Access Pattern Characterization of Last-Level Cache for Effective Replacement

Based on our analysis, numerous aspects should be considered to achieve the best solutions because cache line eviction is not influenced by only a single aspect. Cache lines may occasionally be accessed repeatedly during programming loops. Suppose the same cache line goes to writeback, then has long-distance access, then again goes to a small writeback distance, then again to a long distance, and so on. The same cache line can be a sequence of short and long distances or any order of short and long distances. So, we refer to it as an access pattern. By maintaining the cache line when a short distance is expected in the future and discarding it when a long distance is anticipated, we may take advantage of certain access patterns. With the concept of the access pattern of the cache, we can enhance the performance of the last-level cache. In this paper, we characterize the access pattern of the last-level cache and provide the implications of how to increase cache performance by anticipating and training access patterns. Also, we will discuss the cases where some applications do not have any access patterns.