Dual-Core Support
A dual-core processor is simply a
single processor chip that contains two processors that can work in parallel. A
common benefit of a dual-core processor is that the individual processors will
each have
their own primary cache, or Level 1 cache. The traffic of the individual
processors will pass through a common Level 2 cache, or secondary cache,
allowing the individual processor instances to share a common cache. The
dual-core, shared-cache architecture provides a faster processor response time
for both processors within the same chip.
Because no direct dual-core support
is built into operating systems, the support must be built into the applications
that use the server's processors. To produce an application that will optimally
perform on a dual-core server, the application vendor must be aware of the
processors installed within the server to support the available resources
offered by the dual-core processor. Figure
2-17 illustrates the shared L2 cache
architecture of the dual-core processor.
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