Xeon – Resources Division
• Register renaming logic
Instruction Pointer
Replicated
•

• ITLB
• Return stack predictor
• Various other architectural registers

Re-order buffers (ROBs)

Partitioned
•

• Load/Store buffers
• Various queues, like the scheduling queues, uop queue, etc.

Caches: trace cache, L1, L2, L3

Shared
•

• Micro-architectural registers
• Execution Units

Hyperthreading
 Replicated Resources
„ Some resources have to be replicated like

„ Instruction Pointer
„ 1 Instruction Pointer for each Logical Processor.
„ Xeon: 2 Instruction Pointer

„ Register Allocation Table

„ For mapping architectural registers (8 integers and 8 floating-point) onto
128 General Purpose Registers and 128 Floating Point Registers
„ Replicated Resource managing a Shared Resource

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Partitioned Resources
„ Queues are partitioned resources

Statically Partitioned Queue Dynamically Partitioned Queue

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Shared Resources
„ Heart of Hyperthreading:

More Shared Resources => More Efficient Hyperthreading <=

squeezing maximum amount of computing power out of the
minimum amount of die space

„ Such resources are: registers, load/store units

„ SMT unaware

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Hyper-Threading Architecture
Overview

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Hyperthreading
Confusing Notions
Is Hyper-threaded Processor same as Dual
Core?

Answer: NO

„ Hyper-Threaded = 2 Logical Processors

„ Dual-Core = 2 Actual Processors on single chip

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HT – System Requirements
„ HT enabled Processor
„ Pentium 4 3.06 GHz, Xeon
„ HT enabled Chipsets
„ Intel 945G Express
„ HT enabled System BIOS
„ HT enabled Operating System
„ Windows 2000, XP, Linux 2.4.12

Hyperthreading
HT – Requirements from User
„ Enable HT in BIOS
„ To utilize HT
„ Use multi-threaded applications
OR
„ Run multiple applications at same time

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Performance Issues - 1
„ 2 Logical Processors != Double Power

„ Lesser CPU intensive programs may not

show much any gain

„ Reported gains are 20-40%

Hyperthreading
Performance Issues - 2
Death-Traps
„ Main cause: Shared Resource
„ Xeon Philosophy <->Cooperative Multitasking OS
„ Cases:
„ Floating Point Unit (FPU):
„ One floating-point intensive thread takes up the FPU; Another similar thread
contending for same FPU gets stalled
„ Cache
„ No cache-coherency problem as in SMP
„ But, cache conflict between two logical processors
„ Worst-Case: Two threads accessing different parts of memory and sharing no data =>
Lot of thrashing
„ Benchmarks Results: Non-SMT may perform better
„ With the wrong mix of code, hyper-threading decreases performance

Hyperthreading
HT Hardware Hands-On
„ Need to Enable Hyperthreading through BIOS

„ Simple Test:
„ Do together with and without HT

„ Compress 1GB File

„ Play Windows Media Player with Visualization plug-in

„ Analyze the time taken in 2 cases

„ Good Benchmark: Embarrassing Parallel (EP) from NASA

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4 Processors View in Task Manager

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Key Point

„ Hyper-Threading Technology gives better

utilization of processor resources

„ Hyper-Threading Technology gives more

computing power for multithreaded
applications
„ Thread Level Parallelism on single
processor

Hyperthreading
References
„ "Hyper-Threading Technology." Intel.
„ Deborah T. Marr, Frank Binns, David L. Hill, Glenn Hinton, David A.
Koufaty, J. Alan Miller, Michael Upton. "Hyper-Threading
Technology Architecture and Microarchitecture." Intel
„ Susan Eggers, Hank Levy, Steve Gribble. Simultaneous
Multithreading Project. University of Washington
„ Susan Eggers, Joel Emer, Henry Levy, Jack Lo, Rebecca Stamm,
and Dean Tullsen. "Simultaneous Multithreading: A Platform for
Next-generation Processors." IEEE Micro, September/October
1997, pages 12-18.
„ Jack Lo, Susan Eggers, Joel Emer, Henry Levy, Rebecca Stamm,
and Dean Tullsen. "Converting Thread-Level Parallelism Into
Instruction-Level Parallelism via Simultaneous Multithreading."
ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, August 1997, pages
322-354.

Hyperthreading
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Hyperthreading