Your browser does not support JavaScript! Skip to main content
Free 30-day trial DO-178C Handbook RapiCoupling Preview DO-178C Multicore Training Multicore Resources
Rapita Systems
 

Industry leading verification tools & services

Rapita Verification Suite (RVS)

  RapiTest - Unit/system testing  RapiCover - Structural coverage analysis  RapiTime - Timing analysis (inc. WCET)  RapiTask - Scheduling visualization  RapiCoverZero - Zero footprint coverage analysis  RapiTimeZero - Zero footprint timing analysis  RapiTaskZero - Zero footprint scheduling analysis  RapiCouplingPreview - DCCC analysis

Multicore Verification

  MACH178  MACH178 Foundations  Multicore Timing Solution  RapiDaemons

Engineering Services

  V&V Services  Data Coupling & Control Coupling  Object code verification  Qualification  Training  Consultancy  Tool Integration  Support

Industries

  Civil Aviation (DO-178C)   Automotive (ISO 26262)   Military & Defense   Space

Other

RTBx Mx-Suite Software licensing Product life cycle policy RVS Assurance issue policy RVS development roadmap

Latest from Rapita HQ

Latest news

SAIF Autonomy to use RVS to verify their groundbreaking AI platform
RVS 3.22 Launched
Hybrid electric pioneers, Ascendance, join Rapita Systems Trailblazer Partnership Program
Magline joins Rapita Trailblazer Partnership Program to support DO-178 Certification
View News

Latest from the Rapita blog

How to certify multicore processors - what is everyone asking?
Data Coupling Basics in DO-178C
Control Coupling Basics in DO-178C
Components in Data Coupling and Control Coupling
View Blog

Latest discovery pages

control_tower DO-278A Guidance: Introduction to RTCA DO-278 approval
Picture of a car ISO 26262
DCCC Image Data Coupling & Control Coupling
Additional Coe verification thumb Verifying additional code for DO-178C
View Discovery pages

Upcoming events

Avionics and Testing Innovations 2025
2025-05-20
DASC 2025
2025-09-14
DO-178C Multicore In-person Training (Fort Worth, TX)
2025-10-01
DO-178C Multicore In-person Training (Toulouse)
2025-11-04
View Events

Technical resources for industry professionals

Latest White papers

Mitigation of interference in multicore processors for A(M)C 20-193
Sysgo WP
Developing DO-178C and ED-12C-certifiable multicore software
DO178C Handbook
Efficient Verification Through the DO-178C Life Cycle
View White papers

Latest Videos

Rapita Systems - Safety Through Quality
Simulation for the Motorola 68020 microprocessor with Sim68020
AI-driven Requirements Traceability for Faster Testing and Certification
Multicore software verification with RVS 3.22
View Videos

Latest Case studies

GMV case study front cover
GMV verify ISO26262 automotive software with RVS
Kappa: Verifying Airborne Video Systems for Air-to-Air Refueling using RVS
Supporting DanLaw with unit testing and code coverage analysis for automotive software
View Case studies

Other Resources

 Webinars

 Brochures

 Product briefs

 Technical notes

 Research projects

 Multicore resources

Discover Rapita

Who we are

The company menu

  • About us
  • Customers
  • Distributors
  • Locations
  • Partners
  • Research projects
  • Contact us

US office

+1 248-957-9801
info@rapitasystems.com
Rapita Systems, Inc.
41131 Vincenti Ct.
Novi
MI 48375
USA

UK office

+44 (0)1904 413945
info@rapitasystems.com
Rapita Systems Ltd.
Atlas House
Osbaldwick Link Road
York, YO10 3JB
UK

Spain office

+34 93 351 02 05
info@rapitasystems.com
Rapita Systems S.L.
Parc UPC, Edificio K2M
c/ Jordi Girona, 1-3
Barcelona 08034
Spain

Working at Rapita

Careers

Careers menu

  • Current opportunities & application process
  • Working at Rapita
Back to Top Contact Us

Is cache partitioning helpful or harmful to multicore timing performance?

Breadcrumb

  1. Home

This depends on the performance requirements of the platform and the hosted software.

The primary benefit of cache partitioning is that it provides protection from one core/partition evicting another. There are two broad approaches to achieve this:

  • Hardware: In hardware, the processor has built in support for partitioning the cache, allocating each core in the system its own area that it can use. This is supported on the T2080, for example (see e6500 TRM section 2.12.4).
  • Software: In set-associative caches, the location in cache that each block of memory may be loaded to is known. Using techniques like cache colouring, the software is placed in specific memory blocks in such a way that it is ensured that there will be no two cores/partitions that can end up using the same section of the cache.

In terms of execution time, the prime benefit of cache partitioning is typically a significant reduction in the variability i.e. a comparison with and without cache partitioning would indicate that execution times have a greater spread when there is cross-core interference present. This can be a valuable contribution towards the claim for robust partitioning.

The downside of cache partitioning is that, depending on the nature of the hosted application, it can have a significant impact on performance on the average case and even on the worst-case execution time. The reason for this is that each core/partition now has a smaller section of the cache to work with; if it no longer fits into the cache, then it will see an increased cache miss rate which has a direct impact on execution time. Whether this is acceptable should be carefully tested and evaluated.

A common misconception for shared cache partitioning is that it eliminates the effects of interference from shared L2 caches. Depending on the hardware, the shared caches can have shared buffers/queues that are not part of the partitioning. Therefore, even though the interference due to one core or partition evicting another can approach zero, the increase in cache misses can cause slowdowns due to contention on these shared internal structures.

For an IMA platform, it is recommended that the effectiveness of cache partitioning is evaluated empirically. Specifically, perform experiments/tests where the cache partitioning is enabled where RapiDaemons targeting the L2 cache generate interference, and compare against equivalent interference scenarios where the partitioning is disabled. It is quite likely that there will be observed slowdowns in the average case, and potentially also in the worst-case. The results from this analysis could be converted into constraints for the partition developers and integrators. For example "hosted IMA partitions on any core may not exceed X number of accesses outside L1 cache over a time window of Y nanoseconds".

  • Solutions
    • Rapita Verification Suite
    • RapiTest
    • RapiCover
    • RapiTime
    • RapiTask
    • MACH178

    • Verification and Validation Services
    • Qualification
    • Training
    • Integration
  • Latest
  • Latest menu

    • News
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Videos
  • Downloads
  • Downloads menu

    • Brochures
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Case Studies
    • Product briefs
    • Technical notes
    • Software licensing
  • Company
  • Company menu

    • About Rapita
    • Careers
    • Customers
    • Distributors
    • Industries
    • Locations
    • Partners
    • Research projects
    • Contact
  • Discover
    • Multicore Timing Analysis
    • Embedded Software Testing Tools
    • Worst Case Execution Time
    • WCET Tools
    • Code coverage for Ada, C & C++
    • MC/DC Coverage
    • Verifying additional code for DO-178C
    • Timing analysis (WCET) & Code coverage for MATLAB® Simulink®
    • Data Coupling & Control Coupling
    • Aerospace Software Testing
    • Automotive Software Testing
    • Certifying eVTOL
    • DO-178C
    • AC 20-193 and AMC 20-193
    • ISO 26262
    • What is CAST-32A?

All materials © Rapita Systems Ltd. 2025 - All rights reserved | Privacy information | Trademark notice Subscribe to our newsletter