COMA – Cache Only Memory Architecture
Replace memory modules by cache-like structures (attraction memories)
- Costly since need for tags and state per block
Data migration, replication, replacement etc. all driven by hardware
- Pros: No need to “write back” a replaced block if it exists somewhere else ; data migrates naturally towards the processor that needs it
- Con: need to know whether there exists another copy of a block before replacing ; What to do if it’s the last copy and its place in an attraction memory is to be taken by another block